The Institute of High Energy Physics (HEPHY) of The Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW), Austria’s leading non-university research and science institution, is offering a Position as
HEPHY - HPC User Support Engineer (F/M/X)
(Full-time employee)
The institute participates in large research collaborations, such as CMS at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN and Belle II at SuperKeKB in Japan. These collaborations cover a broad range of experiments, ranging from the study of the Higgs Boson to the search of new phenomena, such as Dark Matter. To facilitate the research, HEPHY is a member of the worldwide LCG computing grid.
In collaboration with other institutes of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (SMI, GMI, IMBA) and the Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) we operate Austria's largest non-university HPC infrastructure and are actively seeking to enhance our user support team. For more information about our infrastructure, please visit https://clip.science/. Our HPC systems are instrumental in driving forward research in a diverse range of fields, including particle physics, machine learning, life sciences, genomics, next-generation sequencing (NGS), and image processing.
Your Tasks
We are looking for a user support engineer to strengthen our HPC team. You will work in a dynamic, international and technically challenging environment where you will interact with scientists, software engineers, and fellow DevOps engineers.
Main tasks include:
- Providing first line of contact for user requests
- Software installation and deployment support in various languages and frameworks
- Solving HPC scheduler issues (SLURM)
- Training users in Linux and HPC cluster usage
- Creating and maintaining helpful and actionable user documentation
Your Profile
We are seeking an enthusiastic and dedicated individual with a keen interest in Linux-based HPC environments, a foundational understanding of the IT landscape in a scientific or research-oriented setting, and a genuine interest in High-Performance Computing (HPC).
You are willing to learn and apply new technologies and methodologies in a dynamic and evolving computing environment. You are eager to work collaboratively in a team while also being capable of managing individual tasks and responsibilities. You have good communication skills and are capable of effectively conveying technical concepts to team members and technically less inclined users. Fluent English, both speaking and writing, is a must while knowledge of German would be advantageous.
A work permit for Austria is essential.
Required Skills & Experience:
· Provide user support, create documentation
· Automate tasks and workflows using scripting languages and tools
· Use Linux systems in multi-user, high-performance computing environments
· Configure and optimize user environments for scientific computing
· Install and maintain scientific software stacks using EasyBuild, LMod, and ESSII
· Develop improvements to the HPC platform with a focus on user experience
· Optimize job scheduling, resource allocation, and troubleshooting with Slurm
· Build and manage containers, especially with Singularity (Apptainer)
Personal Attributes:
· Communicate clearly and effectively in written and spoken English
· Solve problems, both independently as well as part of a team
· Actively take ownership of projects and improvements
· Stay up-to-date with developments in HPC and scientific computing
Please note: This is not a traditional system administration or operations role. The primary focus is on user support, including technical aspects such as performance analysis and software stack management, in close collaboration with the operations team to continually improve the user environment
Our Offer
- A full-time employment (40 h/week), initially limited for one year, intended to be permanent
- A position in an innovative and internationally active environment crucial to succes
- Numerous voluntary social benefits
- Flex time arrangement
- Opportunity to work independently and develop personally
- A monthly gross salary of at least € 4054,62 (14 times per year) according to the salary scale of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (N4/2).(Depending on qualification and experience, the salary can be negotiated.)
The Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW) pursues a non-discriminatory employment policy and values equal opportunities, as well as diversity. Individuals from underrepresented groups are particularly encouraged to apply.
