Assistant Director of Research Computing

Department:

The Division of Information Technology (DoIT) has approximately 85 full time staff members and 100 undergraduate or graduate students that work each day to support the mission of UMBC through the delivery of IT services to the campus. DoIT provides robust, secure IT environments that enable solutions for advancing the UMBC community. We do this through a staff of technology professionals that are connected both nationally and to UMBC.

Learn more about our work at https://doit.umbc.edu/eis/unix-and-windows/

Position Overview:

The Assistant Director of Research Computing is part of a team that is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the research computing infrastructure managed by the Division of Information Technology.

The position will help guide the future of high performance and research computing at UMBC.  In addition, the person will lead efforts to best utilize our computing resources to make our researchers successful.

Why Work at UMBC?

UMBC offers competitive compensation.  This role starts at $104,000 and has over 4 weeks of vacation for regular full time roles. Tuition remission is also available.

What is it like to work at UMBC?  Check out Glassdoor or Indeed. 

For 15 years in a row UMBC has been recognized as a Great College to Work For! 

Telework:

A hybrid telework schedule is available!

Responsibilities:

Support the wide range of disciplines UMBC’s RC/CI Offerings. Collaborate with researchers and colleagues at other research institutions in applying information technology to research problems. Work with researchers from a variety of disciplines to understand their applications and application performance. Assist researchers to leverage the parallel CPU and GPU architectures of computing resources supported by UMBC DoIT RC Group. Coordinate with cluster administrators concerning the needs of the UMBC research computing community and facilitate user-friendly access to those resources. Respond to reported problems and provide solutions.

Provide guidance to existing and potential users on how to use the cluster for their research projects through both one-on-one consultations and training sessions workflow management as well as data management. Facilitate and develop specific training programs aligned to UMBC’s advanced cyber infrastructure resources. Work closely with DoIT and campus stakeholders to actively pursue infrastructure and research computing related funding opportunities and partnerships.

Design and implement solutions to support research collaborations, including solutions involving both software and hardware components and different functional and performance requirements. Design and architect logical solutions to administer the HPCF and its resources. Build tools and support architectures used to facilitate computational workflows and organize experiments in conjunction with best practices. 

Serve as the UMBC Campus NSF Campus Champion. As Campus Champion: Maintain familiarity with emerging techniques and technologies in research computing. Participate in training, education and development activities to improve knowledge and performance and enhance professional development. Maintain familiarity with current technologies related to research computing. Attend relevant academic and professional conferences.

Perform additional duties as assigned.

Required Minimum Qualifications:

• Master's Degree preferably in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field with at least three years experience working with HPC or parallel computing clusters or three years of experience in RC/CI administration.
• Experience with NVIDIA Bright Cluster Manager or other cluster management software
• Experience with versioning tools such as Git or Subversion
• Install and/or configuration of CEPH, parallel or high performance file systems
• Slurm or other cluster computing job management experience
• Experience supporting customer requests and working with stakeholders to gather and fulfill project requirements
• Capable of managing time effectively, working both independently and as part of a team
• Help develop project plans, effectively create/update issues and keep team members and management informed of changes, impediments, and updates
• Enthusiasm for learning new skills and adapting to a dynamic environment
• Strong interpersonal skills, enthusiasm for customer service, and the ability to work with students, staff, and faculty from diverse backgrounds
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills 

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Master's or coursework equivalent in a traditionally non-computing, but STEM-related field (e.g., Applied Mathematics, Engineering, Biology, Geology, Chemistry, Physics, etc).
• Five or more years of experience in RC/CI administration.
• HPC knowledge around cluster builds, software, parallel computing, workload management, and cluster management.
• Three years of advanced programming in Python and/or C/C++
• Familiarity with Linux & modern computing tools (e.g., Jupyter Ecosystem, MATLAB, and/or similar).
• Familiarity with machine learning workflows/pipelines.

Background Screening Statement:

A background check will be required. 

Special Instructions to Applicants:

Upload a cover letter and a resume.  

Closing Date: December 2, 2024 Benefits:

UMBC offers a rich benefits package.

Regular and grant funded regular positions (Full benefits summary click here):

Generous Leave which includes accruing:

• 22 Days of Annual Leave  
• 15 Days of Sick Leave  
• 15 Holidays
• 3 Personal Days

Tuition Remission:

• 8 credit hours per semester
• Tuition remission at UMBC for eligible dependents after two years of FT employment

Additional Benefits:

• Life and disability insurance
• Retirement plans (including the choice of joining the pension plan)
• Professional development opportunities
• Wellness opportunities
• & Much more

Contingent II positions may include some benefits. 

Benefits offered align with type (Regular, Contingent II, etc.) of position. 

Salary:

Salary: $104,000 - $117,000 depending on qualifications and experience.

The salary of the finalist(s) selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, budget, prior experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business considerations.

The above salary range represents the University’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Hours: Full-time Type: Regular FLSA Status: Exempt  Equal Opportunity Statement: UMBC is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Applications from women, minority group members, veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Title IX: As an institution that receives federal financial assistance, UMBC adheres to Title IX and does not discriminate on the basis of sex. For more information about Title IX and contact information for Title IX Coordinator click here.   

Accommodation: 

If you require a reasonable accommodation for a disability for any part of the employment process, please contact the Human Resources Department at 410-455-2337 or MD TTY Relay Service 1-800-735-2258 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Work Authorization  As required by the 1986 Immigration Act, be prepared to present acceptable documentation upon hire showing your identity and that you are a U.S. citizen or an alien who is authorized to work.