Senior Research Systems Analyst

Competition 1736

This position is a part of the Non-Academic Staff Association (NASA).     

This position offers a comprehensive benefits package which can be viewed at: Faculty & Staff Benefits.

Location - This role is hybrid with a mix of remote and in-person work at North Campus Edmonton.

Working at the University of Alberta

The University of Alberta acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 6 territory, and respects the histories, languages and cultures of First Nations, Métis, Inuit and all First Peoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant community.

The University of Alberta is a community of knowledge seekers, change makers and world shapers who lead with purpose each and every day. We are home to over 14,000 faculty and staff, more than 40,000 students and a growing community of 300,000 alumni worldwide.

Your work will have a meaningful influence on a fascinating cross-section of people — from our students and community members, to our renowned researchers and innovators, making discoveries and generating solutions that make the world healthier, safer, stronger and more just. Learn more.

Working for Information Services & Technology

Information Services & Technology (IST) is the central support group for the university's technological landscape. IST plays a pivotal role in ensuring the evolution and smooth operation of technology for teaching, learning, research and working at the University of Alberta. Beyond having expansive technical expertise, IST fosters a supportive environment where our staff values include compassion, connection, collaboration, creativity and courage. If you are passionate about leveraging technology to empower education, research and to drive institutional excellence, join us and be part of shaping the future of the University of Alberta through innovative IT solutions.

Position 

The Research Systems Analyst will assist researchers at all levels across various research disciplines with their digital research efforts. The analyst will also be responsible for maintaining high-performance computing infrastructure, storage systems, and specialized software, in close collaboration with team members and the department. 

Located at the University of Alberta, this HPC digital research infrastructure supports projects that involve sensitive, confidential data and other data governed by strict regulatory requirements. 

The incumbent assists researchers in effectively using the infrastructure, including, but not limited to, providing training, optimizing code, and troubleshooting issues for researchers running jobs within the HPC environment. 

In addition, the incumbent consults with researchers on their digital infrastructure needs throughout the entire research project lifecycle, in collaboration with internal and external experts. 

Duties 

• Assist researchers with requests for support in effectively using the HPC research infrastructure. These requests vary greatly in complexity, covering topics such as job submission on schedulers, software bugs in both commercial and non-commercial products, improper initial conditions for software, and other related issues. Fulfilling these requests may require writing scripts, learning how specific software packages work, engaging with vendors, understanding the underlying algorithms, and performing other tasks that are not always well-defined.
• Participate in the deployment and administration of the digital research infrastructure.
• Install research software on the digital research infrastructure as requested by researchers.
• Provide consultation to researchers for their IT needs. This requires broad knowledge of diverse research areas and analytical skills to bridge the gap between research projects and IT technologies.
• Train researchers on how to use the digital research infrastructure and best practices to ensure they use the systems effectively and efficiently, while collaborating with other team members in the development and delivery of training.
• Participate in focus groups and committees, providing expert-level knowledge and gathering input.
• Participate in industry conferences and maintain relationships with vendors to stay informed about emerging technologies that can improve the quality of service.
• Participate in a 24/7 on-call support rotation

Qualifications

• Master’s Degree, preferably in Computing Science, Engineering, Biomedical Science, or a related field, with additional relevant experience.
• 5 years of experience in maintaining and using high-performance computing (HPC) systems and research software commonly installed on such systems is required.
• Advanced working knowledge of Linux systems.
• Experience with installation and configuration of software on Linux systems.
• Advanced working knowledge of programming and/or scripting with languages such as Bash, Python, and others.
• Knowledge of how to use HPC scheduling software, such as Slurm, is required.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Ability to generalize or abstract a specific problem to a class of problems, as the incumbent cannot be an expert (i.e., PhD-level knowledge) in every research field and software application they need to support.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated ability to participate in a 24/7 on-call support rotation.
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills.