Systems Administrator

Job Purpose

To support the IT component of the Genomics Innovation Alliance, GIA. The position involves working with GIA staff as well as IT staff at the University of Glasgow and Queen Elizabeth University Hospital to maintain and improve GIA’s IT infrastructure. GIA currently uses HPC clusters, Hyper-V VMs, VMWare VMs, PC and MAC laptops, Open-E data stores and Isilon Storage Clusters, and has its own internal networking infrastructure.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1. Operate and maintain GIA IT infrastructure and manage the group’s data storage, following all relevant Quality Control procedures.

2. Operate and maintain the Group’s backup operations, plan future backup/archive storage strategies, ensuring that all relevant statutory requirements and Quality Control procedures are met.

3. Operate, maintain, and expand the GIA VM farm.

4. Manage the transfer of significant quantities of data to and from internal storage areas and to and from any collaborators, associates, or other third parties, paying particular attention to all Quality Control procedures, GDPR requirements and any relevant Data Sharing agreements.

5. Provide training, supervision, and support to Group members in the correct and efficient use of the Group’s IT equipment, including software and peripherals.

6. Provide systems administration support for those computers attached to any lab equipment, instruments or those computers occasionally used for such purpose, in liaison with the Manufacturers/Suppliers/Warranty Providers.

7. Keep up to date with best practices in computing set-up, including the development and maintenance of test and production systems, computing system configuration and software deployment.

8. Evaluate and document new approaches and technologies to improve the group’s IT systems.

9. Undertake data analysis, identifying trends, problems, or anomalies, and present findings clearly to research group including proposals for action/mitigation and future action.

10. Troubleshoot complex technical problems, including issues with the design and operation of technical resources and/or with the data which is generated.

11. Offer advice to the group on current developments in big data and likely ways to meet our future needs.

12. Be responsible for your own time, your own workload and your own actions and perform all duties with a high degree of leadership and professionalism.

13. Be responsible for the day-to-day management of and compliance with relevant Health and Safety and/or other specialist legal requirements. Maintain all necessary records in accordance with set requirements, keep up to date with developments or legal changes relevant to the work of the research group and advise and train group members as appropriate. Report any potential issues to the PI and/or relevant internal or external bodies timeously.

14. Work collaboratively with others, including within the wider College/School and where relevant with external contacts, to enhance the delivery of the research aims and support the broader strategic aims of the University.

Knowledge, Qualifications, Skills, and Experience

Knowledge and Qualifications

Essential 

A1. A computing degree or relevant experience as a Systems Administrator of Linux/Unix computers in a commercial or research environment.

A2. In depth knowledge of at least two of the following: Red Hat/CentOS Linux, Ubuntu Linux, Oracle Linux, Debian Linux or Slackware Linux.

A3. In depth knowledge of computer security and data protection, including enforcement of procedures and reporting breaches.

A4. Knowledge of trending methods of big data storage and transfer.

A5. Knowledge of IT networks.

Skills

Essential

C1. Highly developed problem-solving skills.

C2. Able to multi-task, and to integrate problem solutions into a cohesive centralised solution.

C3. Highly developed communication skills with the ability to explain technical matters at all levels.

C4. Be a team player.

C5. Ability to plan, implement and deliver IT projects on time and within budget.

Experience

Essential

E1. Experience identifying, reporting and/or resolving any network problem.

E2. Experience in any two of the following: Hyper-V, VMWare or KVM Virtual machine management.

E3. Experience programming in one or more of the following: Bash, Python, Perl or R.

E4. Experience managing High Performance Computing Systems.

E5. Experience managing data storage systems for large volumes of data.

Desirable

F1. Experience of web applications having a database back-end and the business continuity and disaster recovery techniques applicable to them.

F2. Experience of migrating on-premises solutions to the cloud.

F3. Experience in using container technology (e.g. Docker).

F4. Experience of working with agile and/or waterfall project management.

F5. Experience of working in a regulated environment (e.g., ISO standards, ITIL etc.).

F6. Experience of working within a scientific/academic/research environment and/or experience working with clinical systems/in a healthcare setting.

Terms and Conditions

Salary will be Grade 7, £39,347 - £44,263 per annum pro rata.

This post is part-time (14 hours per week), and open ended with funding available for up to 2 years in the first instance.

As part of Team UofG you will be a member of a world changing, inclusive community, which values ambition, excellence, integrity and curiosity.

As a valued member of our team, you can expect:

1 A warm welcoming and engaging organisational culture, where your talents are developed and nurtured, and success is celebrated and shared.

3 A flexible approach to working.

We believe that we can only reach our full potential through the talents of all. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values. Applications are particularly welcome from across our communities and in particular people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented within the University. Read more on how the University promotes and embeds all aspects of equality and diversity within our community

https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/

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