Linux Systems Administrator

About the Department

The Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department is one of the top 10 suppliers of ECE talent at the BS level in the US, and ranks in the top ECE Departments in total annual research expenditures (ASEE). The department is located in state-of-the-art facilities on NC State’s Centennial Campus. Its undergraduate EE and CpE degree programs have been ranked in the Top 20 and Top 30, respectively, by US news and World Report.
The University is located in the technology-rich Research Triangle metropolitan area, and ECE faculty members collaborate routinely with local industry. The Research Triangle area is frequently recognized in nationwide surveys as one of the best places to live in the U.S. We enjoy outstanding public schools, affordable housing, and great weather, all in the proximity of the mountains and the seashore.
Candidates can obtain information about the department and its research programs, as well as more details about the positions advertised at http://www.ece.ncsu.edu.
NC State promotes an integrated approach to problem solving that transforms lives and provides leadership for social, economic, and technological development across North Carolina and around the world. NC State’s land grant mission of teaching, research, and service is dedicated to the service of North Carolina and its people. Applicants are encouraged to review the institution’s mission, vision, and strategic plan, and consider how their background, interest, and experience would enable them to support the university.
You Belong Here – NC State University offers a multitude of career prospects that align with the university’s Employee Value Proposition. NC State University has prepared a Candidate Guide which contains valuable information on our childcare partnerships, tuition waiver program, relocation services, wellness and recreation memberships, employer subsidized health coverage, and much more.
Discover the possibilities at NC State University and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering for your professional and personal growth.

Essential Job Duties

We are seeking a dedicated and passionate Linux Systems Administrator to help support the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering’s academic courses and cutting-edge research initiatives. This role is ideal for someone with deep expertise in Linux server administration and software installation, who thrives in a collaborative research computing environment.
As part of our team, you’ll play a vital role in advancing research and innovation through the creation of a robust and efficient IT infrastructure. We offer the opportunity to work on varied and meaningful projects, providing excellent benefits, a supportive work culture, and ongoing opportunities for professional growth and development.
Job Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Manage and maintain approximately 100 Dell / Lenovo / HP servers running Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Ubuntu Linux in our server room, ensuring their stability, security, and performance.
• Install, configure, and maintain commercial and open source software on our NFS network file shares, ensuring accessibility for users via our Module implementation.
• Utilize container technologies such as Docker and Apptainer to provide alternative methods of software deployment to address research and course needs.
• Work with the campus Puppet and Ansible management systems to automate server configuration and deployment tasks, as well as baseline settings to meet security standards such as CIS or NIST.
• Educate users on the usage of conda, PIP, and Jupyter notebooks to manage Python environments and libraries for our growing AI/ML needs within our courses and research.
• Provide technical support to end-users regarding Linux-related issues, troubleshooting hardware and software problems, and resolving technical incidents in a timely manner.
• Create and maintain various new departmental Linux services – for example, a slurm cluster, JuptyerHub pilot, and Open OnDemand based remote access farms – to keep ECE’s research capabilities relevant.
• Collaborate with ECE researchers and students to provide support for their usage of the campus High-Performance Computing (HPC) service; install ECE specific software within the cluster when appropriate. Coordinate this effort with the reorganized campus Office of Research Computing to streamline ECE usage of central resources.
• Assist Linux Desktop Support position with the support of Linux workstations as needed.

Other Responsibilities

• Other duties as assigned

Minimum Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree from an appropriately accredited institution and two years of experience in operations analysis and design, systems programming or closely related area OR an equivalent combination of education, training and relevant experience.

Other Required Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Linux Systems Administrator, managing and maintaining Linux servers (physical and VMs) within an academic institution or national computing lab.
• Strong knowledge of Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Ubuntu Linux operating systems.
• Proficiency installing software through dnf/apt, compiling, and using application container technologies such as Docker or Singularity/Apptainer.
• Experience with configuration management tools like Puppet and Ansible.
• Strong understanding of Linux command-line tools as well as programming and version control concepts; in particular shell script, python and git.
• Ability to support the use of conda, PIP, and Jupyter notebooks.
• Detailed understanding of remote access, clustering, backup, auditing, and virtualization technologies within a Linux environment.
• Understanding of fundamental networking concepts including DHCP/DNS, network file systems and client-based firewalls.
• General hardware troubleshooting and repair skills.
• Experience supporting the installation, configuration, and monitoring of Nvidia GPU cards and required drivers and software within Linux.
• Experience supporting researchers in utilizing High-Performance Computing (HPC).
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to quickly learn new complex systems.
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills to collaborate with researchers and other team members effectively.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous support of Open OnDemand service.
• Previous support of Slurm based cluster.
• Previous support of JupyterHub service.
• Experience with Modules or Lmod systems.
• Experience configuring Linux systems to meet security baselines such as CIS or NIST.
• Certifications such as Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) or CompTIA Linux+ are a plus.
• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or closely related degree from an appropriately accredited institution

Required License(s) or Certification(s)

N/A

Special Instructions to Applicants

Applicants should submit a resume/cv, cover letter, and names and complete contact information of at least three (3) professional references, including email addresses and phone numbers.