System Engineer II

Employer: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Location: Madison, Wisconsin, United States

Salary: Competitive Salary

Date Posted: Sep 8, 2025

Position Type: Faculty Positions, Science & Mathematics, Other Science & Technology, Administrative, IT & Technology, Technology Administration/Other

Employment Type: Full Time

Job Category: Academic Staff

Job Profile: System Engineer II

Job Duties:

The Center for Climatic Research (CCR) and the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE), two research centers within the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW-Madison, are seeking a Systems Engineer to provide network, computer application, and programming support for approximately 50 personnel total across the two centers. The duties associated with this position will include working directly with faculty, research staff and grad students to implement an infrastructure for specific research and educational projects and to process databases and analytical tools for climate and other environmental modeling research. The incumbent is also expected to work closely with CCR's and SAGE’s Center Directors to ensure smooth functioning of the centers’ activities. They will manage an infrastructure for research and educational projects in various capacities (hardware, software, visualization, and proposal/journal writing) and advise on the use of centralized campus computing and data storage resources, including the Department of Information Technology, Center for High Throughput Computing, and Data Science Institute. This position involves making technical decisions that require initiative and independent thought.

The responsibilities in this position encompass three major areas:

1. Research Support & System Administration (~60%): Work with CCR and SAGE personnel to facilitate their research efforts at all levels: hardware, software, proposal and journal article writing, graphics creation. Provide system administrative support for the Wisconsin State Climatology Office. Consult with faculty to develop databases for their research applications, proposals, and protocols. Advise, consult with, and determine technology software needs of the faculty, researchers and staff. Recommend hardware and software purchases. Participate in the information technology policy development, long and short-range planning and help to identify, propose, and execute research projects aimed at developing new data analysis streamlining applications. Install and configure operating systems, desktop and laptop computers, Linux clusters, and application software for the approximately 65 Macintosh computers and PCs that use OS X and/or Unix or Windows. Install software, compilers and libraries as needed. Manage approximately 20 printers: networking, cartridges, software spooling. Maintain networked program licensing, setup, and running. Establish new backup system for Macintosh computers. Coordinate networking with the system administrator in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. Provide technical support for the Paleoecology Laboratory (computers, software, microscopes) and the Climate, People, and Environment Program (CPEP) and Weston Seminars. Support and explore analytical software and scientific visualization tools for climate research (e.g., Matlab, Grads, NCAR Command Language, ArcGIS). Develop on-site shared directories for commonly used data bases. Supervise one or two student IT assistants. Offer group or personal training in computational resources as needed by CCR and SAGE personnel. Poster printing. Learn and use ShopUW to order supplies. Maintain and update email lists.
2. Web Management (~20%): Manage CCR's and SAGE’s web servers (regularly update content according to recent activities and personnel, alter design and formatting as needed, and enable public access to climate data products and visualization/analysis tools). Maintain and expand when necessary web-accessed data bases to enhance scientific outreach activities. Monitor and respond to general inquiries coming into the two centers’ websites.
3. UW Cloud Computing and Off-site Supercomputing (~20%): Ensure CCR's connectivity to remote IBM supercomputing clusters at national laboratories by managing accounts and serving as the center's liaison. Assist CCR researchers with opening and closing of accounts, developing proposals for obtaining time on supercomputers, and providing technical support for running climate models and analyzing output. Serve as point person for questions regarding advanced or high-volume computing or storage needs.

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Completes procurements, installations, configurations, repairs, automations, and modifications of complex technology hardware, software, and associated components independently.
• Identifies, troubleshoots, researches, and resolves routine issues on varied systems, platforms, networks, and applications to ensure system security, confidentiality, compatibility, and functionality according to policies, procedures, and regulations.
• Designs, installs, configures, tests, and maintains routine and varied automation, hardware, and associated equipment according to customer specifications to meet unit objectives.
• Develops and facilitates individual and group end user trainings, answers questions, and provides information specific to complex information technology end user products and services.
• Documents and disseminates deployed systems, system upgrades, or changes to the appropriate entities according to established policies and procedures.
• Assists with the planning and coordinating of system logistics, workflows, upgrades, and system security and affiliated procedures.
• Installs firewalls, host and client access mechanisms, permissions, and user accounts.

Department: Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, Center for Climatic Research (CCR)

Compensation: The minimum annual (12 months) starting salary for the position is $65,449 but is negotiable based on experience and qualifications. Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and paid time off; competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits.

Required Qualifications: 2-4 years’ experience in IT/systems administration. Demonstrable experience in hardware (Macintosh, PCs, Linux clusters), software (Mac OS, Unix, Windows), and web site management.

Preferred Qualifications: Some background in MPI and scientific research.

Education: Associates degree or higher required.

How to Apply: To begin the application process, click the "Apply" button. You will be prompted to upload the following documents: Resume, Letter of Qualifications (cover letter). Please submit a cover letter referring to your work experience and a resume detailing your educational and professional background as it relates to this position. Your cover letter should communicate your interest in the position and how your skillset aligns with the role. The application deadline is 11:59pm on September 29, 2025.

Additional Information: Partially remote: Two days per week at the Center for Climatic Research, two days per week at the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment, and the option for one day per week as remote. This position may be full time (40 hours weekly) or part time (32 hours weekly). Eligibility to Work in the US: Successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States.