System Engineer - NCSA

System Engineer - NCSA/Senior System Engineer
The National Center for Supercomputing Applications

The National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA)
at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign provides supercomputing and
advanced digital resources for the nation's scientific enterprise. At NCSA,
University of Illinois faculty, staff, students, and collaborators from around
the world use advanced computing technologies to address and research grand
challenges for the benefit of science and society. For more than 40 years, NCSA
has partnered with one-third of Fortune 50 companies by bringing industry,
researchers, and students together to solve complex challenges at rapid speed
and scale.

NCSA is seeking a motivated individual for a System Engineer
or Senior System Engineer role. The successful candidate will install,
maintain, and troubleshoot HPC systems and services, including Kubernetes,
OpenStack, on-prem and off-prem cloud environments, and others, with a focus on
supporting scientific research needs. They will collaborate with researchers to
resolve computational issues and develop innovative solutions to emerging
research challenges, as well as engage with the national research community to
provide computational services to NSF-funded collaborations.

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States,
as this role is not eligible for visa sponsorship now or in the future. This
position follows a hybrid schedule with two to three in-office days each week,
and the selected candidate must reside within 90 miles of the National
Petascale Computing Facility (NPCF) to support onsite work requirements.

Job SummaryInstall, maintain, and troubleshoot HPC systems and services, including Kubernetes, OpenStack, on-prem and off-prem cloud, and others, with a specialization in meeting the needs of scientific research. Collaborate with scientific researchers to resolve computational issues and design innovative solutions to emerging research challenges. Integrate with the national community of researchers to provide computational services to NSF-funded collaborations. This position is on-site, with the possibility of a hybrid work arrangement.
Duties & Responsibilities

• Support (55%)
  
  Diagnose system issues, implement fixes, and recommend long-term solutions.
  
  Monitor systems, triage incoming support requests and alerts, and escalate when needed.
  
  Maintain up-to-date documentation: run-books, "how-to" notes, onboarding guides, architecture diagrams.
  
  Respond to/process incoming support requests/alerts.
  
  Build, install and maintain system hardware and software.
  
  Detect and investigate problems with supported systems. Suggest solutions.
  
  Provide information for after action reports (when requested).
  
  Collect requirements and prioritize feature development.
• Technical Investigation (40%)
  
  Develop and extend configuration and workload management solutions (e.g., Puppet, Ansible, Slurm, HTCondor, Rancher, Kubernetes).
  
  Automate operational tasks using CI/CD tooling (e.g., GitLab Runners, GitHub Actions).
  
  Write scripts and small programs in one or more languages to streamline routine tasks and improve operational efficiency.
  
  Install, configure, upgrade, and troubleshoot computer hardware and software, data networks, and related technologies.
  
  Lead development on smaller internal projects, assist with larger internal and external.
  
  Investigate smaller scale new systems and solutions.
  
  Provide limited guidance to partner research projects.
  
  Make technical recommendations regarding NCSA's policies, practices, system development, and architecture.
  
  
• Outreach (5%)
  
  Organize, program, and lead regular training sessions and hands-on workshops.
  
  Provide NCSA training, guidance, and assistance related to team operations and activities.
  
  Participate in conferences.

Minimum Qualifications

*High school diploma or equivalent

*Three (3) years of work experience in IT-related functions such as hardware/software support, programming, network design, network engineering, IT systems integration, or a closely related field. College coursework, which includes Information Technology (IT), IT Management, Programming, IT systems, or a closely related discipline, may be substituted as follows:

o30 semester hours equals one (1) year,

oAn associate's degree (60 semester hours) equals eighteen (18) months,

o90 semester hours equals two (2) years,

oBachelor's Degree (120 semester hours) equals three (3) years

*Demonstrated experience supporting IT technologies, including servers.

Preferred Qualifications

*Operational experience with virtual system software frameworks (e.g., VMware, OpenStack).

*Operational experience with container orchestration frameworks (e.g., Kubernetes, Rancher).

*Operational experience with containerized software technologies (e.g., Docker, Apptainer, Podman).

*Operational experience with cloud technologies (e.g., AWS, Jupyter).

Senior System Engineer
Lead and delegate tasks for systems and services providing cloud computing. Collaborate with scientific researchers to resolve computing issues and design novel solutions to new research challenges. Coordinate installation and maintenance of cloud computing systems and services. This position is on-site with the possibility of being hybrid. Establish relationships with researchers at other institutions.

Duties & Responsibilities

Technical Investigations

*Lead development of large
projects, mentor other engineers in the process.
*Lead a team to investigate
the new systems and solutions by delegating tasks.
*Plan new efforts for system
design, deployment, and stability.
*Collaborate with
researchers to design systems and solutions for current and new project
requirements.
*Test and document new
technologies and make technical recommendations for NCSA's policies,
practices, system development, and architecture.
*Evolve and Maintain NCSA
support systems with state-of-the-art technology.
*Maintain currency in the
state of the art of assigned technical fields.

Operations

*Coordinate installation and
maintenance activities on HPC, enterprise IT, and cloud computing systems.
*Plan deployment and daily
operations of HPC, enterprise IT, and cloud computing systems, monitor and
respond to incoming alerts and support tickets.
*Coordinate all aspects of
planned maintenance operations for divisional systems.
*Architect and build
monitoring solutions to enhance customer satisfaction of supported systems.
*Create new and validate
other's solutions within existing configuration management (CM) tools and
workload management (e.g., Puppet, Ansible, Rancher, Kubernetes).
*Provide technical expertise
as part of NCSA/ICI teams.
*Expand existing NCSA/ICI
teams' practices to new areas within the organization.
*Coordinate with
directorate-level teams, project coordinators, and sales vendors.
*Recommend solutions within
the scope of their subject matter expertise to meet project specifications
and NCSA operational requirements.

Outreach

*Create and present training
materials for internal and external use.
*Prepare and present
training to division- and directorate-level staff.
*Represent NCSA at
domain-specific events, meetings, and conferences.
*Mentor
Assistants/Staff-level System Engineers and student workers.

Minimum Qualifications

*High school diploma or
equivalent.
*Three (3) years of work
experience in IT-related functions such as hardware/software support,
programming, network design, network engineering, IT systems integration, or
a closely related field. College coursework which includes Information
Technology (IT), IT Management, Programming, IT systems, or a closely related
discipline may be substituted as follows:
o30 semester hours equals one (1) year,
oAssociate's Degree (60 semester hours) equals eighteen
(18) months,
o90 semester hours equals two (2) years,
oBachelor's Degree (120 semester hours) equals three (3)
years
*Demonstrated experience
supporting IT technologies, including servers.
*Demonstrated experience
supporting OpenStack and/or Kubernetes clusters.

Preferred Qualifications

*Eight years of experience
in a combination of the following areas:
o Support of IT technologies in a large and/or complex
environment.
o Experience with computing systems hardware, networking,
storage, and operating systems.
o Proficient use of one or more programming languages to
accomplish large, complex tasks.
o Activities associated with the procurement, deployment,
and management of Linux systems or other enterprise IT services.

*Experience operating
systems in both data center and cloud environments.
*Experience planning complex
system deployments.
*Experience or training in
project management and delivery.
*Four years of experience
researching, presenting, and/or publishing technical projects or papers in a
professional or academic setting.
*Operational experience with
virtual system software frameworks (e.g., VMware, OpenStack).
*Operational experience with
container orchestration frameworks (e.g., Kubernetes, Rancher).
*Operational experience with
containerized software technologies (e.g., Docker, Apptainer, Podman).
*Operational experience with
cloud technologies (e.g., AWS, Jupyter).

Appointment InformationThis is a 100% full-time Civil Service 5031 - Information Technology Technical Associate position, appointed on a 12-month basis. The expected start date is as soon as possible after 8/10/2026. Salary is commensurate with experience. The salary range for the System Engineer position is $80,000-$100,000, while the salary range for the Senior System Engineer is $85,000-$100,000. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States, as this role is not eligible for visa sponsorship now or in the future.

For more information on Civil Service classifications, please visit the SUCSS web site at https://www.sucss.illinois.gov/pages/classspec/default.aspx.

Application Procedures & Deadline Information

Applications must be received by 6:00 pm (Central Time) on July 6, 2026. Apply for this position using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of this posting. In order to be considered as a transfer candidate, you must apply for this position. Applications not submitted through https://jobs.illinois.edu will not be considered. If required by the position, transcripts or other documentation of credentials are to be provided no later than the first day of employment. For further information about this specific position, please contact Jewel Goodly at jgoodly@illinois.edu. For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.

At the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign - the state's flagship public university and one of the world's leading research institutions - every staff member helps shape what's next. Founded in 1867, Illinois is home to a vibrant community of 59,000 students from all 50 states and 129 countries, supported by 15 colleges and instructional units, more than 20 research institutes, and one of the most comprehensive student service ecosystems in the nation. Whether you're empowering first-generation students, fueling breakthrough innovation, or strengthening communities across Illinois and beyond, your work here has a far-reaching and deeply meaningful impact. The university offers a highly competitive benefits package designed to support your well-being, growth, and financial security. Join a top 10 public university that has launched over 330 startups and continues to redefine excellence - where the Illinois Value Proposition ensures that your contributions are recognized, your potential is nurtured, and your career can thrive.

Champaign-Urbana

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position; however, all employment decisions will be made by a person.

This position is intended to be eligible for benefits. This includes Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, a Retirement Plan, Paid time Off, and Tuition waivers for employees and dependents.

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify.

Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Accommodations may also be requested on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions, or religion. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodation portal, or by contacting the Office for Access & Equity at 217-333-0885, option #1, or accessibility@illinois.edu.

Requisition ID: 1036889

Job Category: Technical

Apply at: https://jobs.illinois.edu