HPC System Administrator - Linux

Job Family:

Systems Engineering (Digital)

Travel Required:

None

Clearance Required:

Ability to Obtain Public Trust

What you will do

​​We are currently searching for Linux-based System Administrator to provide day-to-day management of the LoBoS HPC compute nodes, storage systems, and desktops. The position involves working as part of a small team (at least two people) whose primary responsibilities are to keep the cluster running in good order and ensuring the cluster follows security best-practices as determined by the NIH and Department of Health and Human Services. It also involves maintaining the usability of the LoBoS cluster via yearly purchase and installation of hardware to replace ​aging components.  ​

​Researchers within the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s (NHLBI) Laboratory of Computational Biophysics (LCB) employ computational simulation methods to investigate problems in biophysics and chemistry using the Linux-based LoBoS high-performance computing (HPC) cluster. LoBoS consists of several hundred CPU/GPU computational nodes, three tiers of storage (home directories, scratch space, and archive), associated network infrastructure (both Infiniband and Ethernet), and Linux desktops for users. 

​ 

​This is a full-time, on-site opportunity in Bethesda, MD.  

• Oversee various components of the LoBoS cluster remain in good working order such as network configuration, firewall management (Palo Alto), file system management (ZFS, VAST), security, batch queuing systems (SLURM), database administration, distributed computing, file transfer services, web servers, and electronic mailing lists. 

• Serve as a technical resource for HPC, LCB, NHLBI, and other NIH personnel in areas such as the Linux operating Ensure that the LoBoS cluster has sufficient capabilities to run the scientific software needed by the LCB scientists.  

• system, networking, database system administration, distributed computing. May serve on technical evaluation panels for institute-wide initiatives.  

• Oversee configuration and installation of virtual and physical servers and manage upgrades to existing hardware. 

• Ensure patches, security updates, and configuration changes to software systems are applied to enhance reliability and to meet security needs.  

• May occasionally require work outside normal 9-5 hours to address emergency situations with the cluster (e.g. significant numbers of down nodes, storage outages, etc.) or cybersecurity incidents (FISMA). 

• Assist in maintaining the LoBoS Assessment & Authorization package based on National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) SP 800-53 security controls under guidance from NHLBI's Information System Security Officers (ISSO).  

• Stay informed regarding new developments in hardware/software and evaluate their potential usability for LoBoS/LCB.  

• Evaluate the existing system to determine when updates/upgrades to hardware and/or software are necessary.