Computer Specialist I, II, III, or Senior

Position Function:

As a Computer Specialist I, II, III, or Senior, you will play a crucial role in optimizing and managing our high-performance computing infrastructure and supporting network to support complex scientific, engineering, and research applications at the Mississippi State University (MSU) High Performance Computing Collaboratory (HPC2). Must be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident.

Salary Grade:  15

Please see Staff Compensation Structure or Skilled Crafts and Service Maintenance Compensation Schedule for salary ranges.  For salary grade UC, these positions are "Unclassified" and salary ranges are determined by the hiring department.

Department Profile:

The High Performance Computing Collaboratory (HPC²), an evolution of the MSU NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC) for Computational Field Simulation, at Mississippi State University is a coalition of member institutes and centers that share a common core objective of advancing the state-of-the-art in computational science and engineering using high performance computing; a common approach to research that embraces a multi-disciplinary, team-oriented concept; and a commitment to a full partnership between education, research, and service. The mission of the HPC² is to serve the University, State, and Nation through excellence in computational science and engineering.

Area of Specialization:

Windows Operating Systems

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Install, configure, and manage Windows operating systems on physical and virtual servers and desktops.
2. Upgrades, migrations, life cycle management, and change management processes
3. Create, manage, and support virtual machines (VMs) and virtual desktop infrastructure based on business needs.
4. Monitor and optimize system performance, including resource allocation, load balancing, and recommend hardware/software upgrades.
5. Perform basic troubleshooting of hardware, software, and operating systems, escalating complex issues to appropriate technical staff as needed.
6. Provide user and system support, including coordination with computing staff for integrating services such as file systems, printing, and other system resources.
7. Implement and maintain security best practices across the computing environments.
8. Package software and schedule automated, remote deployments.
9. Maintain comprehensive documentation of system configurations, processes, and procedures.
10. Stay current with industry trends and technologies related to systems administration and virtualization.
11. Manage, train, and provide operational oversight to junior-level system administrators; collaborate with cross-functional IT teams to ensure seamless integration of systems and services.
12. Perform other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibility: This position will occasionally lead small teams and assist in training, developing and evaluation of lower-level computer specialists. This position provides hands-on maintenance of advance research computing infrastructure to support researchers.

Minimum Qualifications:

Minimum Required Education and Experience

Level I Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.

Level II Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field plus 4 years of experience directly related to the duties and responsibilities specified.

Level III Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field plus 8 years of experience directly related to the duties and responsibilities specified.

Senior Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field plus 10 years of experience directly related to the duties and responsibilities specified.

Promotions are based off years of service as well as knowledge, skills, abilities, and performance

Substitution allowed: Any equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered with HR Approval.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proficiency with Windows operating systems, including experience as a system administrator for virtual and physical environments.
• Working knowledge of networking technologies and services such as TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, PXE, VLANS, Radius, Proxies, etc.
• Experience with system end-point