CARC Research Computing Facilitator

The Research Computing Facilitation Specialist is a vital member of the CARC Research Facilitation Team at the University of New Mexico's Center for Advanced Research Computing (CARC). This role supports faculty, researchers, and students across various academic fields, including chemistry, biology, physics, and mathematics, by assisting them in effectively utilizing computing systems for research and education.

The Specialist works closely with Principal Investigators (PIs), lab managers, and IT teams to design, build, and maintain Linux-based servers, workstations, and virtual machines that meet the unique needs of research projects. This includes installing and maintaining scientific and analytical software, troubleshooting issues, and helping research groups transition to CARC's high-performance computing or cloud environments when needed.

This role requires a strong foundation in Linux system administration, effective communication with non-technical users, and excellent documentation and collaboration skills.

Key Responsibilities

1. Uses discretionary judgement to consult with users, including research PIs, staff, and their students, and/or other university departments to collect information/gather requirements for existing or proposed research computing projects including network, security and computing devices, server systems, multiuser applications, and/or databases including capacity planning, security, data safety and integrity, disaster recovery, and upgrade planning. Provides input regarding design and cost, coordinates tasks for the installation/maintenance of networks or systems.

2. Participates in the development of and provides individual and/or group instruction and/or training on research computing operating systems and other applications; assists users in maximizing use of networks and computing systems; may supervise or provide functional direction to assigned staff and/or student employees.

3. Recommends solutions for multiple medium-scale network, hardware, software or system security projects in support of the unit's strategic goals; uses judgment in selecting among authorized procedures or alternatives and seeks assistance when guidelines are inadequate, significant deviations are proposed, or when unanticipated problems arise.

4. Records and maintains hardware and software inventories, site and/or server licensing, and user access and security; researches and recommends hardware and software development, purchase, implementation and use. Installs, troubleshoots, and configures academic software as necessary for research groups (e.g., Python, R, MATLAB, C/C++ libraries).

5. Prepares detailed diagrams and documentation outlining systems, applications, configurations, procedures, troubleshooting workflows, or network capabilities and processes; documents projects and may write user instructions to promote reproducibility.

6. Participates in the investigation, planning, implementation, testing, and debugging of Linux based network or systems hardware components and applications including research servers, workstations, and virtual machines (on-premise or cloud-based).

7. Plans and implements defense in-depth system security, including modifying and working with firewalls, applying cryptography to network applications, managing host security, file permissions, and file system integrity, managing and implementing roles, and adding and deleting users according to business rules. Works with UNM Information Security and CARC IT staff in providing recommendations on security best practices to PIs.

8. Troubleshoots and resolves technical issues of moderately advanced complexity and provides regular support for network, hardware, software and/or system security services including user access and computer configuration via CARC ticketing systems, email, and in-person consultation.

9. Evaluates and tests new or modified software programs and software development procedures used to verify that programs function according to user requirements and conform to established guidelines and best practices.

10. Maintains currency of knowledge with respect to relevant state-of-the-art technology, equipment, and/or systems.

11. Assist research groups with migrating or scaling workloads to CARC's HPC systems or cloud platforms when local resources are insufficient.

12. May be responsible for administration and oversight of small to medium scale technology projects.

13. Performs miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned.

See the Position Description for additional information.

• Specialty licensure/certification may be required, as specified by the department.
• Successful candidate may be subject to a criminal background check prior to starting work.

Bachelor's degree; at least 1 year of progressively responsible experience directly related to the duties and responsibilities specified.

Completed degree(s) from an accredited institution and/or experience that is directly related to the duties and responsibilities specified may be interchangeable on a year-for-year basis.

• Solid understanding of Linux system administration (Rocky, RHEL, Ubuntu, or similar).
• Experience with HPC research computing resource management, application installation, and troubleshooting, supporting, and developing computational workflows.
• Understanding of data management and cybersecurity practices for sensitive research data (CUI, HIPAA, FERPA). Knowledge of research compliance and data-sharing best practices.
• Knowledge of public and private cloud administration, provisioning, virtualization, and automation.
• Strong interpersonal skills with experience assisting researchers and other stakeholders, ensuring their computing needs are understood, prioritized, and effectively supported.
• Experience installing, configuring, maintaining, and troubleshooting research or technical software applications.
• Hands-on experience building and configuring server-class hardware, including BIOS setup, RAID array configuration, and hardware-level troubleshooting.
• Working knowledge of scripting or automation tools (e.g., Bash, Python, or PowerShell).
• Experience with networking fundamentals, including physical networking (cabling, termination, or fiber splicing), IP addressing, routing, and related troubleshooting.
• Experience implementing network and operating system security controls, including firewalls (e.g., iptables) and other security-hardening practices.

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Positions posted with a Staff Type of Regular or Term are eligible for the Veteran Preference Program. See the Veteran Preference Program webpage for additional details.

The University of New Mexico is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class.

The University of New Mexico requires all regular staff positions successfully pass a pre-employment background check. This may include, but is not limited to, a criminal history background check, New Mexico Department of Health fingerprint screening, New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department fingerprint screening, verification of education credentials, and/or verification of prior employment. For more information about background checks, visit https://policy.unm.edu/university-policies/3000/3280.html. Refer to https://policy.unm.edu/university-policies/3000/3200.html for a definition of Regular Staff.