Deputy Head of Research Computing
Post Details
Job Title
Deputy Head of Research Computing
Post Number
1004530
Closing Date
28 Sep 2023
Grade
SC4
Starting Salary
£54,950 - £68,000
Hours per week
37
Months Duration
Indefinite

Job Description

Main Purpose of the Job

The Norwich Bioscience Institutes (NBI) are a cluster of internationally renowned research organisations, working to tackle major challenges of the 21st Century: the sustainability of our environment, our food supplies and healthy ageing.

The NBI Partnership provides non-scientific services to the four Institutes on the Norwich Research Park (Earlham Institute, John Innes Centre, Quadram Institute Bioscience and The Sainsbury Laboratory).

The Deputy Head of Research Computing will be responsible for the day-to-day management, delivery and operation of the Research Computing services across NBI, including High Performance Computing, research data storage and private cloud systems. A major part of the role over the coming years will be the planning and delivery of a new NBI Data Centre in conjunction with the larger NGI Programme Management Team.

Reporting to the Head of Research & Core Computing, this post will work collaboratively with the Institute Computing leads, Institute Management teams and the users to provide an excellent service meeting current and future needs of NBI’s world leading bioscience research community.

Key Relationships

• Head of Research & Core Computing
• Research Computing team
• Deputy Head of Core Computing
• Scientific Computing Committee
• NBI stakeholders
• Institute Scientific Computing Leads
• Institute Management Teams
• All NBI Research Computing users

Main Activities & Responsibilities

Percentage
Responsible for day-to-day operation, management and development of the Research Computing team.
40
Contribute to leadership of Computing Services and cross Institute strategic initiatives relevant to Research Computing and the broader Institute objectives, notably the future NBI Data Centre.
20
Build a proactive high-performance team culture that encourages, recognises and rewards the adoption of best practice approaches and the overall improvement of all Research Computing Services.
15
Manage standards, quality and levels of service throughout the operation and oversee the delivery of services across NBI.
5
Ensure effective internal and external supplier management and strong contract management where third party suppliers or vendors provide any services on the group’s behalf.
5
Build and manage relationships with key stakeholders across NBI including Scientific Computing leads, Group Leaders, Institute Management and NBIP heads of function.
5
Act as deputy representative of Research Computing on relevant committees and groups.
5
Delegated authority for day-to-day management of Research Computing operating budgets.
5
As agreed with line manager, any other duties commensurate with the nature of the post.

Person Profile

Education & Qualifications

Requirement
Importance
Degree in a relevant field, or equivalent experience
Essential
PhD or research experience
Desirable

Specialist Knowledge & Skills

Requirement
Importance
Strong organisational and planning skills
Essential
Demonstrable ability to lead day-to-day provision of complex research computing services
Essential
Ability to think strategically and to contribute to development of multi-year plans in a dynamic technological environment
Essential
Demonstrable ability to lead complex IT projects
Essential
In depth knowledge of core HPC technical concepts and components (batch scheduling systems, virtualisation, distributed storage systems).
Essential
Budget and financial management
Desirable

Relevant Experience

Requirement
Importance
Practical experience of leading complex research computing projects
Essential
Delivering excellent research computing services to end users
Essential
Overseeing continuous improvement to services within their responsibility
Essential
Managing multiple stakeholders with strong relationship building, networking and negotiating skills
Essential
Track record of a leading role in a high performing, customer focused research computing function in a similarly sized complex environment (NBI has ~1500 users)
Essential
Working in or supporting scientific research
Desirable

Interpersonal & Communication Skills

Requirement
Importance
Effective communication skills both written and verbal
Essential
Good interpersonal skills, with the ability to work well as part of a team
Essential
Excellent people management skills
Essential

Additional Requirements

Requirement
Importance
Attention to detail
Essential
Willingness to embrace the expected values and behaviours of all staff at the Partnership, ensuring it is a great place to work
Essential
Demonstrable commitment to personal development of team members
Essential
Able to present a positive image of self and the Partnership
Essential
Promotes equality and values diversity
Essential
Willingness to occasionally work out-of-hours
Essential

Who We Are

NBI Partnership

The NBI Partnership provides non-scientific services to the John Innes Centre (JIC), Quadram Institute Bioscience (QIB), Earlham Institute (EI) and The Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL). All of these organisations carry out scientific research funded by the UK Government, European Union, Charitable and Industrial Sponsors. The Partnership employs around 140 staff to cater for the needs of approximately 1100 Research Staff, Students and Visiting Scientists who are all located in close proximity on the Norwich Research Park.

The John Innes Centre, Quadram Institute Bioscience, the Earlham Institute and The Sainsbury Laboratory are registered charities (No’s 223852, 1058499, 1136213 and 106550) and are Equal Opportunity Employers.

For more information about working at NBI Partnership, please click here.

Department

Research Computing

Group Details

The Research Computing team are responsible for managing the core research computing infrastructure on behalf of the four Institutes, supporting a wide array of different and specialist technologies and platforms both for and created by researchers on site. Our nine staff currently manage and operate the following Cloud/High Performance Computing (HPC) infrastructure:

• OpenNebula and OpenStack private clouds
• HPC clusters
• SGI/HPE shared memory supercomputers
• 12 PB replicated Isilon storage
• 3 PB replicated ECS storage

The Research Computing team provides a fast paced and exciting environment in which to contribute to the rapid growth and development of computational techniques that underpin modern science.

Living in Norfolk

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Deputy Head of Research Computing

The Norwich Bioscience Institutes Partnership (NBIP) has an exciting opportunity for a Deputy Head of Research Computing to join their busy Research Computing department.

Background:

The Norwich Bioscience Institutes are a cluster of internationally renowned research organisations, working to tackle major challenges of the 21st Century – the sustainability of our environment, our food supplies and healthy ageing. 

The NBI Partnership provides high quality, non-scientific support services for the diverse community of staff, students and visiting workers at the Institutes (the Earlham Institute, John Innes Centre, The Sainsbury Laboratory and Quadram Institute Bioscience) and for the NBI Partnership.

Based on the Norwich Research Park amongst 230 hectares of parkland, you will be joining a committed, professional and welcoming team.  In addition, you will enjoy a competitive salary and annual leave, our defined contribution pension scheme, excellent recreational facilities and a range of other employee benefits.

The Research Computing team has 9 staff meeting the specialist computing needs of researchers in 4 scientific institutes, including High Performance Computing and Research Data Storage.

This department will be joining with the NBI Core Computing team from November under the Head of Research & Core Computing (formerly Head of Research Computing) who will provide overall strategic leadership and direction. This Deputy role will also work closely with their counterpart Deputy Head of Core Computing (when in post).

The role:

The Deputy Head of Research Computing will be responsible for the day-to-day management, delivery and operation of the Research Computing services across NBI, including High Performance Computing, Research Data Storage and Linux system administration.

Reporting to the Head of Research & Core Computing, this post will work collaboratively with the Institute Scientific Computing leads, Institute Management teams and the users to provide an excellent service meeting current and future needs of NBI’s world leading bioscience research community.

A major part of the role over the coming years will be the planning and delivery of a new NBI Data Centre in conjunction with the larger NGI (Next Generation Infrastructure) Programme Management Team.

You will have the opportunity to use your skills and experience to make a real difference in a vibrant not-for-profit research environment.

The ideal candidate:

The post holder will have a degree in a relevant field and ideally a PhD or equivalent experience and they will have the ability to lead day-to-day provision of complex research computing services. Strong organisational and planning skills are essential.

Candidates should have a track record of delivering excellent research computing services to end users, as well as building strong relationships with multiple stakeholders.

Additional information:

Salary on appointment will be within the range £54,950 to £68,000 per annum depending on qualifications and experience. This is a full-time post offered on an indefinite basis.

The NBI Partnership is an equal opportunities and disability confident employer. We are committed to attracting, recruiting and retaining the best talent, and welcome all applications.

The closing date for applications will be 28 September 2023