Main Purpose of the Job

Research computing has become critically important across the full spectrum of research activity at the Norwich Biosciences Institutes (NBI). NBI comprises a partnership between the following world leading research institutes: the John Innes Centre, Earlham Institute, Quadram Institute and The Sainsbury Laboratory.

The purpose of the Junior Systems Administrator is to provide support to the Research Computing Infrastructure Group and Service Management Group on delivering a managed research computing product life cycle. This role is key to how the team responds to service-raised incidents (incident control) and all service requests (request control) and will report to Deputy Head of Research Computing.

The post-holder will work in the established operations team and support the research computing engineers in their daily work. This includes supporting users, performing operating system and service upgrades, and assisting technical experts in the group. They will also be responsible for informing customers on progress and advising on workarounds where necessary, as well as the support and maintenance of end-user services with guidance and oversight from the Research Computing Infrastructure Group.

The Junior Systems Administrator will be offered opportunities to develop within the role, especially in developing administration skills for some of the specialist research computing systems the team runs for the NBI.

Key Relationships

Reports to the Deputy Head of Research Computing
Member of the Research Computing team

Main Activities & Responsibilities

Percentage

Research Computing System Administration Working with both the Service Management and Infrastructure Groups within Research Computing to ensure user facing services are maintained, secure and fit for purpose. Examples of such services include WordPress and Wikis through to systems such as Puppet and Atlassian products. Working with the Computing Department to configure new Linux based Virtual Machines for both internal and end user requirements. Undertake and/or assist end users in innovation and improvement of computing resources implemented by researchers.

55

Support for Specialist Research Software Work with the HPC engineer to assist with HPC software builds and other aspects of maintaining the HPC (Slurm) systems at NBI.

20

Support for Operations Work with other members of the Service Management Group to ensure end user requests are properly triaged and to assist with day to day activities of Research Computing.

10

Training and Professional Development Work with technical engineers to develop skills in managing Enterprise scale storage, High Performance Computing, Supercomputing, cloud based provision and core infrastructure and networking that underlies the Research Computing capacity.

10

As agreed with the line manager, any other duties commensurate with the nature of the post.

5

Please note the role involves office based and other activities which can be physically demanding at times, with the need to occasionally work in confined spaces and lift heavy materials etc.

Education & Qualifications

Requirement

Importance

IT/Computing BTEC HND / HNC level or equivalent

Essential

Certificated courses in Linux, hardware and networking

Desirable

Bachelor Honours degree in computer science or other strong computing subject

Desirable

Specialist Knowledge & Skills

Requirement

Importance

Ability to demonstrate strong level of accuracy and attention to detail

Essential

Good knowledge of the Linux/UNIX command line and system administration

Essential

Simple programming or scripting, preferably in a Linux/UNIX environment

Essential

Working knowledge of high performance computing (HPC) systems

Desirable

Working knowledge of database structures and query languages

Desirable

Working knowledge of OpenNebula

Desirable

Working knowledge of networked storage

Desirable

Ability to craft simple database queries

Desirable

Working knowledge of virtualisation

Desirable

Relevant Experience

Requirement

Importance

Experience of writing simple software scripts/programs

Essential

Previous experience of basic Linux system administration

Essential

Experience of diagnosing and solving technical problems

Essential

Experience using a ticketing/ service desk system

Desirable

Experience writing basic guidance documentation

Desirable

Interpersonal & Communication Skills

Requirement

Importance

Effective communication skills both written & verbal

Essential

Ability to communicate at both a technical and non-technical level

Essential

Ability to follow instructions/Standard Operating Procedures 

Essential

Good interpersonal skills, with the ability to work well as part of a team

Essential

Customer focussed, anticipating and meeting their needs

Desirable

Additional Requirements

Requirement

Importance

Attention to detail

Essential

Promotes equality and values diversity

Essential

Ability to present a positive image of yourself, the department and the Partnership

Essential

Willingness to embrace the expected values and behaviours of all staff at the Institute, ensuring it is a great place to work

Essential

Willingness to work outside standard working hours when required

Essential

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

World-leading scientific research across the four Norwich Bioscience Institutes (NBI), along with extensive cutting edge hardware and software, requires world-class specialist computational support, The Research Computing team manages the core research technology infrastructure for the NBI. The NBI provides a fast-paced and exciting environment in which to experience the rapid growth and development of computational techniques that underpin modern science.

Living in Norfolk

• Visit Norfolk
• Schools in Norfolk
• Childcare in Norfolk

Junior Systems Administrator

The Norwich Bioscience Institutes Partnership (NBIP) has an exciting opportunity for a Junior Systems Administrator to join their busy Research Computing department. This position will provide an excellent opportunity to work on cutting-edge Linux based technologies and develop new skills in a wide range of specialist systems.

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 are responsible for managing the core research computing infrastructure for the NBI Partnership and supporting a wide array of different and specialist technologies and platforms both for and created by researchers on site.

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

The role:

The purpose of the Junior Systems Administrator is to provide support to the Research Computing Infrastructure Group and Service Management Group on delivering a managed research computing product life cycle. This role is key to how the team responds to service-raised incidents (incident control) and all service requests (request control) and will report to the Deputy Head of Research Computing.

The post-holder will work in the established operations team and support the research computing engineers in their daily work. This includes supporting users, performing operating system and service upgrades, and assisting technical experts in the group. They will also be responsible for informing customers on progress and advising on workarounds where necessary, as well as the support and maintenance of end-user services with guidance and oversight from the Research Computing Infrastructure Group.

The Junior Systems Administrator will be offered opportunities to develop within the role, especially in developing administration skills for some of the specialist research computing systems the team runs for the NBI.

Please note the role involves office based and other activities which can be physically demanding at times, with the need to occasionally work in confined spaces and lift heavy materials etc.

The ideal candidate:

The ideal candidate will have an IT/Computing BTEC HND / HNC level or equivalent. They will have good knowledge of the Linux/UNIX command line and system administration, simple programming or scripting knowledge, preferably in a Linux/UNIX environment and the ability to demonstrate strong level of accuracy and attention to detail.

Additional information:

Salary on appointment will be within the range £27,750 to £30,500 per annum depending on qualifications and experience.  This is a full-time post offered on an indefinite basis.

Please note, this post does not meet UKVI requirements to provide visa sponsorship.

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 8 July 2024.