What are the responsibilities and job description for the Research Computing & Systems Administrator position at Colorado State University?
Posting Details
Posting Detail Information
Working Title Research Computing & Systems Administrator Position Location Fort Collins, CO Work Location Position qualifies for hybrid/in-office work Research Professional Position Yes Posting Number 202500108AP Position Type Admin Professional/ Research Professional Classification Title Research Associate I Number of Vacancies 1 Work Hours/Week 40 Proposed Annual Salary Range $60,000 - $68,000 Employee Benefits
Colorado State University is not just a workplace; it’s a thriving community that’s transforming lives and improving the human condition through world-class teaching, research, and service. With a robust benefits package, collaborative atmosphere, commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and focus on work-life balance, CSU is where you can thrive, grow, and make a lasting impact.
Colorado State University is a land-grant institution committed to a 150-year-old mission of access to higher education for the citizens of Colorado and to excellence in teaching, research, and outreach. The campus is located in the city of Fort Collins, the county seat of Larimer County. Fort Collins is a progressive community of approximately 171,000 situated 65 miles north of Denver on Interstate 25. Located at an elevation of 5,000 feet, Fort Collins has a clear, dry climate and generally pleasant temperature throughout the year.
The Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering (WSCOE) at Colorado State University (CSU) consists of about 3,000 students enrolled in BS, MS, and PhD programs, 145 tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty, and over 400 support staff and research scientists. The College is home to more than $100 million in research funding and accounts for more than one-third of CSU’s patents. Its state-of-the-art facilities, including the Powerhouse Energy Campus and a world-class laser center scheduled to open in 2026, provide collaborative spaces for students, faculty, staff, and industry partnerships.
Engineering Technology Services (ETS) is responsible for the vision and oversight of all aspects of computing in the College of Engineering, with the exception of the physical network infrastructure. Pedagogical uses of technology, research computing, planning for and maintenance of instructional facilities, technical support for faculty and staff, network management, systems analysis, programming, web-coding, and technical training all fall under the purview of ETS. Networked services are provided to over 3500 engineering students, faculty, and staff.
Position Summary
The Research Computing and Systems Administrator performs analysis and design on research computing clusters and assists researchers and students with programming support as needed to meet the specific needs of a given research grant.
This is a full-time Administrative Professional position based in Fort Collins, CO. The Research Computing and Systems Administrator reports to the College of Engineering Research Computing Administrator.
The successful candidate must be legally authorized to work in the United States by the proposed start date. The Department will not sponsor a visa for this position.
Required Job Qualifications
Reflecting departmental and institutional values, candidates are expected to have the ability to advance the Department’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Essential Duties
Job Duty Category Research Computing Administration Duty/Responsibility
Application Details
Special Instructions to Applicants
For full consideration, please upload your resume/CV, cover letter, and the contact information for three professional references by 11:59 PM (MST) on March 2, 2025. References will not be contacted without prior notification to candidates.
Cover letter must state interest and address required and preferred job qualifications.
This posting will remain open until filled, however for full consideration, applications must be received by 11:59 PM (MST) on March 2, 2025.
CSU is committed to full inclusion of qualified individuals. If you are needing assistance or accommodations with the search process, please reach out to the listed search contact.
Please note, applicants may redact information from their application materials that identifies their age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.
Conditions of Employment Pre-employment Criminal Background Check (required for new hires) Search Contact Rebecca Leonard, Rebecca.Leonard@colostate.edu EEO Statement
Colorado State University is committed to providing an environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based on race, age, creed, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, or pregnancy in its employment, programs, services and activities, and admissions, and, in certain circumstances, marriage to a co-worker. The University will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. Colorado State University is an equal opportunity and equal access institution and affirmative action employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce and complies with all Federal and Colorado State laws, regulations, and executive orders regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action. The Office of Equal Opportunity is located in 101 Student Services.
The Title IX Coordinator is the Director of the Office of Title IX Programs and Gender Equity, 123 Student Services Building, Fort Collins, CO 80523-0160, (970) 491-1715, titleix@colostate.edu.
The Section 504 and ADA Coordinator is the Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity, 101 Student Services Building, Fort Collins, CO 80523-0160, (970) 491-5836, oeo@colostate.edu.
The Coordinator for any other forms of misconduct prohibited by the University’s Policy on Discrimination and Harassment is the Vice President for Equity, Equal Opportunity and Title IX, 101 Student Services Building, Fort Collins, Co. 80523-0160, (970) 491-5836, oeo@colostate.edu.
Any person may report sex discrimination under Title IX to the Office of Civil Rights, Department of Education.
Background Check Policy Statement
Colorado State University strives to provide a safe study, work, and living environment for its faculty, staff, volunteers and students. To support this environment and comply with applicable laws and regulations, CSU conducts background checks for the finalist before a final offer. The type of background check conducted varies by position and can include, but is not limited to, criminal history, sex offender registry, motor vehicle history, financial history, and/or education verification. Background checks will also be conducted when required by law or contract and when, in the discretion of the University, it is reasonable and prudent to do so.
References Requested
References Requested
Minimum Requested 3 Maximum Requested 3
Supplemental Questions
Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).
Required Documents
Posting Detail Information
Working Title Research Computing & Systems Administrator Position Location Fort Collins, CO Work Location Position qualifies for hybrid/in-office work Research Professional Position Yes Posting Number 202500108AP Position Type Admin Professional/ Research Professional Classification Title Research Associate I Number of Vacancies 1 Work Hours/Week 40 Proposed Annual Salary Range $60,000 - $68,000 Employee Benefits
Colorado State University is not just a workplace; it’s a thriving community that’s transforming lives and improving the human condition through world-class teaching, research, and service. With a robust benefits package, collaborative atmosphere, commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and focus on work-life balance, CSU is where you can thrive, grow, and make a lasting impact.
- Review our detailed benefits information here.
- Explore the additional perks of working at CSU here.
- For the total value of CSU benefits in addition to wages, use our compensation calculator.
- Lastly, click here for more information about why Fort Collins is consistently ranked in the top cities to live in!
Colorado State University is a land-grant institution committed to a 150-year-old mission of access to higher education for the citizens of Colorado and to excellence in teaching, research, and outreach. The campus is located in the city of Fort Collins, the county seat of Larimer County. Fort Collins is a progressive community of approximately 171,000 situated 65 miles north of Denver on Interstate 25. Located at an elevation of 5,000 feet, Fort Collins has a clear, dry climate and generally pleasant temperature throughout the year.
The Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering (WSCOE) at Colorado State University (CSU) consists of about 3,000 students enrolled in BS, MS, and PhD programs, 145 tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty, and over 400 support staff and research scientists. The College is home to more than $100 million in research funding and accounts for more than one-third of CSU’s patents. Its state-of-the-art facilities, including the Powerhouse Energy Campus and a world-class laser center scheduled to open in 2026, provide collaborative spaces for students, faculty, staff, and industry partnerships.
Engineering Technology Services (ETS) is responsible for the vision and oversight of all aspects of computing in the College of Engineering, with the exception of the physical network infrastructure. Pedagogical uses of technology, research computing, planning for and maintenance of instructional facilities, technical support for faculty and staff, network management, systems analysis, programming, web-coding, and technical training all fall under the purview of ETS. Networked services are provided to over 3500 engineering students, faculty, and staff.
Position Summary
The Research Computing and Systems Administrator performs analysis and design on research computing clusters and assists researchers and students with programming support as needed to meet the specific needs of a given research grant.
This is a full-time Administrative Professional position based in Fort Collins, CO. The Research Computing and Systems Administrator reports to the College of Engineering Research Computing Administrator.
The successful candidate must be legally authorized to work in the United States by the proposed start date. The Department will not sponsor a visa for this position.
Required Job Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field, will consider an Associate’s degree and at least 2 years of work experience in computer science or a related field in lieu of a Bachelor’s degree.
- Working knowledge of LINUX system administration including system configuration, NFS filesystems, auto mount, Samba, ssh, and basic networking to include TCP/IP, DNS and DHCP.
- Experience with at least two of the following programming languages: Perl, PHP, C, C or Python.
- Experience with various flavors of Linux to include CentOS, Ubuntu, and Mint.
- Experience with remote desktop, VNC, and shell scripting.
- Experience with installing and troubleshooting engineering research applications, e.g., Matlab, Cadence, ANSYS Fluent, etc.
- Experience working with provisioning software such as Ansible or Puppet
- Experience working with High Performance Computing systems using Slurm or similar.
- Experience with parallel programming in research applications.
Reflecting departmental and institutional values, candidates are expected to have the ability to advance the Department’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Essential Duties
Job Duty Category Research Computing Administration Duty/Responsibility
- Help manage multiple existing High Performance Computing (HPC) research clusters operating in the Scott Data Center to include:
- Assisting with architecture design by working with potential users such as students, faculty, research staff, and the ETS Systems Group while remaining within the funding allowance
- Working with the ETS Financial Coordinator, Procurement, and vendors to secure the components
- Assist with coordinating vendor(s) during site installation
- Configuring the systems and performing software installation
- Maintaining the systems for software/OS upgrades and security patching
- Assisting researchers with adding appropriate CPU and GPU nodes to the clusters
- Performing programming support as needed to meet the specific needs of a given research grant
- Provide similar research computing administration for clusters owned by specific research groups.
- Design and program custom software applications.
- Review, test and implement new technology services for the college.
- Troubleshoot hardware, software, and network for UNIX/LINUX servers and workstations.
- Manage the student general purpose Linux Compute Pool to include hardware design, installation, configuration, software installation, OS management & consistency across all nodes and help students use this resource.
Application Details
Special Instructions to Applicants
For full consideration, please upload your resume/CV, cover letter, and the contact information for three professional references by 11:59 PM (MST) on March 2, 2025. References will not be contacted without prior notification to candidates.
Cover letter must state interest and address required and preferred job qualifications.
This posting will remain open until filled, however for full consideration, applications must be received by 11:59 PM (MST) on March 2, 2025.
CSU is committed to full inclusion of qualified individuals. If you are needing assistance or accommodations with the search process, please reach out to the listed search contact.
Please note, applicants may redact information from their application materials that identifies their age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.
Conditions of Employment Pre-employment Criminal Background Check (required for new hires) Search Contact Rebecca Leonard, Rebecca.Leonard@colostate.edu EEO Statement
Colorado State University is committed to providing an environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based on race, age, creed, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, or pregnancy in its employment, programs, services and activities, and admissions, and, in certain circumstances, marriage to a co-worker. The University will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. Colorado State University is an equal opportunity and equal access institution and affirmative action employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce and complies with all Federal and Colorado State laws, regulations, and executive orders regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action. The Office of Equal Opportunity is located in 101 Student Services.
The Title IX Coordinator is the Director of the Office of Title IX Programs and Gender Equity, 123 Student Services Building, Fort Collins, CO 80523-0160, (970) 491-1715, titleix@colostate.edu.
The Section 504 and ADA Coordinator is the Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity, 101 Student Services Building, Fort Collins, CO 80523-0160, (970) 491-5836, oeo@colostate.edu.
The Coordinator for any other forms of misconduct prohibited by the University’s Policy on Discrimination and Harassment is the Vice President for Equity, Equal Opportunity and Title IX, 101 Student Services Building, Fort Collins, Co. 80523-0160, (970) 491-5836, oeo@colostate.edu.
Any person may report sex discrimination under Title IX to the Office of Civil Rights, Department of Education.
Background Check Policy Statement
Colorado State University strives to provide a safe study, work, and living environment for its faculty, staff, volunteers and students. To support this environment and comply with applicable laws and regulations, CSU conducts background checks for the finalist before a final offer. The type of background check conducted varies by position and can include, but is not limited to, criminal history, sex offender registry, motor vehicle history, financial history, and/or education verification. Background checks will also be conducted when required by law or contract and when, in the discretion of the University, it is reasonable and prudent to do so.
References Requested
References Requested
Minimum Requested 3 Maximum Requested 3
Supplemental Questions
Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).
- * The successful candidate must be legally authorized to work in the United States by the proposed start date. The Department will not sponsor a visa for this position. Will you be legally authorized to work in the United States by the proposed start date?
- Yes
- No
Required Documents
- Cover Letter
- Resume or CV
Salary : $60,000 - $68,000
