Linux Systems Engineer (HPC)

About the Role

We’re looking for an HPC Systems Engineer to manage Linux servers and high-performance computing clusters. You’ll help keep these systems fast, stable, and ready for demanding workloads.

Your work will cover cluster management, storage, networking, and automation. You’ll solve technical problems, improve system performance, and make daily operations easier to manage.

This role is a good fit for someone who enjoys working with Linux, troubleshooting complex systems, and building reliable infrastructure.

Key Responsibilities

HPC Cluster Operations

• Manage Linux servers and high-performance computing clusters.
• Monitor system health, performance, and resource usage.
• Manage computing jobs with schedulers such as SLURM.
• Find and fix issues involving CPUs, memory, storage, and networking.
• Improve cluster settings to help workloads run efficiently.
• Troubleshoot hardware failures and operating system problems.

Linux Administration and Automation

• Write Python scripts to automate routine tasks.
• Manage server configuration, updates, and maintenance.
• Automate Linux installations and server deployment.
• Support bare-metal provisioning and system setup.
• Keep configurations consistent across servers and clusters.
• Reduce manual work through better tools and processes.

Storage and Networking

• Maintain storage systems used for large computing workloads.
• Investigate slow storage performance and access problems.
• Support high-speed networks connecting servers and storage.
• Work with InfiniBand and high-bandwidth Ethernet.
• Assist with hardware upgrades, replacements, and capacity planning.
• Coordinate technical changes with vendors and service providers.

Technical Support and Projects

• Investigate alerts and resolve production system issues.
• Identify the root causes of recurring problems.
• Plan and complete infrastructure improvement projects.
• Work with engineering teams to understand computing needs.
• Document system changes and troubleshooting procedures.

Required Skills and Qualifications

Linux and HPC Experience

• 5+ years of experience in HPC systems, Linux administration, or infrastructure engineering.
• Strong knowledge of enterprise Linux, including RHEL, CentOS, or Rocky Linux.
• Experience managing computing clusters and scheduled workloads.
• Ability to diagnose system performance and hardware issues.
• Experience working across servers, storage, and networks.
• Strong troubleshooting skills and the ability to work independently.

HPC Technologies

Experience with the following tools and systems is valuable:

• Job scheduling: SLURM, Moab, or Torque.
• Enterprise storage: DDN, NetApp, WEKA, VAST Data, or IBM Spectrum Scale.
• Parallel file systems: Lustre or GPFS.
• High-speed networking: InfiniBand and high-bandwidth Ethernet.
• Cluster performance: Monitoring CPU, memory, storage, and network usage.

You should understand how these systems work together. Experience with every product is not required.

Automation and Server Provisioning

• Python: Writing and updating scripts for Linux administration.
• Ansible or Salt: Managing server settings and automated configuration.
• Terraform or xCAT: Supporting infrastructure setup and cluster management.
• PXE boot: Installing operating systems across physical servers.
• DHCP and DNS: Supporting network services used during deployment.
• Configuration management: Keeping Linux systems consistent and easier to maintain.

You should be comfortable reading existing Python scripts, making changes, and writing new tools when needed.

Engineering Environment

HPC clusters depend on many systems working together. A slow job may be caused by storage, networking, hardware, or the operating system. You’ll investigate these issues and find ways to prevent them from happening again.

What to Expect

• Hands-on engineering: Work directly with Linux servers, computing clusters, and storage systems.
• Performance troubleshooting: Find problems that affect computing speed and reliability.
• Automation projects: Replace repetitive tasks with scripts and better tools.
• Infrastructure upgrades: Help plan and complete hardware and software improvements.
• Team collaboration: Work with engineers, technical users, and outside vendors.
• Project ownership: Manage technical assignments from investigation through completion.

Location and Career Opportunities

Opportunities are associated with Chicago, Illinois, and New York, New York. Specific office and work arrangements should be confirmed during the hiring process.

This role offers the chance to work with advanced computing systems while building deeper skills in Linux, storage, networking, and automation.

• Support high-performance computing clusters and demanding workloads.
• Work with enterprise storage and high-speed networking technologies.
• Improve Linux systems through Python and automation tools.
• Take ownership of infrastructure upgrades and technical projects.
• Develop specialized skills in HPC operations and performance engineering.

This position is well suited to an engineer who enjoys solving technical problems, improving system performance, and keeping complex computing environments running reliably.