Technical Assistant in Physics and Astronomy and Research Facilitator Sciences

Overview

Job Title: Technical Assistant in Physics and Astronomy and Research Facilitator for the Sciences

Department: Physics and Astronomy

Classification: Exempt

Grade: 11

FTE: 1.0 (40 hours/week)

Position Overview: The Technical Assistant in Physics and Astronomy and Research Facilitator for the Sciences is a full-time (1.0 FTE) position which provides Unix support for faculty and students in STEM and develops system administration standards for academic Unix systems. The position supports general computer activities in Physics/Astronomy and is a liaison between the Physics/Astronomy Department and Information Technology Services. The position also provides support for faculty and students using the College’s high performance computing cluster and works closely with the Director of Systems and Infrastructure in Information Technology Services (ITS) to manage and maintain the cluster hardware and software and with staff from the Technology Support Group (TSG) within ITS regarding the process for computer lab management.

Compensation — The expected starting salary range for this position is between $66,700 and $68,900. Actual pay will be adjusted based on job-related factors permitted by law, such as experience and training; licensure and certifications; market factors; departmental budgets; and responsibility.

Technical Assistant responsibilities:

• Manage and maintain Physics and Astronomy instrumentation computers, including specifying and purchasing replacements when necessary.
• Assist Physics/Astronomy students, faculty, and staff with computer applications for classes, labs, and senior capstone projects (known internally as “comps”).
• Manage and maintain Physics/Astronomy curricular lab computers, including collaborating with ITS in the design and testing of the base image, and installing software to customize the base computer images.
• Inform impacted faculty when campus-wide technology changes impact Physics, Astronomy, and Chemistry IT and computer needs.
• Be readily available on lab days during academic terms (Tuesdays and Thursdays) to support faculty and students when computer support is needed during lab time. Exceptions can be made in consultation with the Physics and Astronomy Department Chair, with advance notice whenever feasible.
• Stay apprised of current physics laboratory equipment and software compatibility to advise of future equipment upgrades.

Unix/Mac/Windows Administration Responsibilities

• Manage and maintain computational resources used for Physics/Astronomy research, including administration of servers, supporting redundancy and backups, and configuration of software.
• Support, maintain, and manage Physics, Astronomy, and Chemistry (Mac, Windows, and Linux) desktop computers used for research, including updating, adding/deleting accounts, monitoring services, writing routines, etc. as needed.
• Work closely and collaboratively with ITS, and in particular with the staff in the Systems and Infrastructure Group (SIG), to manage and maintain the cluster hardware and software.
• Support faculty and students (in any department, but primarily in STEM) who are using Unix environments, consistent with campus policies and standards for such environments.
• Document in a clear and accurate way support and maintenance work performed on all computers supported by this position using the established ITS documentation framework.

Research Facilitator Responsibilities

• Facilitate faculty and research students (in any department, but primarily in STEM) learning about the College’s high performance computing cluster, including visiting classes to share information about its capacity and availability and providing consultations with faculty and research students.
• Support faculty and research students who are using the cluster, including by maintaining (and writing, when needed) cluster documentation and providing onboarding training.
• Provide advice and support for data management practices, including understanding the full range of options for storing research data.
• Provide technical support to end users for external high performance computing resources such as ACCESS, Open…