Storage Systems Engineer

Storage Systems Engineer (SYS ADM
4)

This is a two-year contract of employment, inclusive of benefits.

The Academic Research Services team at UCSF is looking for a Storage Systems Engineer to serve as a technical resource in the design, deployment, and operation of large‑scale research storage and data infrastructure. This role works closely with the Senior Research Dev Ops Engineer to support UCSF's evolving research ecosystem, including CoreHPC, the Research Analysis Environment (RAE), and large institutional storage initiatives.

The position is primarily responsible for architecture, implementation, and lifecycle management for the Facility for Advanced Computing (FAC), storage and systems, including support for large storage environments, NSF‑funded infrastructure, and OS Nexus‑aligned data platforms. It ensures seamless integration between storage systems and the CoreHPC compute cluster, enabling performant, reliable, and scalable data access for AI, data science, and computational research workloads.

• Design, deploy, and operate large‑scale storage systems across on‑prem and hybrid environments (e.g., VAST, parallel file systems, enterprise storage platforms).
• Develop and maintain data movement strategies and tooling (e.g., rsync, rclone, Globus, SMB workflows) to support large‑scale data ingestion, migration, and lifecycle management.
• Ensure tight integration between storage and HPC compute systems, optimizing throughput, latency, and reliability for distributed workloads.
• Support and scale storage systems backing major institutional initiatives such as FAC storage and OS Nexus integration.
• Collaborate closely with Dev Ops, networking, and security teams to deliver cohesive research infrastructure solutions.
• Design and implement monitoring, performance tuning, and capacity‑planning strategies for storage and data systems.
• Troubleshoot complex issues across storage, networking, and compute boundaries.
• Participate in system upgrades, migrations, and expansion efforts with minimal disruption to researchers.
• Provide guidance to researchers on data organization, transfer strategies, and performance optimization.
• Evaluate and recommend emerging storage technologies and architectures.

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field and 6+ years of experience with storage infrastructure support and management, or 10+ years of related experience with large‑scale storage systems.
• 5+ years of experience deploying, managing, and troubleshooting Warewulf (or similar) Infini Band‑based clusters.
• Strong knowledge of ZFS, high‑performance parallel file systems, and enterprise storage such as GPFS, Lustre, VAST, DDN, etc.
• Advanced knowledge of computer security best practices and policies, including experience securing research cyberinfrastructure systems to meet NIST 800‑171/800‑223, HIPAA, or IS‑3 requirements.
• Knowledge of HPC job scheduler system design and operation (e.g., SLURM or PBS).
• Ability to elicit and communicate technical and non‑technical information clearly and concisely.
• Self‑motivated, works independently and as part of a team, demonstrates problem‑solving skills, learns effectively, and meets deadlines.
• Understanding of system performance monitoring and actions to improve or correct performance.
• Advanced experience writing and editing complex scripts used for system maintenance and administration.
• Demonstrated testing and test‑planning skills, and ability to create automated tests.
• Ability to write technical documentation and runbooks that define complex technical processes clearly.

• Expert knowledge of virtual machines, bare‑metal servers, and HPC systems infrastructure design.
• Knowledge of the design, development, and application of technologies to meet business needs.
• General knowledge of other IT areas, such as Active Directory, domain controllers, and network infrastructure.
• Demonstrated skills in adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs and understanding how system management actions affect other systems, users, and related functions.
• Professional certification in enterprise storage…