Introduction

Operating at the limit of currently available technology, every bit counts. If you enjoy pushing modern computing hardware to the maximum and tackling exciting challenges in a mission-critical cluster of more than 4,000 servers, working with the biggest network in any scientific installation today, then consider joining our small team of enthusiastic engineers and technicians! CERN, take part!

The LHCb experiment at CERN will host most of its readout electronics and all its IT infrastructure in a brand-new data-centre which will be at the core of LHCb’s data acquisition and control systems. This facility will operate 24/7 to serve the needs of one of the largest and most active scientific collaborations in the world.

Functions

As DevOps Engineer, you will share responsibility for developing and operating the entire suite of our services and deliver solutions to address the evolving needs of our users. In particular you will:

• Maintain and evolve the LHCb’s clusters of physical, virtual and containerized Linux systems;
• Take part in designing, installing, maintaining and improving the networks used by the LHCb experiment;
• Establish best practices, provide documentation and improve automation of system operations;
• Work closely with online computing developers and expert-users;
• In cooperation with the team leadership, design services for the continuous automation of existing processes for the control, data acquisition and online processing of the LHCb experiment;
• In synergy with the expert-developers, deliver relevant components to sustain and grow the team’s services either on the existing software stack, or with sustainable alternatives. Take direct responsibility for software integration and deployment.

Bachelor's degree or equivalent relevant experience in the field of Information Technologies or a related field.

Experience:

• Proven experience in Configuration Management Tools (e.g. Puppet, Ansible)
• Demonstrated experience with Cluster Management Software such as Kubernetes and Foreman.
• Familiarity with data-centre networking (including routing protocols such as BGP or OSPF).
• Demonstrated experience with Linux System Administration and concepts such as c-groups, network management and tuning of Linux systems.
• Proven experience with automation (scripting) and CI/CD techniques.

Technical competencies:

• Operation and maintenance of networks: data-centre networking (Layer-2 and Layer-3).
• Installation, operation and maintenance (preventive and corrective) of computing systems: including data- centres, virtual machines (e.g. Docker, Kubernetes, KVM).
• Knowledge and deployment of computing hardware: understanding of data-centre switches and servers.
• Knowledge of operating systems: Linux (ideally RedHat family).
• Knowledge of system configuration tools (e.g. Ansible, Puppet).

Behavioural competencies:

• Learning and sharing knowledge: proposing ways to improve or streamline existing procedures, processes and methodologies.
• Demonstrating flexibility: readily accepting new tasks or work/projects.
• Demonstrating willingness to alter views when presented with new information.
• Working in teams: seeking to help other team members when own work is done; supporting others; sharing and letting others participate in own work/project; encouraging team development.
• Achieving results: having a structured and organised approach towards work; being able to set priorities and plan tasks with results in mind.
• Solving problems: addressing complex problems by breaking them down into manageable components.

Language skills:

• Spoken English.
• Working knowledge of French would be an advantage.

Eligibility and closing date:

Diversity has been an integral part of CERN's mission since its foundation and is an established value of the Organization. Employing a diverse workforce is central to our success. We welcome applications from all Member States and Associate Member States.

This vacancy will be filled as soon as possible, and applications should normally reach us no later than 25.03.2020.

Employment Conditions

Contract type: Limited duration contract (5 years). Subject to certain conditions, holders of limited-duration contracts may apply for an indefinite position.

These functions require:

• Work in Radiation Areas.
• Interventions in underground installations.
• Work during nights, Sundays and official holidays, when required by the needs of the Organization.
• Stand-by duty, when required by the needs of the Organization.

Job grade: 4-5

Job reference: EP-LBC-2020-39-LD

Benchmark Job Title: Computing Technical Engineer

Please make sure you have all the documents needed to hand as you start your application, as once it is submitted, you will not be able to upload any documents or edit your application further