Freelance High Performance Computing Engineer Jobs in Illinois

Department
Globus Support & QA
About the Department
Globus (www.globus.org) is a mission-driven organization dedicated to enabling discovery by delivering advanced data management and computation capabilities to researchers worldwide. As a unit within The University of Chicago, Globus develops and operates commercial-quality, software-as-a-service used by thousands of institutions, including research universities, national laboratories, federal agencies, and commercial research organizations. Core features are free for non-profit researchers, and the Globus service is sustained through institutional subscriptions that unlock advanced features for organizations needing greater control, compliance support, and deeper integration with their research computing environment. This model reflects the organization's core commitment: making secure, reliable cyberinfrastructure services accessible to the broadest possible research community. The Globus team comprises professional software developers and business operations staff, as well Globus Labs, a dedicated research group pioneering novel methods and technologies. Team members are geographically distributed-a structure that reflects the global nature of the research communities we serve-while maintaining a collaborative culture focused on making an impact in disciplines ranging from the life sciences and astronomy to materials science and public policy. If you enjoy collaborative, innovative, mission-driven environments, Globus could be a great fit for you!
Job Summary
We are looking for a skilled Technical Support Engineer who can effectively resolve multiple concurrent support requests and is adept both at independent and at collaborative problem solving. This role serves researchers, systems engineers, network engineers, and research software engineers who rely on Globus for secure, high-performance data movement, data sharing, and computing in support of scientific discovery.
You will provide second-tier technical support for users of Globus software to ensure organizations and their researchers can successfully deploy and use Globus services. You will support researchers who wish to use Globus software and services to solve their data management challenges, and you will support research IT professionals who wish to deploy Globus software and services for their user base of researchers. You must bring a genuine customer-service orientation to working with researchers and IT staff, who may have varying levels of technical sophistication. Our user support team is known for providing excellent customer support, and you will be expected to uphold that reputation by providing best in class customer service.
You are expected to become familiar with the inner workings of the Globus services and be able to 'dig deep' into the technical details to identify and solve user problems expeditiously. You will perform timely and thorough software release testing, and generate user support documentation that is clear, accurate, and comprehensive. You will also develop and execute policies and procedures that increase the efficiency and quality of Globus user support.
The ideal candidate combines strong Linux systems administration expertise with networking, storage, and high-performance computing (HPC) knowledge. Clear demonstration of a motivation and ability to help people solve technical problems is a must. Experience in an academic or research computing environment, along with Python and REST API development experience, is highly valued.
Responsibilities

• Provide Level-2 user support for installing, configuring, using, and troubleshooting Globus software and services.
• Conduct in depth analyses of technical information in order to diagnose and resolve complex technical issues.
• Proactively gather and coordinate information across software engineers in the service of resolving complex Level-2 customer issues.
• Appropriately escalate issues to Tier 3 engineering with full diagnostic context.
• Write and communicate clear, reproducible bug reports.
• Develop policies and procedures for using internal ticketing systems for effective issue management, communication, and resolution and ensure these policies and processes are followed across teams.
• Author and maintain public-facing user documentation (e.g. user guides, FAQs, troubleshooting pages).
• Collaborate with engineering teams to develop software release testing policies and procedures.
• Test Globus product releases before release to end-users.
• Act as a technical consultant and resource for other team members and users of the Globus software.
• Guides a variety of IT support activities for end-user hardware/software resolution, and guides end-users through troubleshooting procedures. Uses fundamental knowledge of University software systems to recommend system modifications to reduce user problems.
• Uses in-depth knowledge of IT support best practices and experience with the University IT systems to conduct analyses and contribute to the resolution of complex problems.
• Perform other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications
Education:
Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
Work Experience:
Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.
Certifications:
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Preferred Qualifications
Experience:

• Strong experience diagnosing complex, multi-system issues (network, AuthN/Z, storage, and application layers).
• Demonstrated strong experience in Linux/Unix system administration.
• Experience troubleshooting applications on user workstations for Mac, Windows and Linux.
• Proficiency with networking fundamentals and configuration: firewalls, TCP/IP, DNS, port configuration.
• Experience in administration of high performance storage and/or high performance computing environments.
• Experience in administration of Google, AWS, and/or Microsoft cloud storage products.
• Proficiency in deploying and using AWS infrastructure (e.g. IAM, S3, EC2).
• Understanding of federated identity and authentication (InCommon, SAML, OAuth2/OIDC).
• Knowledge of scientific research workflows and/or large-scale research data management.
• Experience with troubleshooting Apache virtual host configurations.
• Ability to read and write basic Python applications that use REST APIs
• Experience writing end user documentation, troubleshooting guides, FAQs.
• Experience working in a university research computing center or national lab setting.
• Experience providing technical support to external users, such as researchers, and research IT staff.

Preferred Competencies

• Commitment to excellent customer service, including tact, discretion, and proper judgment as necessary.
• Patience and empathy for users with varying technical backgrounds.
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and constant attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently with little supervision.
• Ability to prioritize, triage, and manage competing priorities.
• Excellent ability to communicate verbally and in writing with non-technical researchers as well as with campus IT staff and engineers.
• Ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment, including respectful and professional communication and behavior.
• Receptive to feedback, willing to learn and embrace continuous improvement.
• Ability to maintain a high level of professionalism and integrity at all times.
• Ability to discreetly and appropriately manage sensitive and confidential data.
• Ability to bridge the gap between researchers and sophisticated research data cyber infrastructure.

Working Conditions

• This job requires occasional evening, weekend, and holiday hours.
• Position available for remote work with attendance of very occasional in-person meetings required.

Application Documents

• Resume (required)

The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.
When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.
Job Family
Information Technology
Role Impact
Individual Contributor
Scheduled Weekly Hours
37.5
Drug Test Required
No
Health Screen Required
No
Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
No
Pay Rate Type
Salary
FLSA Status
Exempt
Pay Range
$95,000.00 - $125,000.00
The included pay rate or range represents the University's good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.
Benefits Eligible
Yes
The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.
Posting Statement
The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.
Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.
All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.
The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu. Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.