CDS/Grid Systems Engineer

California Institute of Technology
vision insurance, parental leave, paid time off, sick time, tuition reimbursement
United States, Louisiana, Livingston
19100 LIGO Lane (Show on map)
Jan 27, 2025
Caltech is a world-renowned science and engineering institute that marshals some of the world's brightest minds and most innovative tools to address fundamental scientific questions. We thrive on finding and cultivating talented people who are passionate about what they do. Join us and be a part of the diverse Caltech community. LIGO Laboratory (the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory) seeks a highly motivated andskilled Scientific Computing Systems Administrator to join its team.This position is located in Richland, WA. LIGO is committed to providing work life balance and flexibility wherepossible. We offer an optional 9/80 alternative work schedule and occasional work-from-home days may beavailable. LIGO Laboratory is a National Science Foundation major facility dedicated to observing the newly discoveredgravitational-wave universe. Jointly operated by the California Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology, the LIGO Laboratory operates world-leading observatories near Richland, WA, and Baton Rouge, LA as wellas R&D centers on the Caltech and MIT campuses. The LIGO Laboratory's mission spans a broad and vibrant array ofactivities related to gravitational-wave physics and astronomy, including detector operations, R&D toward detectorimprovements, gravitational-wave astrophysics, observatory operations, education, and public outreach. For more information, please visit the Laboratory website at www.ligo.caltech.edu. Job Summary As a CDS/Grid Systems Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in managing the backbone of our control and data systems, ensuring that our computers and networks are not only running smoothly but are also constantly evolving to meet the needs of our dynamic environment. Your day-to-day will involve hands-on work with our CDS test stands, and your expertise will be crucial in supporting data analysis computing systems that drive informed decision-making. Join us and make a tangible impact by maintaining the systems that our operations rely on every day. Essential Job Duties Maintain operation of the support CDS systems at LIGO Livingston Observatory, which include control-room and offsite workstations and servers for user interaction, monitoring, and readout software. Perform regular software upgrades and patches on a weekly basis. Provide user support for both onsite and remote systems. Oversee installation and maintenance of monitoring systems to detect failed hardware and software. Diagnose and replace failed hardware and software components of these systems. Test up-to-date Operating Systems and software before widescale deployment. Ensure our public interfacing servers adhere to up-to-date security standards. Maintain operation for the real-time control and data acquisition system on the scientific instrument (interferometer) on a 24/7 basis. Equipment is spread over 10 miles of enclosures and includes servers, networking, and sensors. Oversee installation and maintenance of monitoring systems to detect failed hardware and software. Diagnose and repair or replace failed hardware to minimize operational downtime. As requested by other groups, add additional sensors and readout hardware and develop readout software. Provide in-depth documentation of failure events. Assist with the operation and maintenance of the data-analysis computer systems (DCS) at the LIGO Livingston Observatory. Assist with user account administration, operating systems and software upgrades to servers and networking hardware. Perform weekly software upgrades and security patches on a weekly basis. Ensure our public interfacing servers adhere to up-to-date security standards. Maintain and upgrade the several CDS test systems located on site. This includes large-scale systems used by CDS software developers at multiple sites for testing and validation of upgrades, and stand-alone systems for building, testing new interferometer systems. Research and select new equipment (computers, networking, digitizers, etc.) for evaluation as upgrades to current CDS installations. Conduct testing to verify successful integration of new hardware and software with existing systems. Procure new CDS equipment common to all sites. Assist with planning the installation of upgrades to production CDS systems at those sites. Plan, procure and oversee installation of upgrades to the local CDS systems, which includes servers, network switches, workstations, backup systems, timing systems, etc. Support operation and upgrades of CDS equipment at all LIGO sites, including travel as needed. Other duties as assigned. Basic Qualifications B.S degree in Computer Engineering. 4 years of experience working in software development and maintenance of computing systems in a scientific research environment. Knowledge of supporting a high-performance "grid" computer cluster. Knowledge of LIGO's detector-connected "CDS" IT instrumentation. Ability to travel by airplane to other LIGO locations and conferences approximately 10% of the time. Ability to obtain and maintain reliable transportation to the observatory. Preferred Qualifications Experience of writing new software code. Knowledge of LIGO-specific real-time software and networking. Required Documents Resume. Hiring Range $44.25 - $49.10 Per Hour The salary of the finalist(s) selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty and training. As one of the largest employers in Pasadena, CA, Caltech is committed to providing comprehensive benefits to eligible employees and their eligible dependents. Our benefits package includes competitive compensation, health, dental, and vision insurance, retirement savings plans, generous paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick time, parental leave, bereavement, etc.), tuition reimbursement, and more. Non-benefit eligible employees will have access to some benefits such as onsite counseling and sick time. Learn more about our benefits and staff perks. EEO Statement We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Caltech is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor. To read more Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) go to eeoc_self_print_poster.pdf. Disability Accommodations If you would like to request an accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to Caltech Recruiting at employment@caltech.edu.