Systems Engineer

The Salk Institute, one of the world's leading nonprofit research organizations, is looking for a Systems Administrator to support its innovative scientific and administrative IT environment. In this role, you will provide daily systems administration and operational support for the technology infrastructure that underpins Salk's data- and compute-intensive research laboratories, as well as core administrative services. This includes managing servers, storage, and networks that enable high-performance computing (HPC) clusters and large-scale data storage for research requirements. Your focus will be on the installation, configuration, monitoring, patching, and maintenance of IT systems and end-user services, ensuring they are secure, reliable, and optimized for performance.

Working under the general supervision of the Director of IT Infrastructure, you will assist senior IT staff in implementing hardware and software solutions, support complex systems (with guidance as needed), and escalate advanced issues when necessary. The Systems Administrator will also be part of a team rotation providing critical 24/7 on-call support to maintain continuous coverage for essential systems. By following established standards and procedures and contributing ideas for continuous improvement, you will help ensure that IT services remain highly reliable and responsive to the Institute's research and administrative communities. This position offers an opportunity to contribute directly to Salk's scientific mission by maintaining robust IT services in a collaborative, mission-driven environment.

Who We Are

The Salk Institute is an internationally renowned research institution that values all members of our scientific community. We seek bold and interactive leaders passionate about exploring new frontiers in science. Our collaborative community embraces perspectives across discipline, professional acumen, and unique life experiences, fostering innovation, and a sense of belonging. Together, we strive to improve the wellbeing of humanity through groundbreaking research.

Founded by Jonas Salk, developer of the first safe and effective polio vaccine, the Institute is an independent, nonprofit research organization and architectural landmark: small by choice, intimate by nature, and fearless in the face of any challenge. Salk's vibrant community has many talented individuals from varied backgrounds, each playing a crucial role in driving our mission forward. From visionary leaders to dedicated administrators and brilliant faculty members, the Institute is united by a shared passion for scientific exploration and innovation.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

Systems Installations, Integrations, and Operations

• Systems Monitoring & Maintenance: Monitor and maintain the enterprise IT environment by triaging incident tickets, performing routine maintenance, tracking system health and capacity, and ensuring service reliability and uptime.
• OS Installation & Patching: Install, configure, and harden operating systems (primarily Linux/*NIX and Windows) on servers, workstations, and other devices. Apply patches and updates to maintain security and optimize performance.
• Infrastructure Deployment: Implement and configure infrastructure across physical servers, virtualization platforms (e.g., VMware), and cloud resources. Set up compute, storage (NAS/SAN), and networking components in line with project requirements.
• Access & Storage Administration: Manage user and group accounts (e.g., LDAP, Active Directory) and permissions. Maintain file systems and shared network drives in compliance with data protection policies and security standards.
• Backups & Disaster Recovery: Execute backup and restore procedures for servers and critical clients; monitor backup jobs (on-premises and cloud) and remediate failures. Support disaster recovery testing and documentation to ensure business continuity.
• Storage Management: Perform storage provisioning, monitor usage, and conduct basic performance checks. Address routine storage issues and escalate complex performance or reliability concerns to senior administrators.
• Security Compliance: Support IT security initiatives by running patch compliance checks, applying system hardening, reviewing logs for anomalies, and responding to audit requests. Assist with security incident response, including investigation and remediation.

Troubleshooting and Issue Resolution

• Diagnostics: Perform Tier 1-2 diagnostics for applications, operating systems, and network components using established tools and procedures. Identify whether issues stem from hardware, software, network, or user error.
• Issue Resolution: Troubleshoot and resolve common software and OS issues on Linux/*NIX and Windows systems, as well as third-party applications. Apply fixes, document solutions, and update the knowledge base.
• Performance Analysis: Collect and analyze system and network performance metrics (CPU, memory, disk, bandwidth, etc.) to assist with system tuning and capacity planning. Provide reports or summaries to inform optimization decisions.
• User Communication: Interact professionally with end users (scientists, faculty, and administrative staff) to gather details, set expectations, provide updates, and confirm issue resolution. Communicate technical solutions in clear, accessible terms.

Technical Support and Additional Responsibilities

• Operational Support: Respond promptly to escalated support tickets and operational alerts. Document resolution steps and follow-up actions for team knowledge sharing.
• On-Call Rotation: Participate in scheduled on-call coverage for after-hours support, addressing critical system issues, outages, or urgent incidents to minimize downtime.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify and recommend opportunities to improve system reliability, performance, or efficiency. Contribute to IT projects and initiatives, incorporating automation and innovative practices.
• Other Duties: Perform additional related duties as assigned, such as inventory management, procedure documentation, training new team members, or cross-training in other IT areas.

Supervisory Responsbilities:

• This job has no supervisory responsibilities.

What we Require

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Information Technology, or a related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum 3 years of hands-on systems administration experience in a multi-platform environment is required (supporting Linux/*NIX servers and services in an enterprise or academic setting).
• Operating Systems: Strong proficiency with Linux server administration (such as Red Hat/CentOS or Ubuntu Linux), including shell scripting and command-line tools. Familiarity with Windows Server administration and Active Directory is also expected, as the environment includes both research Linux systems and core Windows-based services.
• Virtualization and Storage: Experience managing virtualization platforms (e.g., VMware vSphere/ESXi) and administering enterprise storage solutions (NAS/SAN devices). Ability to provision virtual machines, allocate storage, and perform basic network configuration in a virtualized environment.
• Networking and Security: Solid understanding of basic networking concepts (TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP) and ability to troubleshoot network connectivity issues. Experience implementing security best practices such as system hardening, patch management, and log monitoring.
• Problem-Solving Skills: Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills to diagnose and resolve system issues efficiently. Capable of methodically isolating root causes in complex environments.
• Communication and Teamwork: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with an ability to document processes and explain technical issues to non-technical audiences. A customer-service-oriented attitude is essential for working with researchers and staff. Proven ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a team, managing time effectively across multiple tasks.
• Computer skills required: Installation and updating multiple flavors of Operation Systems and package management, including *NIX and Windows, Use of terminal emulator software, Proficient in MS Office Suite of applications.

What We Can Offer

The expected pay range for this position is $121,550 to $126,000 per annum. Salk Institute provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the institute reasonably expects to pay for a position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity, geographic location, and external market pay for comparable jobs.

Benefits

Salk Institute offers competitive benefits, including medical, dental, vision, retirement, paid time off, tuition reimbursement, patient advocacy services, and transit/parking program.

Salk Values

The Salk Community, both scientists and administrators, worked together to define values that we believe support Salk's pursuit of excellence. To be truly the best scientific institution requires not only incredible discoveries, but a common understanding of how we should work together to enable those discoveries.

The acronym "I CARE" provides a simple way to remember each of the values and reminds each of us of the importance of what we do each day.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to providing equal access to opportunities for students, employees, applicants for employment and other visitors. Salk has also adopted and maintains a policy to encourage professional and respectful workplace behavior and prevent discriminatory and harassing conduct in our workplace.

Accordingly, the Institute prohibits harassment and discrimination in employment on the basis of, and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to, actual or perceived race (race is inclusive of traits associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles. Protective hairstyles include, but not limited to, such hairstyles as braids, and twists), color, religion, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, marital status, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), reproductive health decision making, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, veteran and/or military status (disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam era, other covered veteran status), political affiliation, and any other status protected by state or federal law.

Discrimination is prohibited with any intersectionality of the above-mentioned characteristics, including:

1. Any combination of characteristics.
2. A perception that the person has any of the characteristics or any combination of those characteristics.
3. A perception that the person is associated with a person who has, or is perceived to have, any of those characteristics or any combination of those characteristics.