High Performance Computing Systems Administrator I (#1862)

BACKGROUND

The National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC) is a one-of-a-kind facility located on Fort Detrick in Frederick MD and is dedicated to defending the nation against biological threats. Its work supports DHS and National biodefense preparedness planning, response, emerging threat characterization and bioforensic analyses. It is the first national laboratory created by DHS in response to biodefense gaps identified following the Amerithrax attacks of 2001 and has been operated by the Battelle National Biodefense Institute (BNBI) since 2006. Since its inception, NBACC and its staff have filled critical shortfalls in our scientific knowledge of biological agents needed to protect the public and defend the Nation from biological threats, whether naturally occurring, accidental, or deliberate and provided federal law enforcement with scientific data to support the investigation and attribution of biocrimes and protection of the US bioeconomy.

NBACC includes two centers: the National Bioforensic Analysis Center (NBFAC), which conducts the technical analyses in support of federal law enforcement investigations, and the National Biological Threat Characterization Center (NBTCC), which conducts experiments and studies to obtain data required for a better understanding of biological vulnerabilities and hazards. Together these centers offer a unique national resource for understanding the risks posed by biological agents and emerging technologies to inform biodefense policy and response planning and the operational capability to support the investigation, prosecution, and prevention of biocrimes and bioterrorism.

PRIMARY FUNCTION

To manage the high-performance computing (HPC) environment at the NBACC to facilitate the efficient and reproducible analysis of bioforensic samples.

MINIMUM REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Requires a Bachelor of Science (or equivalent) in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Systems, Software Engineering, Bioinformatics, or a relevant computational discipline and 0-4 years of related experience.
• Advanced knowledge of Linux operating systems (e.g., RedHat/CentOS/Ubuntu).
• Strong proficiency with bash shell scripting and Linux administration tools.
• Preferred experience: cluster management and data systems (e.g. Ansible, SLURM); network storage technologies (e.g., NFS, RAID); hardware installation, maintenance, and replacement; high-speed networks; programming; relational databases (e.g., MySQL).
• Experience installing research-grade bioinformatics software is preferred.
• Ability to work on problems of moderate scope in which analysis of situation or data requires review of identifiable factors.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and organizational skills.
• Proven track record of working effectively both independently and as a team player.
• Knowledge or experience with biocontainment facilities and procedures, laboratory safety, biosurety, and decontainment is desirable.
• Skills and experience to support laboratory activities and work in accordance with NBACC's management system (e.g., ISO).
• Must be a citizen of the United States, able to obtain and maintain an interim secret clearance leading to a top secret clearance and suitability for DHS.
• Participation in the Immunization Program, Medical Surveillance Program, and/or enrollment in the Personnel Reliability Program (PRP) may be required, dependent upon position and/or business needs.
• May be required to participate in NBACC's alternative work schedule and/or on-call schedule, dependent upon business needs.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Member of management team for multiple (HPC) high-performance computing clusters.
• Manages servers, storage, security, networking, and system configurations.
• Identifies or develops software and hardware to support the HPC infrastructure and for the parallel analysis of massive bioinformatic datasets.
• Transfers data from NBACC laboratories to the HPC systems, downloads data from public repositories, manages local databases, and transforms data to necessary formats.
• Works with Bioinformatics group Principal Investigators, Engineers, and Analysts to anticipate long-term computing infrastructure needs and plans for solutions.
• Adapts quickly to new work assignments, performs assignments outside area of expertise, demonstrates technical proficiency, and manages resources efficiently.
• Receives limited instruction on daily work and general instructions on new assignments.
• Participates in the testing and evaluation of new technologies and protocols including writing and updating NBACC Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), work instructions and forms to improve NBACC's ability to serve its customers.
• Identifies departures from the Quality Management System (QMS) and initiates actions to investigate and prevent such occurrences.
• Operates, maintains, and characterizes the performance of equipment with minimal supervision.
• Hardware lifecycle management from procurement to disposition.
• Performs file backup and restore using Veritas NetBackup.
• Must be a team player, communicate clearly, be open to hearing ideas and suggestions from others, diffuse situations, and exercise empathy and patience with colleagues.
• Must have the ability to multi-task, maintain composure under pressure, and utilize effective time management skills to prioritize tasks.
• Must be a self-starter driven by an eagerness to succeed, maintain flexibility, adapt to change in a productive and positive manner, learn new concepts, and utilize critical thinking to resolve complex problems.
• Maintains appropriate records.
• Performs other duties as assigned/authorized.

BNBI prohibits discrimination and employs and advances individuals without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability or veteran status.