Job description

Job summary

Imperial College London is a world leading, top ten university and is home to the greatest concentration of high-impact research of any UK university. The Research Computing Service (RCS) provides support for High-Performance Computing, a team of Research Software Engineers, and support for a growing number of research applications that support the research data lifecycle.

Here is an opportunity to support world leading research. As a Research Computing Analyst your role will be key to supporting researchers in their use of our high-performance computing and associated research data platforms at Imperial both on-premise and in the cloud. You will ensure researchers, whatever their field, have access to the most appropriate equipment and technology for their work.

The role provides opportunities to learn and develop new skills, working as part of a team of research computing specialists, and as part of the broader RCS and Imperial College ICT team.

ICT supports the broad university research ambitions and through the development of the university strategy and digital plan you will be part of an ambitious organisation developing world leading research computing support.

Research Computing Services HPC estate is a large, heterogeneous system with both proprietary and commodity clusters. It includes high-throughput capacity, high-end capability, GPU compute and large-memory services and is tailored to support the diverse computing needs of the research community.

This role provides the opportunity to develop skills in the support of on-premise HPC and cloud-based technologies. Together with our team of analysts, you will provide advice to researchers.

Duties and responsibilities

• Understanding Imperial's Research Computing estate to gain an integrated view of facilities and services.


• Provide support and expert guidance to the research end users on data platforms.


• Responsible for the installation, configuration, and support of scientific software, while working under the general direction of a Senior Analyst.


• Assist researchers to utilise the RCS resources, compile and debug code, use queues, access, and manage data as required.


• Carry out diagnostic processes and implement solutions. 


• Monitoring the batch queuing system, for operational issues.


• Support the analysis of system issues resulting from hardware problems or user software usage.


• Managing incoming support requests, performing root-cause investigation, and providing timely, comprehensive solutions either independently or via escalation to other RCS team members.


• Actively participating in meetings to facilitate collaboration and deliver a professional service.


• Develop your understanding of the technology and tools within Research Computing by attending seminars, conferences, and other community events.


• Planning your work to meet agreed objectives and service level targets while demonstrating initiative.


• Work flexibly as a part of the RCS Platforms Team, supporting the group’s activities and undertaking individual projects.


• Delivering a high-quality service through a collaborative approach and superior analytical skills.


• Contribute to internal and user facing documentation, making recommendations, establishing best practices, and defining standard operating procedures.

Essential requirements

• A degree in a scientific or technical discipline or corresponding relevant experience


• Experience of working in a customer orientated support service or a research/technology environment, with a positive attitude to delivery


• Practical experience of working within a Linux environment


• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate complex technical information effectively to a diverse range of stakeholders, including those without a technical background


• Demonstrable problem-solving abilities, including proven ability to use initiative, creative thinking, and self-directed learning to resolve unfamiliar issues.


• Able to use testing and evaluation methods for problem solving.


• A team player who collaborates and supports the RCS Platforms Team, other teams within ICT, and researchers.


• Able to work autonomously and take initiative, exercising judgement on escalating issues to senior colleagues

Please see the job description for full requirements for this role.

Further information

If you have any questions about working at Imperial, or would like to discuss this role in further detail, please contact Robert Sprigens on 07708 294579 or ICTTalent@imperial.ac.uk

Documents

• Job Description - Research Computing Analyst .pdf