Research Storage Consultant

at  Stanford University

Stanford Research Computing is looking for a talented data and storage consultant to join our team of collaborative and innovative professionals assisting Stanford’s faculty and students to use high-performance computing and data tools to explore new frontiers in knowledge and solve some of humanity’s most urgent problems.
Our staff work directly with some of the world’s top researchers in a broad range of disciplines, across all of Stanford’s seven schools — while also supporting and learning from each other in cross-project endeavors. We maintain and steadily improve an advanced research computing facility, and we support a variety of environments for Stanford research. In Stanford Research Computing, you’ll have a rare opportunity to contribute to discoveries and inventions that have global reach and positive impact, and to share in the curiosity and commitment of the scholars and scientists who lead these projects.
In this exciting researcher-facing role, you will serve as a key member of our storage team. You will engage directly with researchers to address their storage needs, provide training on best practices, and support their use of our research storage systems. This role offers a unique opportunity to dive deep into storage technologies, with hands-on experience in both storage software and hardware.
We especially welcome candidates who are not only excited about cutting-edge solutions but are also comfortable working with evolving open-source software. The ideal candidate will be curious and resourceful, able to navigate the uncertainties that come with developing technologies and driven to troubleshoot and resolve issues. You’ll join a team that leverages and contributes to open-source projects, helping shape the future of research data management at Stanford.
This is a hybrid position, with on-site presence a minimum of 3 days a week for the first 9 months and a minimum of 2 days a week thereafter.

IN ADDITION, PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS INCLUDE:

• Familiarity with cloud storage technologies and cloud APIs (S3)
• Knowledge of Network file sharing protocols (SMB, NFS, Globus, etc.), and cloud storage technologies (S3)
• Familiarity with data transfer tools like rsync, rclone and aws cli
• Experience using version control (git)
• Familiarity with GitHub or GitLab
• Ability to write shell scripts to automate simple tasks on Linux
• Comfortable working with systems that are not well defined yet
• Some knowledge of Splunk, Grafana and other monitoring tools
  The expected pay range for this position is $114,124 to $134,067 per annum.
  Stanford University provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the university 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.
  At Stanford University, base pay represents only one aspect of the comprehensive rewards package. The Cardinal at Work website (https://cardinalatwork.stanford.edu/benefits-rewards) provides detailed information on Stanford’s extensive range of benefits and rewards offered to employees. Specifics about the rewards package for this position may be discussed during the hiring process.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The majority of your time will be spent fielding technical and administrative questions from, and providing consultative advice to, Stanford’s diverse research community. You’ll collaborate with colleagues to resolve researchers’ storage and data questions and improve researchers’ experience using our shared storage platforms. You will also contribute to documenting how to effectively use the different storage systems

• Build expertise in the SRC research shared storage systems, primarily Oak, Elm and Koa, and in other cloud-based and on-prem storage solutions
• Answer direct questions and requests from researchers related to our storage services, including storage, data movement methods, and billing-related questions
• Collaborate with researchers to understand their storage needs and financial constraints, provide technical assistance, and help determine appropriate solutions
• Present our storage services and best practices to current and potential users in information sessions and workshops
• Participate in SRC office hours and focus on storage-related issues
• Become familiar with and periodically test the different storage services that we offer
• Document best practices and policies
• Collaborate with other groups to improve data management, migration and lifecycle planning

TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS ROLE, YOU WILL BRING:

• Advanced degree plus seven years of relevant experience, or a combination of education and relevant experience
• Ability to quickly adopt new technologies and programming tools
• Strong understanding of data design, architecture, relational databases and data modeling
• Outstanding communication skills with both technical and non-technical clients
• Ability to recognize and recommend necessary changes in user and/or operations procedures
• Ability to interact effectively and tactfully with members of the academic community; demonstrated experience working in an environment with colleagues of diverse backgrounds and customs
• Demonstrated ability to manage a complex workload, prioritize tasks, and use good judgment in providing services based on goal.
• Familiarity with Linux filesystem concepts (quotas, ownership, permissions, ACLs)
• Ability to resolve issues accurately in creative and effective ways
• Demonstrated success collaborating with key contacts outside your own area of expertise
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Knowledge of, and experience with, information security concepts