Position Title:

Research Computing Technical Specialist

Department/School:

Infrastructure, Information Technology

Salary/Pay Rate:

$80,000 - $90,000

Job Summary:

The Research Computing Technical Specialist is a member of the Infrastructure Team within Marist Information Technology. This position serves as a technical resource for faculty, students, and staff utilizing institutional research computing services and technologies. The specialist collaborates with researchers to understand project objectives, computational requirements, and data-intensive workflows, while supporting the effective use of advanced computing, artificial intelligence, data science, and cloud technologies. This position is designed as a growth-oriented technical role, providing opportunities to develop expertise in research computing, artificial intelligence, cloud technologies, and high-performance computing environments.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, or a related field
• 1–3 years of related experience
• Adaptability while working in a rapidly changing technological environment

Essential Functions:

• Research Engagement and Technical Consultation: Serve as a technical resource for faculty, students, and staff utilizing research computing services and technologies. Collaborate with researchers to understand project objectives, computational requirements, data-intensive workflows, and emerging technology needs. Develop proficiency in advising researchers on the effective use of advanced computing, artificial intelligence, data science, and cloud technologies to support research activities.
• Administration and Operations: Partner with IT teams to administer, configure, monitor, and maintain research computing environments, including IBM zSystems, Linux-based servers, GPU and accelerator resources, cloud-based services, virtualized infrastructure, storage systems, and container platforms. Gain experience in installing, maintaining, and upgrading research software, libraries, middleware, and related tools. Assist with routine maintenance, patching, upgrades, performance monitoring, troubleshooting, and incident response activities to ensure reliable and secure operation of research computing services.
• Research Application Support and Performance Optimization: Support AI and other computational research applications by configuring and maintaining software environments and development tools. Develop proficiency in adapting, compiling, and optimizing applications, scripts, and programming environments to ensure compatibility with platform-specific architectures, libraries, and accelerator technologies. Assist researchers with workflow optimization, resource utilization, benchmarking, performance tuning, and efficient use of shared computing resources.
• Resource Planning and Lifecycle Management: Assist in the lifecycle management of research computing infrastructure, including technology evaluation, deployment, capacity monitoring, utilization analysis, refresh planning, and retirement of computing resources. Support workload scheduling, resource allocation, and fair-use practices that enable effective use of shared computing resources. Contribute technical input regarding future research computing capabilities and service improvements.
• Training, Documentation, and Outreach: Create and maintain technical documentation, knowledge resources, user guides, and standardized workflows that promote reproducible research and efficient onboarding. Deliver workshops, training sessions, and outreach activities that increase awareness and effective use of research computing services. Continuously develop technical competency in emerging technologies relevant to the research portfolio of Marist.
• Data Stewardship and Compliance: Collaborate with researchers, IT staff, and other stakeholders to support the secure and compliant use of research computing resources. Assist with data access, governance, security, and compliance practices consistent with institutional policies, regulatory requirements, grant obligations, IRB protocols, and data use agreements. Support computational resource planning and provide technical information for grant applications, research proposals and sponsored projects.
• Other duties as assigned.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working in Linux-based systems administration or research computing infrastructure
• Demonstrated ability to communicate technical concepts effectively to faculty, researchers, students, and IT professionals
• Experience supporting academic, scientific, or research computing projects, including undergraduate research, graduate research, or grant-funded initiatives

Required Application Documents:

Resume, Cover Letter, & Contact Information of 3 Professional References 

Benefits:

The position includes a comprehensive benefit package*. Benefits for this position include but are not limited to the following:

• 3 weeks of paid vacation. 4 weeks of paid vacation beginning in the 6th year of employment.
• Unlimited paid sick time.
• 14+ paid holidays per year.
• Medical, Dental & Vision insurance programs at a 15% employee / 85% employer contribution rate. Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and Dependent Care (FSD).
• Life insurance.
• Generous short-term and long-term disability programs and workers compensation.
• 403(b) defined contribution plan:
  • First 6 years University contributes 7.5%, Employee contributes a mandatory 4%.
  • University contribution increases to 10.5% in year 7, and 12% after 15 years.
  • Employee contribution decreases to 1% in year 7. Remains 1% thereafter.
  • Typical eligibility requirements: 1 year of service and 1,000 hours with Marist University.
• 403(b) Tax Deferred Annuity – Roth option available. Voluntary, up to IRS maximum contribution.
• Tuition Benefits:
  • Up to 16 undergraduate credits per semester. Up to 18 graduate credit per academic calendar. Eligibility extends to employee, spouse, and dependent children under age 26.
  • University pays 100% tuition only.
  • Eligible dependents may be Reimbursed up to $2,000 per semester towards tuition at another accredited institution.

*Eligibility requirements including waiting periods and/or employee probationary periods may apply at the discretion of the University.

About the Department/School:

Information Technology (IT) offers students, faculty, and staff
access to advanced technologies to help promote a strong sense of community. A distinguishing feature of the Marist education is the manner in which information technology is used in support of
teaching, learning, and scholarship. This environment creates a
strong applied research culture and includes Marist students as
young paraprofessionals, which makes Marist unique within higher
education.

Marist IT staff come from diverse career and educational
backgrounds. Our community of technologists collaborate to
support a commitment to excellence with 80 staff members within
15 departments, more than 200 student paraprofessionals, and a
24/7/365 operation. Effort, talent, and commitment are rewarded
and recognized within the division both internally by leadership,
and externally through numerous industry accolades and awards.
No two days are ever the same while working in IT. We are
committed to finding more effective and practical ways to use
technology to meet institutional goals.

About Marist University:

Founded in 1929, Marist is a comprehensive, independent four-year institution whose signature educational approach blends the liberal arts with pre-professional studies and emphasizes experiential learning to enrich classroom instruction. With campuses in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and Florence, Italy, plus over 70 programs offering a variety of international study, Marist is a portal to the world and is devoted to nurturing a welcoming, inclusive community. Through six schools offering almost 50 majors, Marist cultivates the intellectual growth and well-being of its more than 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students and encourages them to color outside traditional academic lines as they pursue coursework and personal experiences that provide valuable occupational expertise and reflect their individual passions. Marist has been acclaimed a top institution in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, the Wall Street Journal/College Pulse, Princeton Review, and others. To learn more, please visit https://www.marist.edu/about 

Type of Position:

Full-time

Classification:

Administrative (Exempt)

Months per Year:

12

Work Schedule:

Monday-Friday 8:30am-5:00pm

Hybrid - 3 days on campus per week

Hours per Week:

37.5

Location:

Marist University Main Campus

Number of Position Openings:

1

Equal Employment Statement:

Marist University is committed to creating an inclusive workforce on our campus by ensuring that barriers to equal employment opportunity and upward mobility do not exist here. To this end, the University will strive to achieve the full and fair participation of all members of the Marist community.

Equal opportunity means employment, development, and promotion of individuals without consideration of race, color, disability, religion, age, sex, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, or veteran status unless there is a bona fide occupational requirement which excludes persons in one of these protected groups. The University will review its employment policies and procedures to ensure that barriers which may unnecessarily exclude protected groups are identified and eliminated. The University will also explore alternative approaches if any policy or practice is found to have a negative impact on protected groups.

Marist's policy of non-discrimination includes not only employment practices but also extends to all services and programs provided by the University. It shall be considered a violation of University policy for any member of the community to discriminate against any individual or group with respect to employment or attendance at Marist University on the basis of race, color, disability, religion, age, sex, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other condition established by law.