Scientific Computing Officer - HPC Systems & Performance (ref. AD/26/09)

• Support the operation of Linux-based scientific computing and HPC environments.
• Install, configure, test and maintain scientific applications and software environments.
• Compile scientific software and adapt build options to the available hardware.
• Help diagnose performance, compatibility and resource-utilisation issues.
• Support workloads running on CPUs, GPUs and heterogeneous computing systems.
• Assist researchers in selecting suitable compute resources and job configurations.
• Analyse application behaviour, memory use, parallelisation and data-access patterns.
• Contribute to the maintenance of software stacks, modules, containers and development environments.
• Create technical documentation, examples and operational procedures.
• Collaborate with infrastructure, storage, networking and research teams.
• Evaluate new technologies that could improve performance, usability or reproducibility.

We are looking for someone with a basic background in programming and Linux who is motivated to develop deeper expertise in HPC systems and performance engineering. Previous professional experience in this field is an advantage, but it is not essential., We do not expect candidates to already have extensive HPC experience. The essential requirements are:

• Basic programming or scripting skills in at least one language, such as Python, Bash, C, C++, Fortran or a similar language.
• Basic knowledge of Linux and command-line environments.
• General understanding of scientific computing or data-processing workflows.
• Interest in computer systems, scientific software and application performance.
• Ability to troubleshoot technical problems in a structured way.
• Willingness to learn about HPC architectures, compilers, GPUs and parallel computing.
• Ability to work as part of a technical team and communicate with researchers.
• Working knowledge of English.

NICE TO HAVE

Experience or knowledge in any of the following areas would be valuable, but is not mandatory:

• Computer architecture, including CPUs, memory hierarchies, caches, NUMA systems and storage I/O.
• Compilation of C, C++ or Fortran scientific software.
• Compilers such as GCC, LLVM, Intel oneAPI or NVIDIA HPC SDK.
• Selection of compiler flags based on CPU architecture and available instruction sets.
• Build systems such as CMake, Make, Autotools or Meson.
• Scientific software deployment using Spack, EasyBuild, Conda or environment modules.
• GPU computing using CUDA, ROCm, OpenCL or GPU-enabled scientific frameworks.
• Parallel programming with MPI, OpenMP or similar technologies.
• HPC workload managers, particularly Slurm.
• Performance analysis, profiling and benchmarking tools.
• Linux system administration, networking, storage or filesystems used in HPC environments.
• Containers such as Apptainer, Singularity or Docker.
• Scientific applications in areas such as molecular dynamics, structural biology, bioinformatics,
• imaging, artificial intelligence or data science.
• Automation, configuration management, continuous integration or infrastructure-as-code practices.
• Git and collaborative software-development workflows.

WHAT WE VALUE

We are looking for candidates with strong technical curiosity and an interest in understanding how scientific applications work from both the software and hardware perspectives. Candidates do not need to meet every item in the “nice to have” section to apply.

We particularly value curiosity, problem-solving skills and a willingness to learn.

To be a part a part of something meaningful: We are a biomedical research centre that tirelessly works to achieve a society free of diseases. Our mission is to carry out research of excellence to cure cancer and other diseases linked to ageing.

Good Working conditions: Permanent Contract (contrato de actividades científico-técnicas) linked to the scientific and technical activities of the Information Technology Services unit. Employed in compliance with Spanish legislation and regulations under a full-time contract. Employees receive the benefits of the Spanish Social Security system covering sickness, maternity/paternity leave and injuries at work.

Competitive salary: commensurate with experience and qualifications.

International Environment: we are home to nearly 500 researchers, technical and support staff from 45 countries.

Multidisciplinary Research: Research of excellence at the unique interface between biology, chemistry, and structural and computational biology.

On 9 December, 2014, IRB Barcelona was awarded the “HR Excellence in Research” logo. This recognition reflects the commitment of the Institute to the continuous improvement of its human resources policies in line with the Charter & Code. The Institute works to ensure fair and transparent recruitment and appraisal procedures., Created in 2005 by the Generalitat de Catalunya (Government of Catalonia) and the University of Barcelona, IRB Barcelona, a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence since the first call in 2011, has received the accreditation four consecutive times.

The institute is devoted to conducting research of excellence in biomedicine and to transferring results to clinical practice, thus improving people’s quality of life, while simultaneously promoting the training of outstanding researchers, technology transfer, and public communication of science. Its 27 laboratories and 9 core facilities address basic questions in biology and are oriented towards diseases such as cancer, metastasis, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and rare conditions.

IRB Barcelona is an international centre that hosts 500 members from 45 nationalities. It is located in the Barcelona Science Park. IRB Barcelona forms part of the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST) and the “Xarxa de Centres de Recerca de Catalunya” (CERCA).