COSMOS - System Engineer

https://cosmos.ualr.edu/Summary of Job Duties:The Project/Program Manager (Systems Engineer) is a full-time, provisional position at the COSMOS Research Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. This role is funded through a grant or contract, and continued employment is contingent upon ongoing funding and satisfactory performance. The Project/Program Manager (Systems Engineer) focuses on the deployment, configuration, monitoring, and maintenance of GPU-enabled servers, virtualized environments, and hybrid infrastructure supporting research and enterprise systems. It is a non-coding role requiring strong Linux/Windows administration skills, virtualization experience, automation knowledge, and familiarity with data center operations. The Project/Program Manager (Systems Engineer) will collaborate with researchers, developers, and partners to maintain high-performing, secure, and scalable infrastructure that powers computational workloads. This on-campus position is governed by state and federal laws and agency/institution policy.

The position reports to Prof. Nitin Agarwal (nxagarwal@ualr.edu), Maulden-Entergy Endowed Chair, Donaghey Distinguished Professor, and Director, COSMOS Research Center at UA-Little Rock.Qualifications, * Configure, maintain, and troubleshoot GPU servers, workstations, and physical hardware;

• Deploy and manage virtual machines using VMware, KVM, Proxmox, etc.;
• Establish and maintain on-premises cloud architecture (e.g., OpenStack);
• Monitor system performance, health, and storage integrity;
• Perform hardware installations, upgrades, diagnostics, and repairs;
• Administer and maintain Linux and Windows operating systems;
• Manage user access, permissions, and security compliance;
• Collaborate with AI/ML and research teams to ensure infrastructure readiness;
• Design and implement scalable infrastructure using enterprise and open-source tools;
• Automate server provisioning and system tasks using Bash, PowerShell, or Python;
• Use automation platforms such as Ansible, Terraform, and CloudFormation;
• Manage containers (Docker) and orchestration platforms (Kubernetes);
• Maintain Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, and identity/authentication protocols;
• Administer networking components: VLANs, routing, firewalls, VPNs;
• Configure and manage Arista switches and related network appliances;
• Lead projects for AV systems and hybrid learning environments;
• Maintain physical network setups, including rack mounting and cabling;
• Support hybrid cloud infrastructure; ensure uptime, compliance, and documentation;
• Assist with infrastructure for data ingestion, storage, and processing; and
• Other tasks as assigned.

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related discipline;
• Strong Linux and Windows server administration skills.

Preferred Education and/or Experience:

• Master’s or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related discipline;
• 1+ year(s) of hands-on experience in server management, system administration, or infrastructure support;
• Basic knowledge of Linux system administration;
• Certifications such as RHCSA/RHCE, MCSE, CompTIA Network+/Security+;
• Experience with GPU environments (NVIDIA preferred), CUDA drivers, and related tools;
• Experience in research labs, AV systems, and hybrid on-prem/cloud setups., * Proficient in remote server management (e.g., iDRAC) and dynamic resource allocation;
• Familiar with data models, pipelines, ETL workflows, and storage systems;
• Skilled in identifying and resolving performance and system issues;
• Experience with virtualization tools (VMware, KVM, Proxmox);
• Advanced scripting skills (Bash, PowerShell, Python);
• Experience with monitoring tools (Prometheus, Grafana, Nagios);
• Familiarity with network segmentation, firewalls, VLANs, and TCP/IP;
• Knowledge of Arista EOS CLI, ACLs, BGP, STP, EVPN, VXLAN;
• Hands-on experience with switch configuration, patch panels, and physical network setup; and
• Experience in classroom AV systems, hybrid learning setups, and IP management.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is a metropolitan research university that provides an accessible, quality education through flexible learning and unparalleled internship opportunities. At UA Little Rock, we prepare our more than 8,900 students to be innovators and responsible leaders in their fields. Committed to its metropolitan research university mission, UA Little Rock is a driving force in Little Rock’s thriving cultural community and a major component of the city and state’s growing profile as a regional leader in research, technology transfer, economic development, and job creation.