Job offer

The Systems Administrator will participate in infrastructure implementation projects and day-to-day operational activities, helping to maintain reliable and secure systems that process large volumes of genomic data. The role involves collaboration with providers and colleagues, technical documentation, validation and testing, troubleshooting, automation and continuous improvement, while supporting compliance with ITIL, ISO 27001 and ENS-related procedures and policies., * System Management: Install, configure, maintain and monitor servers, HPC compute clusters, networks and related hardware/software.

• Performance, Security & Continuity: Monitor performance; support security policies, backups and disaster recovery; help ensure reliable operation of critical systems.
• Troubleshooting & Automation: Diagnose and resolve system issues, escalate complex problems when needed, support users, and develop scripts/automation tools for routine administration.
• Documentation, Reporting & Projects: Maintain technical documentation, assist with infrastructure reporting, and contribute to deployment, upgrade, validation and testing activities.
• Collaboration & Continuous Improvement: Work across technical and non-technical teams, track assigned work, learn new technologies, propose improvements and follow ITIL, ISO 27001 and ENS-related policies.

Research Field Computer science » Computer systems

Education Level Bachelor Degree or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering or a related field.
• Minimum 2 years of experience in systems administration, infrastructure operations or technical support in Linux-based environments, including experience administering Linux systems in production environments.
• Good understanding of networking fundamentals, including TCP/IP, routing, DNS, firewalls, VPNs and common security practices.
• Hands-on experience with virtualization technologies such as Proxmox, KVM, Hyper-V or VMware.
• Practical scripting skills using Bash, Python or PowerShell.
• Basic understanding of storage technologies, file systems, backup solutions and data protection concepts.
• Good problem-solving and analytical skills, with a methodical approach to troubleshooting.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interact effectively with both technical and non-technical users.
• Ability to prioritise multiple tasks and work both independently and collaboratively within a team.
• Attention to detail and commitment to maintaining accurate technical documentation.
• Ability and willingness to learn new technologies and technical concepts.

Desirable:

• Relevant technical certifications.
• Experience or exposure to HPC environments, cluster technologies, distributed computing systems, scientific computing or research environments.
• Experience with open-source software and tools commonly used in systems administration.
• Exposure to bioinformatics environments, large-scale datasets or data-processing workflows.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure or Google Cloud.
• Familiarity with configuration management and infrastructure automation tools such as Ansible, Puppet or Chef.
• Familiarity with Windows or other UNIX operating systems.
• Good command of English, Spanish and Catalan.

Languages ENGLISH, Research Field Computer science » Computer systems

Years of Research Experience 1 - 4

• Contract: Permanent full-time employment contract.
• Work location: CNAG, Barcelona, Spain.
• Expected starting date: As soon as possible.
• Working hours: 35-hour working week, Monday to Friday.
• Flexible working hours: Starting time between 7:30 and 10:00, with a lunch break of between 30 minutes and 1.5 hours.
• Remote working: Possibility of remote working up to two days per week.
• Annual leave: 30 working days per year.
• Salary: Commensurate with qualifications and experience, in accordance with CNAG’s salary scales.
• Flexible remuneration: Options may include meals, public transport, health insurance, childcare and training.

Eligibility criteria

The Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico (CNAG) is a world-leading genomics research institute located in Barcelona. With state-of-the-art genomic analysis capabilities, CNAG supports national and international researchers, as well as clinicians, in pursuing cutting-edge research and clinical applications. CNAG carries out large-scale genomic projects involving DNA and RNA analysis in collaboration with the Spanish, European and international research communities.

CNAG is one of the largest genome analysis centres in Europe, equipped with advanced sequencing, single-cell and spatial genomics technologies and extensive computing infrastructure. Its operations are certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 and accredited according to ISO/IEC 17025, supporting the delivery of standardised, high-quality data for research and clinical applications.

CNAG has more than 125 professionals and participates in major international genome initiatives and EU-funded projects.

About CNAG’s IT Department

The Systems Administrator will join CNAG’s IT Department and work with the existing team to manage and improve the organisation’s IT infrastructure and computing platforms. The team supports a state-of-the-art data centre with an HPC compute cluster of more than 10,000 cores, over 30 petabytes of storage and high-speed networking capabilities up to 400 Gbps.