LSST IT Manager Chile

Submission Information
Publish Date: 
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
Archive Date: 
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Job Summary
Job Category: 
Science Management
Institution Classification/Type: 
Other
Institution/Company: 
AURA/LSST
City: 
La Serena
State/Province: 
Coquimbo
Zip/Postal: 
17000
Country: 
Chile
Announcement
Job Announcement Text: 

The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) Project is currently constructing an 8.4 meter diameter ground-based observatory in Chile and a 3.2 gigapixel camera with funding from the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. The telescope will survey the visible sky every few nights in six optical bands to address four key science themes: Constraining the nature of dark energy and dark matter, making an inventory of small moving bodies in the Solar System, exploring the transient optical sky, and determining the accretion history of the Milky Way.

LSST is looking for an IT Manager for the South Information Technology Services (ITS) Department located in La Serena, Chile. The IT Manager is responsible for managing ITS day-to-day operational support to other LSST subsystems in Chile, which is particularly demanding during the highly parallel period of LSST Assembly, Integration, and Verification and Commissioning.  A unique challenge of this effort is to keep existing ITS services operational and minimally impacted while they are being replaced or upgraded with those that are being newly deployed.

As a member of the LSST ITS Leadership Team, the manager works with the LSST Senior Managers and the LSST North ITS Team in establishing the priorities and expected results of the ITS department across both North and South sites.  This position is the local Chilean point of contact for issues related to ITS policy, prioritization, planning, resourcing, scheduling, and execution.  The role includes providing leadership and mentoring to less senior ITS department members

The manager also provides the primary interface between the LSST South ITS Department and all other elements of the LSST project and local Gemini and CTIO ITS departments.  This will eventually include the interface to the newly formed NCOA IT organization, which LSST ITS will join in its operations phase.

Essential Functions:

  • Supervises the LSST South ITS staff, including but not limited to employee job performance, staff attendance, overtime / time off in lieu, and requests for leave; keeps the LSST Management informed in these areas.
  • Through regular meetings with and reports to the LSST Deputy Project Manager ensures recommendations about staff capabilities, training requirements and morale are known and addressed, and priorities are reviewed and revised as needed.
  • Promotes, monitors usage, and participates in operation of the LSST Base Data Center and LSST Summit Facilities, and related IT systems to prioritize, document, assign, and execute all requests for LSST South IT services.
  • Assigns work to LSST South ITS staff, and follows up to ensure completion and satisfactory resolution of end user, operational, and project related issues.
  • Actively participates in the IT Leadership Team meetings, and in ITS communications and planning processes.
  • Ensures that the ITS group is locally represented in daily coordination and/or other periodic and project related meetings; communicates relevant points of interest and concern to the LSST Management.
  • Ensures that LSST JIRA IT Project and Summit Project are kept up to date with work plans.
  • Communicates with the LSST project and subsystem managers and staff regarding ITS support requirements and solutions.
  • Supervises and trains lower level ITS staff.

 Required Education/Experience/Skills/Abilities:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems Management, or related field, or equivalent experience.
  • Possess management or supervisory experience with enterprise ITS operations, including distributed datacenters, LAN/WAN, end user computing, shared services, and enterprise application support. 
  • Possess a working knowledge of enterprise scale storage, virtualization, and networking technologies and the ITS organizational requirements to provide related support and integration at an advanced level.
  • Able to organize ITS “top down” support for any and all systems/infrastructure related to the operation of the observatory, and plays a significant role in the mentoring of less senior ITS staff.
  • Able to assess and anticipate customer and organizational ITS needs, comprehensively and accurately gather requirements, review and ensure the requirements are addressed by systems/infrastructure designs and solutions, manage their implementation, ongoing maintenance and support throughout their life cycle.
  • Possess strong communication skills and the ability to work independently as well as part of a team.
  • Able to both manage and execute multiple tasks/projects simultaneously.
  • Able to work with continual deadline pressure, handle complex technical issues and provide timely solutions.
  • Able to manage and execute complex projects.
  • Possess a valid Driver’s License; clean driving record; ability to drive a 4-wheel drive vehicle
  • Able to communicate at an advanced level in both English and Spanish, including ITS terminology.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

  • While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or hear.
  • The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; reach with hands and arms and stoop; kneel; crouch; or crawl.
  • The employee must regularly lift and /or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
  • Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
  • Must possess - sufficient mobility, strength, or dexterity in both arms and hands and both legs to a) reach upward, sideways, downward to work with paper files; b) sufficient mobility and dexterity to utilize IT systems, fax machines, copiers, and other office machines.
  • Must possess – 1) ability to read and understand instructions, drawings, safety guides, and other written materials necessary to perform job; 2) sufficient visual capacity to perform the applicable functions without assistance of visual aids other than eye contacts or eye glasses; 3) sufficient spoken aural capacity to hear and understand instructions, warning bells, fire alarms, or shouted instructions without assistance of auditory aids other than a hearing aid; and 4) ability to impart information orally so that others understand and can respond appropriately.
  • Some travel may be necessary in or outside the contiguous United States; Must be willing to travel internationally and possess (or have the ability to obtain) the necessary passports/visas/travel documentation.
  • Must be willing to support observing systems after normal working hours.
  • Some work at altitudes above 2500 meters in the observatory summit facilities may be required.

AURA, as a leader in the astronomical community, is committed to diversity and inclusion. AURA develops and supports programs that advance our organizational commitment to diversity, broaden participation, and encourage the advancement of diversity throughout the astronomical scientific workforce. Learn more at http://www.aura-astronomy.org/diversity

Application Deadline: 
Friday, August 16, 2019
Current Status of Position: 
Accepting Applicants
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Institution/Company Job ID or Reference Code: 
LSSTI03212
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