Research Associate - IT Infrastructure Lead

Position Details Position Information Recruitment/Posting TitleResearch Associate - IT Infrastructure LeadDepartmentQuantitative Biomedicine InstSalary DetailsA minimum of $120,000Offer InformationThe final salary offer may be determined by several factors, including, but not limited to, the candidate’s qualifications, experience, and expertise, and availability of department or grant funds to support the position. We also take into consideration market benchmarks, if and when appropriate, and internal equity to ensure fair compensation relative to the university’s broader compensation structure. We are committed to offering competitive and flexible compensation packages to attract and retain top talent.BenefitsRutgers offers a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees, based on position, which includes:Medical, prescription drug, and dental coveragePaid vacation, holidays, and various leave programsCompetitive retirement benefits, including defined contribution plans and voluntary tax-deferred savings optionsEmployee and dependent educational benefitsLife insurance coverageEmployee discounts programsFor detailed information on benefits and eligibility, please visit: .Posting SummaryWe are seeking a highly technical and experienced individual for the position of IT Infrastructure Lead manager to lead our team of systems administrators and DevOps engineers while actively supporting the design, implementation, and operation of our infrastructure and services. A successful candidate in this role will be responsible for developing and implementing an IT strategy that aligns with our organization’s mission, overseeing the day-to-day aspects of IT operations, and ensuring the security and stability of our critical systems. They will also collaborate with a team of scientific application developers, software developers, and trainers to support the development and continued operation of key web services for a global scientific community. The candidate will work at the RCSB Protein Data Bank, Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, located in Piscataway, NJ.Responsibilities:Lead the DevOps team and manage daily operations of our IT infrastructure and services following institutional standards, including but not limited to our infrastructure, DevOps Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, networks, security, applications, and hardware.Provide support with debugging and troubleshooting complex production issues across application, infrastructure, and data layers; lead incident response, root cause analysis, and long-term remediation effortsDevelop and implement a long-term multi-year IT infrastructure strategy, including identifying, anticipating, and prioritizing infrastructure needs for the organization.Manage budgeting and vendor relationships with hardware and service providers.Develop and maintain code for automation and infrastructure, including provisioning, deployment, monitoring, and operational workflows (infrastructure as code).Establish project plans and track progress of work to monitor risks and deliverables.Serve as one of the technical subject matter experts within the organization, providing guidance and answering technical questions to internal and external stakeholders and partners.Collaborate closely with software and scientific application developers to ensure systems are observable, operable, and performant in production, and contribute to application code when needed to diagnose or resolve issues.Systems must be operational 24-7, which requires some off-hour attention.Other related activities:The candidate should be comfortable working in a fast-changing environment, be able to think creatively, demonstrate a deep understanding of a modern IT infrastructure, and maintain a willingness to learn new skills and technologiesPosition StatusFull TimePosting Number26FA0497Posting Open Date05/19/2026Posting Close Date Qualifications Minimum Education and ExperienceA degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related discipline and a minimum of 5 years equivalent work experience in Information Technology or related field.Any educational background or experience in bioinformatics or biochemistry will be considered a plus.Certifications/LicensesRequired Knowledge, Skills, and AbilitiesMinimum of 5 years experience in ITStrong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to address and resolve unprecedented technical issues.Strong understanding of IT infrastructures across the entire stack, including hardware and network components, security, and cloud technologies required.In-depth experience with Kubernetes and Docker. Strong experience working with at least one of NodeJS, Java, or Python. Experience with more than one will be considered a plus.Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interact and work with stakeholders across various levels and technical backgrounds.Experience developing and maintaining modern DevOps Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines required. Any previous experience working with GitHub Actions will be considered a plus.Experience administering a Linux operating system server environment required.Experience working in data centers maintaining service uptime, including hardware installation and equipment moves, hardware networking, power consumption management, and interaction with data center personnelExperience with email services setup and administration, platform migration and general management of multi-email systems.Preferred QualificationsHands-on experience working with MongoDB and Elasticsearch clustersExperience with tooling and automation for commercial cloud environments (AWS, GCP)Equipment UtilizedPhysical Demands and Work EnvironmentIndividual will work onsite at RCSBPDB located at Rutgers University – New Brunswick.Standing, sitting, walking, talking or hearing.Visual acuity to perform activities such as: viewing a computer terminal, reading, analyzing written information/data, etc.Ability to perform physical labor without restrictions, including lifting equipment up to fifty (50) pounds.Office environment.Moderate Noise.OverviewAbout the RCSBPDB:RCSBPDB (RCSB Protein Data Bank) is a world-renowned, scientific organization focused on serving the technical, educational and programmatic needs of over 1 million users in scientific, research, and academic communities worldwide. The RCSBPDB scientific application development team creates state-of-the-art web applications, data exploration tools and 3D molecular visualizations.The team consists of a group of highly-skilled bio-curators, scientists, software developers, designers, and educators, working in a lively and fast-paced environment located at Rutgers, UCSD, and UCSF.The successful candidate will be able to take full advantage of the benefits of working at an academic institution, including New Jersey state benefits and a faculty-level salary.StatementThis position is expected to be hands-on, directly addressing organizational needs as they evolve and being the lead on fixing problems that arise in day to day operations. This is in addition to managing our IT infrastructure team. The combination of direct contributions and managerial skills will be the key to success. Posting Details Special Instructions to ApplicantsQuick Link to PostingCampusRutgers University-New BrunswickHome Location CampusBusch (RU-New Brunswick)CityPiscatawayStateNJLocation DetailsInstitute for Quantitative Biomedicine174 Frelinghuysen RdPiscataway, NJ 08854 Pre-employment Screenings All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of all pre-employment screenings. Immunization Requirements Under Policy 100.3.1 Immunization Policy for Covered Individuals, if employment will commence during Flu Season, Rutgers University may require certain prospective employees to provide proof that they are vaccinated against Seasonal Influenza for the current Flu Season, unless the University has granted the individual a medical or religious exemption. Additional infection control and safety policies may apply. Prospective employees should speak with their hiring manager to determine which policies apply to the role or position for which they are applying. Failure to provide proof of vaccination for any required vaccines or obtain a medical or religious exemption from the University will result in rescission of a candidate’s offer of employment or disciplinary action up to and including termination. Equal Employment Opportunity Statement It is university policy to provide equal employment opportunity to all its employees and applicants for employment regardless of their race, creed, color, national origin, age, ancestry, nationality, marital or domestic partnership or civil union status, sex, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, disability status, liability for military service, protected veteran status, affectional or sexual orientation, atypical cellular or blood trait, genetic information (including the refusal to submit to genetic testing), or any other category protected by law. As an institution, we encourage all qualified applicants to apply. For additional information please see the Non-Discrimination Statement at the following web address: