EDP Programmer II

EDP Programmer II
Job no: 521649
Work type: Staff Full Time
Location: UMass Amherst
Department: Mathematics & Statistics
Union: USA/MTA
Categories: Computer & Information Technology, College of Natural Sciences
About UMass Amherst

UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth's flagship campus, is a nationally ranked public research university offering a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, and offers a rich cultural environment in a bucolic setting close to major urban centers. In addition, the University is part of the Five Colleges (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College), which adds to the intellectual energy of the region.

Job Summary

Support the research and teaching missions of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, a large research and teaching department with several hundred computer users that teaches 15,000 students each year by maintaining the integrity of operating systems, software and hardware for workstations, desktop computers and servers in a highly dynamic multi-platform computing environment. Support the administration of all departmental UNIX/Linux, MacOS, and Windows computer systems and the department's local area network. Assure that an effective and smooth running operation prevails and that the high standards set forth are maintained.

Essential Functions

Install, maintain and configure hardware components, operating systems and application software on workstations, desktops, and laptop computers. Includes creating and updating shell scripts for monitoring and improving system performance.
Provision department computer systems and bring systems into compliance for security standards.
Install, configure, customize and maintain mathematical / statistical software and editing software, e.g. Mathematica, SAS, R, MatLab, LaTeX, emacs, etc., on workstations, desktops, and laptop computers.
Provide technical support to users of the department computing facilities. Assist in organizing and conducting computer training seminars, prepare teaching materials and other documents. Work closely with faculty, staff and students in support of their computing and networking needs.
Use professional judgement as appropriate to independently research and resolve issues and problems that arise in system and network administration duties. Make suggestions for improvements and future growth related to the department computing environment (hardware, software and networking needs).
Install, maintain and upgrade critical network services such as mail, WebWork, people, web site, print, network storage, and editors in a primarily UNIX and Linux- based server environment. Support departmental high performance Linux cluster.
Install, customize and maintain network hardware and software components; monitor network operations.
Install and maintain electronic system security tools; monitor system security. Use proactive prevention measures to maintain the security and integrity of departmental computer systems. Respond and take action regarding security events.
Ensure compliance with existing industry and campus security and privacy standards and best practices. Perform infrastructure security evaluations and audits for the math department. Implement real time intrusion detection systems and wireless security auditing mechanisms.
Develop and implement plans to insure high reliability and availability of critical systems within the department. Develop recovery plans to address minimizing outages and improve recovery time.

Other Functions

Work collaboratively and effectively to promote teamwork, diversity, equality and inclusiveness.
Work in partnership with colleagues within the CNS community and across the campus to support the Dean's strategic priorities.
Perform other duties as assigned in support of the mission and goals of the College of Natural Sciences.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)

Two (2) years of relevant experience. An associate degree or above can substitute one (1) year of the relevant experience.
Experience supporting mail, web, file, print, identity management, backup, encryption, and network storage services
Experience using C, Perl, bash, and Python to customize in-house software.
Effective interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to work in a cooperative team environment.
Knowledge of computer network protocols, TCP/IP, NFS, SMTP, HTTP.
Experience with Windows Server Administration. Experience managing high performance computing clusters.
Experience with Centos and MacOS X.
Experience in information security best practices and highly available enterprise network architecture and industry best practices.

Preferred Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)

Knowledge of TeX / LaTeX and other mathematical/statistical software desirable.

Physical Demands/Working Conditions

Ability to lift up to 50 lbs and to reach and move IT equipment.

Work Schedule

Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm (37.5 hours per week).
Will include on-call, off hours emergency support.

Salary Information

Grade 16