Systems Engineer: Servers, Cloud, and Data Infrastructure for Computational Drug Discovery
The Opportunity
Predicting how molecules of biological and pharmaceutical importance behave at atomic resolution, and turning those predictions into highly selective drugs, depends on very large and varied computing infrastructure. This role is at the center of that infrastructure: GPU and CPU clusters, custom-built supercomputers, petabyte-scale storage, public cloud, and the networks that connect them. Your work will decide how reliably and securely the client’s researchers, and the software agents working with them, can use that capacity.
The client is a research company in the Greater New York Area working in drug discovery and computational biochemistry. It combines purpose-built supercomputers with high-speed commodity hardware and machine learning methods across its internal and partnered drug discovery programs.
The Research Environment
The infrastructure exists to serve scientists. Its main users are researchers in machine learning and drug discovery, along with the agents they deploy, and the core goal is giving them secure, convenient access to compute and data. Custom hardware and commodity systems run side by side, supporting drug discovery programs carried out in-house and with outside collaborators. The client describes its culture as collaborative, positive, and intellectually stimulating.
What You’ll Do
- Architect and operate Linux clusters ranging from thousands to tens of thousands of CPU cores, alongside massively parallel custom supercomputers.
- Scale and maintain GPU clusters containing hundreds of GPUs.
- Build and manage a storage environment holding tens of petabytes.
- Design and support high-performance RDMA fabrics and the wide-area networks that link sites together.
- Deploy Kubernetes-powered applications and administer the organization’s public cloud environments.
- Own the identity management infrastructure that governs access across these systems.
- Develop the systems software that ties the environment together and opens it to researchers and agents securely and with minimal friction.
What You Bring
- Solid grounding in core Linux concepts, including File Systems, Networking, and Processes, plus hands-on experience administering Linux systems.
- Intellectual curiosity, versatility, and a record of strong accomplishment. The client weighs these more heavily than depth in any single specialty below.
- Experience in one or more relevant areas, such as:
- Large-Installation Systems Administration or HPC Systems Engineering
- Python programming and scripting for Distributed Systems
- High-Performance Data-Parallel Computing
- Systems Software or general Software Development
- Kubernetes Systems Engineering
- Email and Data Retention processes
- User Support
- The ability to explain technical reasoning clearly to experts and non-specialists alike.
- Candidates at every experience level will be considered.
Paths Into This Role
Candidates whose training centered on Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or computation-heavy Physics or Chemistry will recognize much of this work. Running large Linux and HPC environments, writing distributed Python code, and supporting research users are familiar territory in those fields. The posting names no specific degree and is open to all experience levels, so substantial hands-on systems work is an equally direct route in.
Compensation & Total Rewards
- Base salary: $250,000–$800,000 per year. The final figure depends on factors including depth of prior experience, education, and location.
- Variable compensation: sign-on and year-end bonuses.
- Benefits: a generous package, including relocation and immigration assistance.
- Work arrangement: hybrid. Employees are in the office three days a week and may work remotely the remaining two.
- Locations: the client’s New York City office or one of its U.S. data-center facilities.
Joining StaffRight Associates
When you partner with StaffRight Associates in your search for your next role, you’re doing more than pursuing a job, you’re aligning yourself with a team of experts committed to placing top-tier talent in truly impactful positions. We take pride in fostering professional growth and connecting forward-thinking individuals with organizations that value innovation and excellence. We look forward to showcasing your expertise in a way that resonates with our clients and opens the door to meaningful opportunities.
