Systems Analyst II (2 positions)
Job Category
M&P - AAPSJob Profile
AAPS Salaried - Information Systems and Technology, Level DJob Title
Systems Analyst II (2 positions)Department
Research Platforms | Advanced Research ComputingCompensation Range
$8,305.08 - $12,952.33 CAD MonthlyThe Compensation Range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position. The midpoint of the range is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum and represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge, qualifications and experience for the position. In the normal course, employees will be hired, transferred or promoted between the minimum and midpoint of the salary range for a job.
Posting End Date
March 6, 2025Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.
Job End Date
There are two (2) vacancies open for this full-time, ongoing position.
At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.
Job Summary
The ARC Systems Analyst II leads the implementation, integration and support of complex and campus-wide digital research infrastructure (DRI) platforms and solutions specific to the needs of the UBC research community.
The ARC Systems Analyst II is responsible for the delivery of the next generation of advanced research computing (ARC) and research data management (RDM) tools and services to UBC researchers, in alignment with UBC ARC strategy and goals.
The ARC Systems Analyst II has broad experience in system analysis and design, functional design, configuration, implementation, testing and support, and plays a key role in the implementation and support of software applications and data platform components of digital research infrastructure (DRI) projects. The position also draws from expertise with software specific to research applications, such as electronic data collection, data migration, programming languages and scripting languages; including adapting software to run in scaled-up environments with very large datasets.
Organizational Status
The ARC Systems Analyst II reports to the Manager, Research Platforms. This position works within a team with likely overlap with similar portfolios and works independently on specific files. The position requires extensive contact with faculty, staff, and students' system wide as well as partner organizations. This position works with other UBC departments at all campuses, research institutes, and partner organizations nationally and internationally; to provide researchers with access to state-of-the-art DRI system services required for computationally- and data-intensive research.
This position may be responsible for supervising staff directly and indirectly in relation to the delivery of research projects, systems, platforms and services.
Work Performed
Specific Duties:
Consults with researchers and other key stakeholders, both internal and external to the ARC team, to capture requirements such as system features, access, integration, security, scalability, and performance pertaining to the use of digital platforms, software and tools in support of advanced research computing and research data management.
Develops, implements and delivers research data digital platforms and IT solutions in both production and non-production environments to the benefit of all campuses and research institutes, and in partnership with national, regional, and provincial stakeholders;
Develops, tests, implements and executes programs, code and scripts in support of digital research platforms and applications;
Provides training, expert liaison, research software and user support on the use of DRI platforms and services available at UBC and through other national service delivery partners (ex. Compute Canada, Portage, etc.);
Provide expert advice and solutions to challenges inherent to the scaling of largescale data sets in research projects with an emphasis on electronic capture, storage, transfer, sharing and processing of research data.
Provides input to feasibility studies for development of projects and enhancements and analyzes metrics to ensure project goals are satisfied.
Develops systems and services in accordance with university standards and policies pertaining to system security and privacy.
Provide advice to research teams through the software development lifecycle and follows appropriate programming / development methodologies and best practices for delivery of DRI platforms and services.
Writes and maintains documentation in accordance with prescribed standards.
Core Duties:
Researches and evaluates vendor supplied applications, develops recommendations, and implements accordingly.
Analyzes and reviews existing or proposed system features and integration, security, scalability and performance requirements with clients, business analysts, and team members.
Manages production and non-production application environments.
Plans and performs global configuration changes or module deployments for enterprise or complex applications.
Integrates vendor supplied applications with existing infrastructure and applications through custom interfaces and components.
Manages small to medium sized projects and related budgets.
Provides technical expertise, training, and consultation to other staff.
Develops or modifies software code to meet specifications or facilitate integration.
Conducts testing of new or customized application modules to ensure application meets specifications.
Develops application documentation requirements for functions, modifications, backups and operating procedures to support the transition to operations process.
Supports application lifecycle and applies and follows appropriate change management methodologies and best practices.
Maintains appropriate professional designations and up-to-date knowledge of current information technology techniques and tools and provides input to strategies for ongoing support and upgrade of these systems.
Builds and maintains good working relationships and collaborates with others to achieve client objectives.
Performs other related duties as required.
Consequence of Error/Judgement
Errors in the implementation and support of advanced research computing systems could cost the University many hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost productivity in research time and could impact the timely delivery of services to research community [e.g. faculty, staff, students, and the general public]. Poor management or improper decisions could compromise the success of Advanced Research Computing efficiencies and have a negative impact on the credibility of the portfolio and the reputation of the university. Errors in implementation and support leading to breaches of security involving research systems or data could compromise the privacy and confidentiality of research subjects as well cause severe reputational damage to the University and could also feasibly terminate all existing and future data sharing agreements and research partnerships with collaborators and providers locally, nationally, and internationally.
Supervision Received
Works under the general direction of the Manager, Research Platforms. Must be able to work independently and carry out work to completion. Keeps the Manager, Research Platforms informed of the status of work in progress. Works on tasks to meet deadlines on various projects. Work is reviewed in terms of achievement of desired results.
Supervision Given
This position works as a member of the Advanced Research Computing team. This position may require the training of newly hired staff on advanced research computing services resources. This position may be responsible for supervising staff directly and indirectly in relation to the delivery of research projects, services, platforms, and systems.
Minimum Qualifications
Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. In-depth knowledge of applications and the business requirements supporting them. Minimum of five years of related experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one's own
- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one's own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion
Preferred Qualifications
Experience supporting the research community and working in environments involving multiple stakeholders.
Knowledge of digital research infrastructure that supports computationally and data-intensive research, such as High-Performance Compute, scheduler, object storage platforms, data analytics, research data software and platforms such as Globus, REDCap, Open OnDemand, ColdFront and other data collection and analysis software.
A good understanding of data storage, backup and recovery, virtualization and cloud technologies such as VMware vCloud Director, OpenStack, Amazon AWS, and other cloud technologies
Knowledge of statistical analysis through computational tools such as R, Perl, Python.
Working knowledge of GNU/Linux distributions and command-line utilities
Some familiarity with configuration automation and DevOps tools Ansible, Puppet, Chef
Experience in developing software programs in Python/Django and adhering to Agile software development methodology
Experience developing and managing various database platforms e.g. Oracle, MySQL, Postgres.
Strong problem analysis and solution design skills.
Working knowledge of project management, quality assurance and change management practices.
Excellent organizational, planning, and prioritization skills. Able to multi-task and deliver multiple assignments in a fast-paced and changing environment.
Ability to work independently and in a team environment with minimal supervision.
Demonstrated willingness, ability, and enthusiasm to learn new processes, methodologies or technologies.
As this position involves extensive stakeholder interaction in person, via phone, and email, as well as documentation creation, excellent written and verbal English communication skills are critical.