About QCIF

QCIF Ltd is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to research excellence and catalysing innovation through cutting-edge data and digital infrastructure and enterprise solutions. We support researchers across Australia with expertise and training in AI, informatics, statistics, advanced computing, and software development.

As an NCRIS node, we play a key role in national platforms such as the Australian BioCommons and the ARDC’s Nectar Research Cloud.

QCIF is a project partner to researchers and clients in delivering excellence and impact. Our flexible engagement models, ranging from embedded staff to tailored support packages, offer expertise in grant preparation, research design and beyond.

About QCIF DASS

The QCIF Data and Software Solutions team provides expert data and software development support to researchers from universities, government, and industry through access to on-demand, skilled personnel, with expertise in software engineering, data management, data services, and applied high-performance computing.

The team brings specialised knowledge and expertise in working with sensitive data, having designed and built KeyPoint, a remote analysis environment for sensitive data, which the team currently operates. As a Trusted Research Environment, KeyPoint enables robust governance, management, and sharing of sensitive research data with approved researchers in a scalable, highly secure environment.

The QCIF Data and Software Solutions team provides expert data and software development support to researchers from universities, government, and industry through access to on-demand, skilled personnel, with expertise in software engineering, data management, data services, and applied high-performance computing.

The team brings specialised knowledge and expertise in working with sensitive data, having designed and built KeyPoint, a remote analysis environment for sensitive data, which the team currently operates. As a Trusted Research Environment, KeyPoint enables robust governance, management, and sharing of sensitive research data with approved researchers in a scalable, highly secure environment.

Duties

Show innovation and technical leadership in all aspects of systems planning, architecture, deployment, development, support, performance engineering, and administration

Provide high level guidance, architectural review, knowledge and engineering experience, encouraging, leading and facilitating architectural robustness, dialogue, and design

Identify, recommend, and implement opportunities to improve systems or processes, develop new services or facilities to improve research outcomes for customers and the overall strategic mission of QCIF

Advanced project management functions for large deployments, capital works, infrastructure upgrades and migrations, where required

Seek out, research, and implement sector leading approaches to problems, providing leadership approaches to systems design and new initiatives

Act as a subject matter expert on medium to high level committees for implementation, procurement, and strategic initiatives

Demonstrate advanced judgement and systems-thinking approaches, lateral thinking, and sector leading problem-solving abilities in all aspects of the role

Be available during critical incidents or other emergencies to assist with resolution and act as a point of communication and liaison to keep stakeholders aware of progress during incidents

Participate in, manage, and assess in the resolution of technical problems reported by clients and team members via the service desk or other escalation paths

Undertake other work as directed by QCIF, consistent with the skills and knowledge required of the position

Plan, deploy, implement, and continually review security posture, capability and implementation to ensure applications and platforms adhere to best practice and are in line with Information Security Policy and Guidelines

Deployment, configuration, maintenance, and administration of several Windows environments (e.g. Microsoft Windows Server, Active Directory, Domain Controllers, File Servers, SQL Server, VPN, remote desktop and application software)

Deployment, configuration, maintenance, and administration of Linux environments

Documentation of procedures, process, systems, platforms in consolidated and unified platforms for organisational knowledge repositories

High level reporting, implementation, and recommendation of capacity and resource management approaches in compute and storage domains

Oversight and guidance of deployment, patching, monitoring, and platform security via frameworks such as Puppet, Ansible, and others

Contribute to the development and delivery of training programs

Where appropriate, supervision or shared supervision of other staff, interns and/or students in relevant projects

Use safe manual handling techniques, practice safe work habits in line with QCIF Policies

Wear protective clothing provided where necessary and take a consultative role in assisting and maintaining a clean, tidy work area and a healthy and safe working environment

Report any health or safety hazards, faults, repairs, broken or damaged company property, cleaning needs and accidents immediately

Ensure all equipment is kept in good working order and used only for the purpose for which it was intended

Consult with employees on health and safety matters that impact them

Be fully conversant with emergency procedures

About you

Essential criteria

An Honours or Masters degree in Computer Science or Information Technology or a related discipline with at least 7 years of experience, a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Information Technology or a related discipline with at least 10 years of subsequent relevant work experience, or an equivalent combination of relevant experience and/or education/training

An expert level practical and functional understanding of systems administration principles ranging from advanced Windows and Linux administration through to more advanced topics such as security hardening and optimisation of the operating system environmental variables

Experience working with Agile project management methods

Practical skills in scripting languages (e.g. Python, Perl, shell, PowerShell, etc.)

Advanced knowledge/experience with DevOps

Knowledge of DevSecOps

Knowledge/experience of deployment of relational/NoSQL databases (e.g. PostgreSQL, MS SQL Server, MongoDB)

Knowledge of programming languages (e.g. Dart, Java, C++, etc)

An advanced understanding of networking technologies and protocols (ethernet)TCP stack, firewall)

High level of creative thinking capability and excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to communicate effectively with clients by telephone, email, and in person

Ability to prioritise own workload, work independently, and meet deadlines

Commitment to upholding the QCIF’s values, and with the outstanding personal qualities of openness, respectfulness, and integrity

Desirable criteria

Practitioner and expert level skills in cloud platforms (e.g. OpenStack, Azure, AWS, Google Cloud Platform).

Knowledge/experience with virtualisation frameworks (e.g. KVM, Proxmox, etc)

Knowledge/experience with Kubernetes/Containerisation

Skills and experience in cybersecurity and information security management (e.g. ISO/IEC 27001, NIST Cybersecurity Framework, Australian Information Security Manual)

Knowledge and experience in project management

QCIF values diversity and inclusion and actively encourages applications from those who bring diversity to QCIF.

Flexible working arrangements may be negotiated.