Job Description

Job Summary:
The Associate Director of IT Infrastructure is responsible for supporting the comprehensive computing needs of the ECE department through providing hands-on technical expertise and collaborating closely with departmental faculty and staff. The Associate Director will develop plans to support the ongoing and future computing infrastructure needs of the Department while managing critical teaching laboratories and administrative workflows. The Associate Director supports our growing department through setting up and optimizing business-related computing frameworks (such as signature flows, workflows, document management, databases, web services), managing the technical requirements and hardware and software maintenance of the undergraduate teaching labs and selected research labs, and creating comprehensive administrative workflows. The role includes understanding research and teaching needs of faculty and students, infrastructure architecture and design principles, infrastructure management, and serving as the primary liaison with the College Computer Center and university IT services and security offices. The Associate Director is responsible for helping researchers in the planning/dimensioning and acquisition of specialized HPC systems, training incoming faculty on procurement processes, conducting requirement gathering to ensure hardware and software meet research needs, and managing IT asset inventory. The position strategically coordinates with university and college resources to support student/faculty needs and projects efficiently and cost-effectively while maintaining security compliance and daily system maintenance. The Associate Director should have proven problem-solving skills and key technical skills, a "can do" attitude and the ability to work through challenging situations. The Associate Director must have the ability to interact effectively with stakeholders including faculty, students, administration, and external IT services. Candidates must have excellent written and oral communication skills, experience working on multiple concurrent projects and activities, and demonstrated initiative to research and learn new technologies. The ECE Department supports compute-intensive research areas. ECE Department represents a diverse range of needs, effectively leveraging centralized heterogeneous high-performance computing systems, identifying university-wide staff and services to support ECE research and teaching, as well as supporting the acquisition, installation and maintenance of customized local computing platforms. The department maintains many computer-based labs, some that are virtualized to increase efficiency and flexibility, while reducing maintenance efforts.

Qualifications:
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field

Minimum of 3 years of IT infrastructure experience in a research or academic environment

Experience with hardware and software support for Mac, PC, and Linux environments

Strong knowledge of research computing environments and HPC systems

Experience with specialized software including Cadence, TensorFlow, Keras, PyTorch, and Siemens EDA

Understanding of IT security principles and compliance requirements

Strong interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills

Demonstrated ability to work with diverse stakeholders and manage multiple projects

Preferred:

Experience with educational technology development and web programming

LAMP stack design and implementation experience

Knowledge of GPU and FPGA cluster management

Experience with federal research compliance and security requirements

Background in AI/ML computing infrastructure

Personal Attributes:

Must be flexible, enthusiastic, and energized by change

Proven problem-solving skills and a "can do" attitude

Ability to work effectively in challenging and dynamic situations

Initiative to research and learn new technologies independently

Strong customer service orientation for supporting faculty and student needs

Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities:

1. Teaching Lab Management & Support (25%)

Work closely with the Assistant Director for Space and Lab Safety to manage and maintain undergraduate teaching laboratories and computing infrastructure

Collaborate with the Assistant Director for Space and Lab Safety and lab technicians on IT infrastructure and architecture-related tasks for teaching spaces

Understand and support teaching lab software including Cadence design tools

Provide installation and troubleshooting support for Cadence software tools for faculty, students, and staff

Coordinate lab scheduling, maintenance, and upgrades to support curriculum needs in partnership with lab safety oversight

Ensure teaching lab systems meet pedagogical requirements and remain current while maintaining safety compliance

2. Faculty Research Support & Procurement Training (20%)

Train incoming faculty on hardware procurement processes and university policies

Conduct requirement gathering sessions to ensure hardware and software meet research needs

Assist in planning and dimensioning specialized HPC systems and research infrastructure

Provide technical consultation for grant proposals and equipment specifications

Support faculty in navigating university procurement and approval processes

3. Administrative Workflows & Asset Management (15%)

Create and implement administrative workflows for IT processes and procedures

Manage comprehensive IT asset inventory including hardware, software, and licensing

Oversee software licensing compliance and renewal processes

Coordinate hardware purchasing and vendor management activities

Develop and maintain documentation for all IT processes and systems

4. Security & Compliance Liaison (15%)

Serve as primary liaison with the ITS Office of Information Security

Coordinate security upgrades, patches, and compliance requirements

Ensure research computing environments meet federal security standards

Manage security protocols for DoD-funded and sensitive research projects

Implement and maintain departmental cybersecurity best practices

5. AI Initiatives & Strategic Technology (25%)

Support departmental AI initiatives and computing infrastructure development

Coordinate with AI University, college, and department faculty committees

Evaluate emerging technologies and their potential impact on departmental operations

Lead technology planning for compute-intensive research growth areas

Collaborate on interdisciplinary AI and ML computing requirements