Storage Engineer for Backup and Tape Archival (IT-SD-TAB-2025-63-LD)

At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, physicists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the universe. Using the world's largest and most complex scientific instruments, they study the basic constituents of matter - fundamental particles that are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. The process gives physicists clues about how particles interact, and provides insights into the fundamental laws of nature. Find out more on http://home.cern.

Introduction

Interested in evolving the Backup service at CERN? Join the Storage and Data Management (SD) group and the team responsible for the Backup service, which protects critical systems across CERN and safeguards its data.

You will be part of the Tape Archive and Backup section and you will play a lead role in investigating the needs of Backup users and setting the roadmap for the future evolution of the service. In particular, you will:

• Conduct an investigation of existing backup use cases and determine the backup needs of the Organization.
• Prototype and evaluate a Backup service replacement based on CERN’s open source disk and tape storage technologies and industry-standard protocols such as S3.
• Develop a plan to implement the new Backup service and migrate existing Backup users.
• Contribute to the operations and management of CERN’s tape libraries and tape storage infrastructure.

Functions

In the Storage and Data Management group, you will:

• Analyse Backup use cases across the Organization.
• Contribute to the design of the next generation Backup system to satisfy CERN’s needs.
• Develop and evaluate a Backup system prototype.
• Plan and implement the new service, including a plan to migrate existing users.
• Contribute to the policies for the Backup service and the IT department’s Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery (BC/DR) plan.
• Contribute to the planning, management and operations of CERN’s tape storage infrastructure, used by the Backup service and CERN Tape Archive service.

• Master's degree or equivalent relevant experience in the field of Computer Science or a related field.

Experience:

We are looking for someone with the following experience:

• Demonstrated experience in Linux systems administration and configuration management
• Extensive knowledge of storage technologies and protocols, in particular HTTP and S3
• Experience operating, automating and optimising large-scale storage infrastructures
• Experience with DevOps practices and complex scripting

Experience in the following areas would be an asset:

• Experience with open source storage technologies used at CERN, for example: eOS, CTA, Ceph
• Experience with tape storage technologies (tape libraries and drives)
• Experience with system programming (C,C++)

Technical competencies:

• Knowledge of storage technologies
• Administration of storage systems
• Capturing and analysis of requirements for ICT systems
• Development of application software
• Knowledge and application of software life-cycle tools and procedures

Behavioural competencies:

• Achieving Results: driving work / projects along and seeing them through to their conclusion Having a structured and organised approach towards work; being able to set priorities and plan tasks with results in mind Delivering high quality work on time and fulfilling expectations
• Communicating Effectively: expressing opinions, ideas and suggestions with conviction and in a logical/structured manner; keeping to the point Utilising effective negotiation techniques to achieve long-term results acceptable to all parties involved Delivering presentations in a structured and clear way; adjusting style and content to the audience; responding calmly and confidently to questions
• Demonstrating Flexibility: actively participating in the implementation of new processes and technologies Adapting quickly and resourcefully to shifting priorities and requirements Instigating and promoting change as an opportunity for organisational development
• Learning and Sharing Knowledge: keeping up-to-date with developments in own field of expertise and readily absorbing new information Sharing knowledge and expertise freely and willingly with others; coaching others to ensure knowledge transfer Thinking "out of the box" and proposing fresh ideas, insights and methodologies
• Managing Self: taking initiative beyond regular tasks and making things happen Projecting self-confidence when presenting ideas, proposals and opinions Keeping emotions in check when dealing with contentious issues

Language skills:

Spoken and written English: ability to understand and speak the language in professional contexts. Willingness to learn French would be a plus.

Eligibility and closing date:

Diversity has been an integral part of CERN's mission since its foundation and is an established value of the Organization. Employing a diverse workforce is central to our success. We welcome applications from all Member States and Associate Member States.

This vacancy will be filled as soon as possible, and applications should normally reach us no later than 09.05.2025

Employment Conditions

Contract type: Limited duration contract (3 years). Subject to certain conditions, holders of limited-duration contracts may apply for an indefinite position.

Working Hours: 40 hours per week

This position involves:

• Work during nights, Sundays and official holidays, when required by the needs of the Organization.
• Stand-by duty, when required by the needs of the Organization.

Job grade: 6-7

Job reference: IT-SD-TAB-2025-63-LD

Benchmark Job Title: Computing Engineer

Please make sure you have all the documents needed to hand as you start your application, as once it is submitted, you will not be able to upload any documents or edit your application further