Director, Advanced Data & Storage Management

The Director of Advanced Data and Storage Management reports to the Associate CIO in Research Computing (RC) and manages the group responsible for the vision, design and support of data storage and management for advancing innovative research at Princeton University.  This role will provide leadership to the implementation and support of the TigerData service, a comprehensive set of data storage and management tools and services that provides storage capacity, reliability, functionality, and performance to campus. To successfully implement TigerData, this role will closely partner with the Director of Research Data and Open Scholarship in the Princeton University Library. 

In this role, you will collaborate with colleagues from the University Library, research faculty, vendors, and IT staff to lead the design, installation, and administration of heterogeneous research data storage systems and related management software to meet researcher’s data intensive specifications. The Director of Advanced Data and Storage Management will create and maintain strong partnerships with colleagues in the Office of Information Technology, the Princeton University Library, and academic departments to ensure that the continued growth of TigerData aligns with the rapidly changing business needs at the University.

Leadership

• Provide leadership and direct support for research computing in academic departments across the university, including faculty, professional research staff, postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduate students. Lead the TigerData steering committees and advisory groups to guide the vision and direction of the service. Hold a seat on the Research Computing Advisory Group (RCAG) providing guidance and insight for directions in research computing support. This position provides guidance and expertise in the area of data storage and management support across the university 
• Develop short and long term strategies for data storage and management growth and support in concert with the planning and development of TigerData services managed through the library 
• Research trends and directions in data storage and management support by reading literature and white papers, following relevant periodicals, and participating in related online forums 
• Maintain positive vendor relations to keep abreast of technical and corporate developments and to maintain negotiating positions 
• Attend major conferences to network, share Princeton's model and learn other institution's approaches 
• Build strong partnerships with peers in the University Library, faculty, researchers, IT staff and vendors to determine storage and data movement requirements to continue the evolution of the TigerData service 
• Engage in collaborative consultation services with Princeton University Library, to advise faculty and researchers on data intensive research and big data considerations
  

Design and architect advanced data storage systems

• In partnership with the Director of Research Data and Open Scholarship in the Princeton University Library and TigerData advisory groups, create the vision for TigerData to provide secured, flexible, and performant access to multiple storage systems across different locations and technology types to provide storage capacity for datasets of all sizes 
• Lead the technical design of TigerData, consulting with faculty to meet their needs, vendors to match capabilities, and leading the technical team and campus partners to find the best balance of price and performance 
• Help to design the overall suite of data storage and management systems to meet the broad needs of our research community, assuring that the systems complement each other and best use the university’s resources including staff, capital investment, and storage capacity. The design and selection of these systems is highly visible both within and outside the university, and it must take into account the risks of vendor stability, changing technology, and system maintainability as they pertain to these large investments
  

Staff Management

• Manage storage administration staff; currently four employees with the expectation that additional employees will join the group as our service continues to grow  
• Establish staff goals and performance expectations, evaluate employees' performance based on established expectations, write reviews, deliver ongoing, timely feedback to employees      
• Promote a diverse, inclusive and supportive work environment based upon a shared vision. 
• Participate in recruiting, hiring, and training employees for the group      
• Create an inclusive environment that fosters a feeling of belonging for a diverse group of technical staff 
  

Systems Administration

• Lead the implementation and system administration for TigerData and other centrally managed data storage systems in the University’s research computing and data environment.  
• Develop and apply best practices for installing, configuring, and operating data intensive research systems both on-premises and in the cloud  
• Guide the installation, system administration, security, user support and stability of these systems in collaboration with academic departments. The successful operation of these systems has a significant positive impact on the research productivity of the university. These systems have high visibility both within and outside the university, and serve as a model of best practices in research computing support nationally.

Essential Qualifications:

• Minimum of 10 years of strong experience leading and/or participating in the design, implementation, and support of varied data and storage management services including technologies like Isilon, ESS, cloud object storage, and others 
• Experience implementing and operating middleware tiers 
• Strong knowledge of current storage hardware and software in the research computing industry, and the ability to stay abreast of trends and future HPC systems and hardware. 
• Proven track record leading large initiatives with success; developing and articulating the overall vision, building cross-functional buy in, and leading the successful implementation with a team of cross-departmental resources   
• Demonstrated ability to work well with a diverse group of people at many different levels, including faculty, research staff, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, undergraduate students, senior administration, IT staff (both at Princeton and at peer institutions)  
• Experience working in a Linux environment 
• Strong experience in an academic research computing environment 
• Experience developing and implementing strategic visions 
• Ability to develop and maintain positive relationships with vendors  
• The ability to manage and lead IT staff both through direct supervisory relationships and indirectly.  
• Strong communication skills, including written, oral and presentation skills: effective in a variety of formal presentation settings: one-on-one, small and large groups 
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in a related field. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong experience in a Linux environment 
• Proficiency in one or more programming languages relevant to research computing: C/C++, FORTRAN, Python      
• Experience with Arcitecta MediaFlux 
• A Master's degree in Computer Science or a related field is preferred 

Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS