High-Performance Computing (HPC) Systems Engineer

Axle•Rockville, MD

153d

About The Position

Axle is a bioscience and information technology company that offers advancements in translational research, biomedical informatics, and data science applications to research centers and healthcare organizations nationally and abroad. With experts in biomedical science, software engineering, and program management, we focus on developing and applying research tools and techniques to empower decision-making and accelerate research discoveries. We work with some of the top research organizations and facilities in the country including multiple institutes at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Axle is seeking a High-Performance Computing (HPC) Systems Engineer to join our vibrant team at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) supporting the The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) located in Rockville, MD. Overview: The High-Performance Computing (HPC) Systems Engineer will support the Scientific Computing and Informatics (SCI) team at The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). This role will focus on the design, optimization, security, and maintenance of HPC and cloud-based infrastructures that enable cutting-edge biomedical research through scalable, secure, and high-performing computing environments.

Requirements

Federal ATO processes experience required
HPC architecture and performance optimization is required
Scientific software development and deployment
High-speed network and parallel file system architecture
Troubleshooting, diagnostics, and technical support
Strong communication and multitasking skills
Languages - Pascal, BASIC, Delphi, Visual Basic, C, C++
Scripting - Bash, Perl, Python, Ruby, PEAR, Tcl
Linux – RHEL/CentOS, SUSE, Debian, Ubuntu
Windows – 95–10; NT–Server 2016
Networking – Active Directory, TCP/IP v4/v6, DHCP, DNS, WINS
Legacy – NOVELL 3.1–5, VPN, Citrix, Terminal Services
Nagios, Ganglia, HP BAC, Precise i3
SGI SMC, HP PCM, Bright Cluster Manager (incl. Data Analytics)
Puppet, Cobbler, Ansible, Chef
Red Hat Satellite, Kickstart, RPM optimization
Panasas (DirectFlow/panfs), DDN (GPFS), SGI DMF, StorHouse/RFS (Filetek)
MOAB/MAUI, Torque, PBS Pro, Windows HPC Scheduler
Nice DCV, EnginFrame, VNC, OpenText Exceed OnDemand, Web Remote Desktop
Docker, Kubernetes, Kubeflow, NVIDIA DGX-1 GPU systems
SQL Server (2000–2008), MySQL, Zope
Infiniband, Mellanox, OFED, Voltaire, Force10
HPC architecture and performance tuning
Cybersecurity in HPC/cloud environments
Infrastructure as Code (AWS, Terraform, Ansible, Packer)
Supporting scientific workflows in research environments

Responsibilities

Design, configure, and maintain scalable HPC clusters for optimal performance.
Support documentation and ATO (Authority to Operate) processes.
Ensure infrastructure design compliance with federal security standards and best practices.
Implement monitoring tools such as XDMoD for transparency and user reporting.
Integrate platforms such as JupyterHub and job schedulers (e.g., Slurm) for improved interactivity.
Develop and manage AWS-based infrastructure using Terraform, Packer, and Ansible.
Automate deployment workflows to streamline provisioning, updates, and scaling.
Manage systems involved in AWS Secure Cloud Bridging (SCB) and STRIDES initiatives.
Implement CIS benchmark-aligned system hardening using OpenSCAP.
Administer optimized compute images (CPU/GPU) for scientific workflows.
Leverage tools such as OpenHPC, Warewulf, and Ansible for environment management.
Lead and coordinate quarterly patch cycles.
Partner with researchers and external stakeholders on critical projects.
Facilitate solution transitions to other NIH centers and collaborators.
Contribute to publications and team objectives through deep technical engagement.