Infrastructure Platform Engineer

Department

PSD Computer Science: Tech Administration

About the Department

The Department of Computer Science is an academic department that has a rich history of advancing and defining new fields of discovery in the physical sciences and computer science, and this tradition continues today. Our inquiry and impact spans from the edge of theory to human-computer interaction to Data Science. We are part of the Physical Sciences Division which includes departments and a number of interdisciplinary research institutes and centers.

Job Summary

The job works independently to perform a variety of activities relating to software support and/or development. Analyzes, designs, develops, debugs, and modifies computer code for end user applications, beta general releases, and production support. Guides development and implementation of applications, web pages, and user-interfaces using a variety of software applications, techniques, and tools. Solves complex problems in administration, maintenance, integration, and troubleshooting of code and application ecosystem currently in production.

Responsibilities

• Reporting to the Director of techstaff, acts as a senior technical leader, proposes and defines architectural standards, mentors junior engineers, drives platform reliability, automation, security, and observability across on-prem and cloud environments.
• Lead initiatives to improve infrastructure reliability, security, and performance, such as CI/CD pipeline improvements, system monitoring, and automation of manual workflows.
• Implement infrastructure-as-code principles using systems such as Puppet, Terraform, and Gitlab actions.
• Implement and maintain robust system monitoring, alerting, and logging solutions to ensure platform health, performance, and visibility.
• Perform expert-level build, configuration, and lifecycle management of Linux/Unix operating systems across physical and virtual, containerized, and cloud environments.
• Develop automation tools and scripts using Python, shell scripting, and other scripting languages to streamline operations.
• Manage and optimize Linux-based systems in production environments.
• Support department applications by managing infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines, and performing minor programming tasks.
• Implement hardened security configurations, including system hardening, secure communications, and identity/access integration.
• Stay up to date on the latest trends and technologies in platform engineering, infrastructure automation, software deployment, and provide guidance on their implementation within projects.
• Document work clearly, contribute to team best practices, and help others adopt design patterns by sharing knowledge in Slack, Internal Wikis, and GitLab.
• Participate in an off-hours on-call rotation.
• Designs new systems, features, and tools. Solves complex problems and identifies opportunities for technical improvement and performance optimization. Reviews and tests code and systems to ensure appropriate standards are met.
• Acts as a technical consultant and resource for faculty research, teaching, and/or administrative projects.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field.

Experience:

• 5+ years of experience in an infrastructure, DevOps, platform, or SRE role supporting production systems.
• 3+ years of experience supporting Linux servers in a production environment.
• 5+ years of experience working in production environments.
• Experience working with CI/CD systems, such as GitHub Actions, Github Pipelines, Jenkins, or similar tools.
• Experience with an infrastructure automation tool, such as Puppet, Chef, Ansible, or Terraform.
• Experience writing scripts and programs to automate common tasks and support IT operations.
• Experience supporting web servers in production environments, such as Apache and Nginx.
• Experience using and implementing, and supporting monitoring, alerting, logging, and observability tools and have contributed to system reliability efforts.
• Familiarity with supporting Postgres and MySQL servers, database management, and query syntax.
• Experience with Linux system administration and troubleshooting.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Ability to apply infrastructure as code principles using tools such as Puppet, Terraform, Gitlab Actions
• Proficient in at least one scripting or programming language, such as Python, Bash, or Ruby.
• An understanding of SQL syntax, queries, and relational databases.
• Familiarity with version control systems such as Git.
• Familiarity with observability tools such as Prometheus, DataDog, Splunk, Grafana, or Loki.
• An understanding of core infrastructure protocols and services, such as TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, etc.
• An understanding or a willingness to learn web application frameworks, including Ruby on Rails and Flask.
• An understanding of SDLC, DevOps, and Agile methodology and best practices.
• Strong understanding of networking, storage, security, and access control within Linux systems.

Preferred Competencies

• Willingness to take initiative to understand current and potential systems and applications, ask thoughtful questions, and raise concerns early.
• Effective written and verbal communication; ability to collaborate with cross-functional technical teams.
• Communicate clearly and work collaboratively within a team environment, contributing to planning, troubleshooting, and retrospectives.
• Commitment to operational excellence, service reliability, and continuous improvement.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)
• Cover Letter (required)
• References Contact Information (3)(required)

The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family

Information Technology

Role Impact

Individual Contributor

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

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FLSA Status

Exempt

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Pay Range

$106,000.00 - $117,000.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu. Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.