Position Description

The Deputy Director works with the Executive Director and senior staff to support the collaborative activities of the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center (MGHPCC), including governance, service definition, data center infrastructure, shared research computing infrastructure, and business operations.  In addition to pursuing specific initiatives, the Deputy Director will contribute to the flexibility of the organization by supplementing or standing in for the Executive Director and other senior staff during times of peak workload.

The Deputy Director must be capable serving as a generalist who bridges the gaps between disciplines such as IT, facility operation, research computing, and business operations.  The Deputy Director will also accelerate the productivity of MGHPCC staff by contributing to processes and tools that streamline facility and business operations.  Key skills and experience include the following:

• Strong project management skills and experience, and proven ability to lead by influence rather than authority.
• Good writing and communication skills, ability to resolve cost and feasibility problems when they occur, and ability to build consensus around technical and business plans and solutions.
• The MGHPCC serves a community of research computing organizations, and its data center operations rely heavily on computer-based control systems. A strong background in information technology, combined with a solid grasp of physical systems, is therefore required.
• MGHPCC staff is small, so the Deputy Director must be comfortable wearing many hats, some of them novel and challenging and others involving routine administrative tasks.
• Since the MGHPCC serves a community of users and research computing organizations who have already developed and established processes for management and operation of their systems., the position emphasizes ability to understand and adapt to existing practices while also influencing their evolution.

Assignments and Responsibilities

While the Deputy Director will not be wholly responsible for every task described in this section, these examples illustrate the kinds of assignments that the Deputy Director will take on.

Examples of strategic and outward-facing responsibilities

Implement the MGHPCC strategic Plan

• Organize and facilitate working groups (meetings, notes, actions, etc.)
• Execute subtasks that contribute to the implementation of the plan.

Governance

• Contribute to and/or lead monthly operations reviews.
• Continuous review/revision of MGHPCC Operating Documents (Operating Model, Security Policies, and Service Catalog) to adapt to changes over time.

Relationships beyond the consortium

• Maintain and strengthen relationships with
  • Local community colleges
  • City government
  • State government agencies
  • Colleges and universities in the region.
• Represent the MGHPCC in regional and national forums.
• Conduct data center tours for students, local groups, and other visitors.

Consortium Proposals and projects

• Lead and/or contribute to the writing and submission of consortium proposals that involve the MGHPCC.
• Lead and/or contribute to funded projects.
• Contribute to and fulfill reporting obligations for funded consortium projects.

Examples of day-to-day operational responsibilities

Business Operations

• Data collection and verification for invoicing.
• Monthly review and consolidation.
• Continuous improvement of process and automation.
• Backup and separation of duties on payables and receivables workflow.
• Support automation of existing and new business workflows
  (e.g., allocation of shared service costs.)
• Capital renewal planning for a $60M data center.

IT

• Project management (including capital renewal and new functionality.)
• Maintenance and enhancement of the MGHPCC web portal (content and infrastructure.)
• Management of and response to incoming service requests.
• Continuous improvement of process and documentation.
• Continuous assessment and improvement of facility IT security posture.

Facility Management

• Support an upcoming transition to new building management system software.
• (Adding software engineering knowledge to vendor evaluation and implementation.)
• Capacity and technology planning.
• (Navigating the ongoing shift from ~20KW server racks to ~100KW server racks.)

Education & Experience

Bachelor's degree required. Advanced degree preferred.

Minimum 10 years of administration or operations experience and/or project/program management required.

Location

• This job requires that the candidate be able to work on-site in Holyoke, MA as needed up to full-time.
• Remote work is supported for tasks that do not require on-site presence.