Diamond Light Source is the UK’s national synchrotron science facility. Located on the Harwell Science & Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire a 20 minute drive south of Oxford in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Diamond Light Source conducts world-class research in virtually all fields of science and offers rewarding career opportunities covering both technical and scientific disciplines.

You will be working within the largest UK scientific facility and at the cutting edge of science research. The Science Computing team is a tightly knit group of enthusiastic problem solvers dedicated to enabling the highest quality science. To do this you will have access to best computer, storage and networking hardware and the support of an experienced sysadmin team.

This exciting role will be to support the science computing infrastructure and services, in particular the Microsoft systems used on the beamlines for high performance data acquisition and computing.

Aim:
The design, development, commissioning and operational support of computer systems to support the design, development and operation of the accelerators and/or beamlines on the Diamond Synchrotron Light source.

Duties of the role include:

• Design and develop the Science Computer Systems;
• Systems Administration in compliance with Diamond policies of Computer Systems and Networks;
• Commission and diagnose faults in installed Computer Systems and Network Services;
• Provide operational support and analysis of installed Computer Systems and Network Services;
• Interface with internal customers, including Engineers and Scientists, at all stages of the development life cycle to, for example, develop requirements, track project progress, and verify operation of computer systems;
• Contribute to the processes, associated software development and data management to support the design/operation of computer systems throughout Diamond;
• Liaise with, and supervise, contractors and suppliers of turn key computer systems;
• Provide technical expertise in Computer Systems and skills in system management of Computer Systems;
• Maintain a current knowledge of the Computer Systems on other, comparable, beamline and accelerator projects;
• Communicate details of Computer Systems within Diamond and to other projects;
• Assistance in the preparation of tenders and service level agreements for external suppliers of required services;
• Report on progress in all areas on a periodic basis.

• Honours degree or BTEC HNC/HND + relevant experience;
• Relevant experience in the Computer system administration in Windows environment;
• Demonstrate ability to communicate effectively, both orally and written;
• Demonstrate an understanding of staff supervision; 
• Ability to solve technical problems, evaluating alternative courses of action and innovating where necessary;
• Demonstrate an understanding of project planning and management;
• Demonstrate self-motivation and a willingness to take responsibility;
• Demonstrate ability to work as part of a team;
• Demonstrate ability to work effectively alone and without direct supervision;
• Experience of modern Computer systems management techniques, design and implementation;
• Experience of Microsoft operating systems, and administration thereof knowledge of provisioning techniques for MS operating systems;
• Experience of the implementation and operation of modern computer networks and the attached systems and services;
• Knowledge of networking protocols such as DHCP/SNMP/DNS/NAT.

• Completion of a recognised MS Administration certification;
• Proficient in scripting in Python or Perl or PowerShell;
• Experience of high performance computing and networking and Internet 2 technologies;
• Experience of remote administration of computer systems;
• Experience of UNIX-like operating systems and their administration;
• Project management experience.

Diamond Light Source:

• is an equal opportunities employer;
• offers a competitive salary and generous pension scheme;
• encourages career development and training;
• provides easy access to extra-curricular activities such as clubs, sports and lectures;