Infrastructure Engineer II

Infrastructure Engineer II – Allen Institute for Cell Science

The Allen Institute for Cell Science’s mission is to create multi-scale visual models of cell organization, dynamics, and activities. Our approach encompasses large-scale data collection, observation, theory, and predictions to understand cellular behavior in normal and pathological contexts. As a division within the Allen Institute, we employ a team-oriented approach, focusing on accelerating foundational research, developing standards and models, and cultivating new ideas to make a transformational impact on science.

We seek a talented and enthusiastic individual to join the Infrastructure Engineering Team as an Infrastructure Engineer II. This person will work in a collaborative environment to build and maintain the systems that power our high-throughput data pipelines and enable analysis of our multi-petabyte data set. Our infrastructure is used for high-throughput data production on-premises and large-scale analysis and publishing of that data in the cloud; this role will support both areas.

The ideal candidate for the position will be invested in the Allen Institute values of “Team Science, Big Science, and Open Science” and have the following qualities:

• Enjoys working closely with teammates toward a shared goal
• Is comfortable interacting with scientists, learning about their work as well identifying and explaining how modern data infrastructure can further enable that work
• Is curious and enjoys learning new tools, techniques, and technologies relevant to operations and software engineering
• Enjoys developing clean, maintainable code with an eye toward excellence and considers both the short-term and long-term impact of their technical decisions

The Allen Institute believes that team science significantly benefits from the participation of diverse voices, experiences, and backgrounds. High-quality science can only be produced when it includes different perspectives. We are committed to increasing diversity across every team and encourage people from all backgrounds to apply for this role.

**We highly value the ability to communicate clearly in written form; applicants are strongly encouraged to include a brief cover letter explaining their interest in the role and elaborating on their experience.

Essential Functions

• Create, deploy, and maintain AWS Cloud infrastructure using Terraform
• Install Linux systems and define their configuration in code using Ansible; write automated tests to validate configuration-as-code using the Molecule framework
• Manage and integrate on-premises and cloud storage systems
• Take primary responsibility for infrastructure stability and performance; collaborate with developers to investigate issues that arise with applications running in production and staging environments
• Review systems and infrastructure pull requests; follow Allen Institute software development and code deployment standards
• Support and maintain CI/CD, database, logging, and metrics infrastructure
• Communicate effectively through written documentation, presentations, and informal interactions with co-workers
• Participate in on-hours support rotation, approximately one week per month
• Work with stakeholders and senior engineers to scope work and set timelines; proactively identify timeline risks and manage project scope to ensure milestones and deadlines are achieved

Note: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. This description reflects management’s assignment of essential functions; it does not proscribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.

Required Education and Experience

• Strong Linux administration skills with a widely-used distribution such as Ubuntu
• Production experience with common infrastructure-as-code/configuration-as-code frameworks, such as Ansible, Chef, Puppet, or Terraform
• Production experience using code to configure Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure
• Proficiency in writing scripts and automating tasks in a commonly-used Linux scripting language
• Experience with relational database management
• Bachelor's degree in computer science or related field, or an equivalent combination of degree and experience
• At least 1 year of experience in a DevOps, site reliability, system administration, or similar role

Preferred Education and Experience

• Experience defining configuration and infrastructure with Ansible and Terraform
• Automated bare-metal Linux installation experience; experience managing both Linux workstations and servers
• Proficiency in deploying complex infrastructure with multiple AWS products
• Demonstrated capability in developing scripts in Python and Bash
• Experience with large-scale Ubuntu deployments
• Experience managing PostgreSQL and MongoDB
• High-performance computing experience, ideally on a public cloud
• Exposure to Vast Universal Storage systems

Work Environment

• Open office seating
• May enter laboratory environment, including potential exposure to lasers, biohazards

Physical Demands

• Fine motor movements in fingers/hands to operate computers and other office equipment

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

• This role is currently working onsite and is expected to work onsite for the majority of working hours. The primary work location for this role is 615 Westlake Ave N., with flexibility to work remotely on a limited basis.

Additional Comments

• **Please note, this opportunity does not sponsor work visas**

Annualized Salary Range

• $98,314 - $137,639*

• Final salary depends on required education for the role, experience, and level of skills relevant to the role, along with work location, where applicable.

Benefits

• Employees (and their families) are eligible to enroll in benefits per eligibility rules outline in the Allen Institute’s Benefits Guide. These benefits include medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance. Employees are also eligible to enroll in the Allen Institute’s 401k plan. Paid time off is also available as outlined in the Allen Institutes Benefits Guide. Details on the Allen Institute’s benefits offering are located at the following link to the Benefits Guide: https://alleninstitute.org/careers/benefits.

It is the policy of the Allen Institute to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, the Allen Institute will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities