Lustre Storage Administrator (Research & HPC Data Platforms)
Location: Stanford, CA, United States · Reference: 108795
Reports to : Research & HPC Data Platforms Team Lead
The Opportunity
Stanford's Research Computing team is seeking a storage expert to join our
Research & HPC Data Platforms group. This is a flexible-level posting; we are
seeking an HPC Data Storage Administrator (Research & HPC Data Platforms) to
maintain and expand our current world-class infrastructure.
You will work directly with our research and HPC data platforms team lead to
manage a diverse environment of more than 100PB and 5 billion files, including
high-speed Lustre, MinIO object storage, and Lustre HSM, among other
platforms.
Why Stanford? You aren't just managing a storage cluster; you are a part
of a data and storage ecosystem that supports Nobel-caliber research across
all disciplines.
Storage ArchitectKey Responsibilities
Architecture: Adapt and evolve the technology designs of existing systems
to meet the needs of future computing platforms and research aims.
Platform Management: Deliver on the scaling, reliability, security,
compliance, operations, and lifecycle management of our primary research
computing storage platforms, including for high-risk data.
Tiered Storage Architecture: Oversee the integration of Lustre HSM on the
Elm platform, managing data movement policies between parallel filesystems
and MinIO object storage.
Performance Engineering: Tune I/O for large-scale High Performance
Computing and AI workloads.
Community Stewardship: Represent Stanford within the Lustre community and
other key community groups, contributing to the upstream roadmap and
maintaining a vendor-neutral storage strategy.
Required Qualifications
Education: Bachelor's degree and eight years of relevant experience, or a
combination of education and relevant experience.
Expertise at Scale: 8+ years of hands-on experience architecting,
building, and managing Lustre and ZFS or similar filesystems at the 20PB+
scale.
Object Storage & HSM: Deep technical fluency in MinIO and Lustre HSM
(copytools, policy engines like RobinHood) or similar tools.
Kernel & Network Mastery: Expert-level knowledge of the Linux kernel and
large-scale InfiniBand/Ethernet fabric tuning.
In-depth Troubleshooting Experience: Must be capable of leading the
debugging of issues such as kernel panics, LNet congestion, and metadata
bottlenecks.
Leadership: Proven experience mentoring junior admins and leading large-
scale migration projects without data loss.
Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Senior Storage Systems AdministratorKey Responsibilities
Platform Management: Contribute to the scaling, reliability, security,
compliance, operations, and lifecycle management of our primary research
computing storage platforms, including for high-risk data.
Operational Excellence: Perform complex filesystem upgrades, kernel
patches, and hardware refreshes with minimal downtime.
Monitoring & Telemetry: In collaboration with others, build and maintain
sophisticated observability stacks for real-time I/O tracking and trend
analysis.
User Support: Act as an escalation point for researchers struggling with
complex I/O patterns, job failures, or data access issues.
Maintenance: Manage the physical and logical health of the storage fleet,
including RMA processes, firmware updates, and disk replacement cycles.
Required Qualifications
Experience: 5+ years of Linux Systems Administration, with 3+ years
specifically in an HPC or large-scale data environment.
Technical Stack: Strong hands-on experience with Lustre, ZFS, MinIO,
and/or similar technologies.
Scripting: Advanced proficiency in scripting languages for automating
routine storage tasks and parsing system logs.
Hardware Mastery: Comfortable with the physical aspects of the
role—diagnosing hardware failures and understanding power/cooling
requirements for high-density storage.
Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Qualifications:
Physical Requirements:
Constantly perform desk-based computer tasks.
Frequently sit, grasp lightly/fine manipulation.
Occasionally stand/walk, writing by hand.
Rarely use a telephone, lift/carry/push/pull objects that weigh up to 10
pounds.
Consistent with its obligations under the law, the University will provide
reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities.
Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the
application or hiring process should contact Stanford University Human
Resources by submitting a contact form.
Working Conditions:
May work extended hours, evenings, and weekends.
Work Standards:
Interpersonal Skills: Demonstrates the ability to work well with Stanford
colleagues and clients and with external organizations.
Promote Culture of Safety: Demonstrates commitment to personal
responsibility and value for safety; communicates safety concerns; uses
and promotes safe behaviors based on training and lessons learned.
Subject to and expected to stay in sync with all applicable University
policies and procedures, including but not limited to the personnel
policies and other policies found in Stanford's Administrative Guide,
https:// adminguide.stanford.edu.
The expected pay range for this position is $150,289 to $171,674 per
annum.
Stanford University provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate
of the salary or hourly wage the university reasonably expects to pay for a
position upon hire. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined
based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities
of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental
budget availability, internal equity, geographic location and external market
pay for comparable jobs.
At Stanford University, base pay represents only one aspect of the
comprehensive rewards package. The Cardinal at Work website
(https: // cardinalatwork.stanford.edu/benefits-rewards) provides
detailed information on Stanford's extensive range of benefits and rewards
offered to employees. Specifics about the rewards package for this position
may be discussed during the hiring process.
The job duties listed are typical examples of work performed by positions in
this job classification and are not designed to contain or be interpreted as a
comprehensive inventory of all duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Specific
duties and responsibilities may vary depending on department or program needs
without changing the general nature and scope of the job or level of
responsibility. Employees may also perform other duties as assigned.
Stanford is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without
regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity,
national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other
characteristic protected by law.
