Data Infrastructure Systems Group Leader at STFC

Salary: £62,178 to £68,395per annum (dependent on skills and experience). 
Hours: Full time or Part time (minimum 37 hours per week)
Contract Type: Open Ended.
Location: Science and Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Harwell, Oxfordshire OR Science and Technology Facilities Council, Daresbury Laboratory, Warrington 

Closing Date: Sunday 31st March 2024

Background 
At STFC, scientists, technologists, engineers and business-support teams work together to explore the big questions in science and technology, from the nature of the universe to the changes needed to address climate change.  Computing technology has a central role, from mass data-stores, to powerful computers to advanced software.   STFC Scientific Computing (http://www.stfc.ac.uk/SCD) provides large-scale computing facilities and data services at Daresbury Laboratory in Cheshire and Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire. The expertise Scientific Computing has in scientific software, and data and computation infrastructure, underpins the innovative science across STFC and UKRI. 

An essential function of Scientific Computing is to provide services for the deposit, management and distribution of the research that STFC supports (e.g. documents, data, software), in systems built upon databases and web servers, and underpinned by mass data storage infrastructure.  These systems maintain the integrity of the research and make it available to the research community to enable reusable and open science.   

Examples of services include the Physical Sciences Data-science Service (www.psds.ac.uk) and the UKRI Infraportal (www.infraportal.org.uk), ePubs (www.epubs.stfc.ac.uk) and eData (www.eData.ac.uk) . Future services are being developed under the Physical Science Data Infrastructure (PSDI) (www.psdi.ac.uk), which would extend the range and nature of data infrastructure services to include data access, data movement and data aggregation.   

We have a new opportunity for a passionate Group Leader within our Data Engineering team in the Scientific Computing Department offering an excellent opportunity for career development and an exceptional benefits package. You will join our multi-disciplinary, diverse and inclusive team of software engineers and systems operations engineers, to develop, deploy, operate and evolve a portfolio of portfolio of systems and services data infrastructure services, including data repositories and databases in support of the Scientific Computing programme within STFC. 
The Group Leader will work closely with development teams within SCD and with its user communities to support and evolve services to quality standards and also develop and deploy new services.  

List of Duties / Work Program / Responsibilities 
•    Leading the Data Infrastructure Systems Group, providing strategic direction, and team leadership 
•    Setting services management standards and processes for the portfolio of services within the group (e.g.  monitoring and metrics, user support, change control, business continuity, patching, upgrades and security monitoring and response) and overseeing a group providing service operations and user support, liaising with other service providers within STFC and without. 
•    Working with customers, partners and other stakeholders in the services, representing the service operations within programme management teams, and liaising with external providers, including commercial suppliers of licensed software and data. 
•    Leading on service development and evolution, including coordinating developers bringing new developments into service via DevOps processes. 
•    Developing new opportunities to extend SCD’s Data Infrastructure Services portfolio, working with stakeholders inside and outside of STFC

Essential Skills Required 
•    Experience of leading teams, including resource and personnel management. 
•    Experience of developing and deploying data infrastructure tools and services, including web-systems, repository systems, and data storage and cataloguing systems.  
•    Service Management experience in a research environment preferably using recognised service standards (e.g. ITIL, FitSM) 
•    Ability to work with stakeholders to report service performance and elicit requirements for new service developments. 
•    Ability to provide strategic direction to evolve the data infrastructure service portfolio of the group. 

Employee Benefits:
We are offering a permanent position with a whole host of benefits including:
•    30 days holiday (in addition to 10.5 bank holidays and privilege days).
•    Flexible working hours.
•    An excellent defined average salary pension scheme.
•    Employee shopping/travel discounts.
•    Excellent learning and development opportunities.

We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. We are invested in crafting an environment that is welcoming and encouraging of all, to help us achieve the highest possible standards in our work and organisation together. In this regard, we encourage applications from under-represented groups.

As one of Europe’s largest research organisations, this is a place where there’s always something new to learn –about the world around us, about your career, but most of all, about yourself. 

Join us and discover what’s possible!

About The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)

As one of Europe’s largest research organisations, we ask the biggest questions in the universe to find answers that change the world around us. We seek understanding. We’re proud of the impact we make. And we’re committed to helping build a globally competitive, knowledge-based UK economy. Being part of all this means contributing to work that pushes boundaries and creates possibilities. You’ll work with, and learn from, true experts. Whatever your role, you’ll be free to question, and encouraged to share ideas. And, in a positive and supportive culture, you’ll discover just what a difference you can make when you’re equipped and inspired to excel.

We’re a place where curious minds thrive. Not bound by profit, we explore ideas that others don’t, ask questions that others won’t, and discover answers that others are not equipped to find. And, alongside Mars landings and black holes, we also explore diverse, international projects in everything from science and engineering to computing and technology. Whether it’s at the cutting edge or behind the scenes, our work is intellectually challenging. It’s very often ground-breaking.  And it’s endlessly, irresistibly fascinating.

For more information about STFC please visit https://stfc.ukri.org/ 

You can also visit our careers site https://www.stfccareers.co.uk/ 

About UK Research Innovation (UKRI) 

UKRI is an organisation that brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Together, we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision ensuring the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation. 

Supporting some of the world’s most exciting and challenging research projects, we develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the world. We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through fundamental research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through world-class research, skills and business-led innovation. 

More information can be found at www.ukri.org.  

Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme.  For more details, visit benefits of working for UKRI.

The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role.  UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.

How we support EDI in the workforce 

At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit ‘How we support EDI in the workforce’. 

Disability Confident Employer

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy/ies. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation. 
 
How to apply

Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered. Assessment will only be based upon the content of your submitted covering letter and CV and not the ‘experience’ section of the application. 

UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion – a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us. 

Additional Information

• Organisation: Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) – Scientific Computing Department
• Contract Type: Open Ended
• External Closing Date: Mar 31, 2024
• Minimum Salary: Pound Sterling (GBP) 62,178
• Hours: Full-time