SENIOR MANAGER, ADVANCED RESEARCH COMPUTING (ARC)

Reporting to the Director, Research and High-Performance Computing Support (RHPCS), the Senior Manager - Advanced Research Computing (ARC), plays a critical leadership role in the planning and delivery of advanced research computing and digital research infrastructure and services to meet the diverse needs of researchers across all Faculties and Institutes.  

This position leads a team of IT and research technology specialists who provide comprehensive support throughout all phases of service development, including consultation, definition, design, planning, construction, testing, delivery, and ongoing support. Working within the larger McMaster IT ecosystem, the team contributes to the model of coordinated decentralization and will deliver the most appropriate technology solutions based on the specific needs of each researcher, drawing on the IT service opportunities across campus, as well as implementing and delivering managed digital research infrastructure and services. The senior manager also has expert knowledge of the national and provincial research ecosystem and can access and integrate the various strategic opportunities available to support our researchers. 

This position offers a unique opportunity to advance and support research across all academic disciplines at a top research-intensive U15 university. The successful candidate will significantly impact the research community both regionally and nationally, contributing to the university’s mission of fostering cutting-edge research. This position provides strategic technical leadership for prioritizing and delivering highly effective ARC systems, ensuring that McMaster’s investment in advanced research computing systems meets the technical needs of researchers across all faculties.  

JOB SPECIFIC ACCOUNTABILITIES 

Team Leadership: 

• Leads the technical staff of the Research and High-Performance Computing Support (RHPCS) team, fostering a culture of development, respect, equity, and inclusion, in keeping with the values and culture of McMaster University. 

• Provides supervision, oversight, and personnel management, including handling team related human resources processes, team building, and engagement initiatives. 

Technical Expertise and Management: 

• Leverages technical expertise in advanced research computing, information management, and resource deployment to align with the university’s infrastructure environment. 

• Guides the team in developing strategic architectures and service models for grant-funded advanced research computing infrastructure. 

Stakeholder Engagement: 

• Collaborates with researchers, stakeholders, and partners across campus—including the Digital Research Commons, UTS, the Library, and Faculties—to address research computing needs and efficiently utilize resources. 

• Works closely with the Director of RHPCS to align services with institutional strategies and priorities. 

Research Computing Infrastructure: Grant Support and System Management: 

• Provides technical consultation for grant proposals and assists faculty in developing competitive funding applications. 

• Oversees the configuration and management of ARC systems, including hardware selection, and participates in vendor negotiations when needed. 

Strategic Vision: 

• Supports implementing a new strategic vision and operating plan to advance research computing services at McMaster University. 

• Aligns advanced research computing services with strategic priorities, ensuring the team adapts to evolving research needs and technological advancements. 

CORE COMPETENCIES 

COMMUNICATING:  Exchanges organizational knowledge clearly, frequently, and consistently; communicates plans and decisions necessary for meaningful participation and optimal work by team members, colleagues, stakeholders, other IT professionals and leadership; listens actively, with insight and respect to others' perspectives; perceives and reacts sensitively to others' nonverbal cues; builds relationships and attracts support; gives recognition to groups and individuals who contribute to the University's achievement and over all goals and objectives. 

DEVELOPING PEOPLE:  Advocates and enables continuous learning opportunities for all employees; encourages employee involvement in decision-making as an integral part of the developmental process; active in self-development; as a key expert, remain current with industry trends and best practices; creates a strong culture and environment of respect, kindness, equity and inclusion. 

LEADERSHIP:  Known for achievement, and recognizes that achievement requires leadership and the participation others; recruits the right people; engages team members, colleagues, stakeholders, other IT professionals in efforts to achieve the vision of the University; solves problems that arise; evaluates progress towards goals and objectives; negotiates resolutions to conflicts; protects/heals the organization during times of change; integrates stakeholders, colleagues, IT professionals, team members to achieve synergies; promotes and supports a culture of health, safety, well-being and respect and ensures compliance with related policies and legislation to sustain a healthy work environment. 

EMBRACING CHANGE:  Exhibits a passion for building creativity, innovation, and excellence at the University; works effectively with ambiguity and complex issues, while searching for innovations and improvements to make tomorrow's workplace better than today's; identifies, recommends, and implements new information security service opportunities in the functional areas of responsibilities of this role, as well as opportunities to improve existing information security solutions and processes; continually improves related systems and processes. 

OPTIMIZING SERVICE RELATIONSHIPS:  Identifies, builds, and manages relationships which are service oriented, and constituent centered; systematically creates positive current and future benefits for the University; builds effective relationships, internally and externally to increase effectiveness in conducting assigned duties 

PLANNING: Demonstrates initiative and effective planning and organization skills to meet deadlines and complete quality work; demonstrates understanding of higher education issues and fiscal awareness through course of work and contributes to fiscal responsibility, efficiency, and restraint. 

TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES: 

ADVANCED RESEARCH COMPUTING (ARC) Infrastructure and Technology: Expert in implementing and managing advanced research computing technologies, including HPC clusters, parallel processing, and large-scale data management. Demonstrates in-depth knowledge of operating systems (Linux, Unix, Windows), system architecture, and cross-platform interoperability. Proficient in cloud-based ARC environments and hybrid models, as well as containerization and orchestration tools to support research workflows.  

Strategic Focused Delivery; Brings a strategic focus to all aspects of systems and services under the direction of the Director, Research and High-Performance Computing Support. Develops strategic objectives, targets, and continuous improvement initiatives for ARC functions, ensuring alignment with institutional goals and research trends. Anticipates future infrastructure needs, staying abreast of emerging technologies, such as next-generation computing architectures, artificial intelligence, and cloud-based ARC solutions. Proactively evaluates and integrates these advancements to evolve the ARC ecosystem and support innovative research capabilities. 

Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery; Identifies, develops, and implements comprehensive business continuity and disaster recovery plans. Ensures the continuous delivery of critical advanced research computing services and the protection of data and infrastructure in case of disruptions. Leads the design and execution of backup strategies, replication solutions, and recovery processes to safeguard research data. 

Documentation and Reporting: Maintains comprehensive, up-to-date documentation for ARC infrastructure, including system configurations, procedures, policies, and security protocols. Generates automated reports using dashboard tools to provide real-time insights into system performance, resource utilization, and project status for leadership and research stakeholders. Ensures compliance with institutional and external reporting requirements, particularly related to research data privacy and security. 

Financial Management; Contributes to the budgeting process for the RHPCS department by providing in-depth technical insight into current and future ARC infrastructure needs. Assists with forecasting, cost estimation, and resource allocation to optimize spending and ensure alignment with grant funding and institutional priorities. 

Portfolio Management; Leads the planning, organization, and execution of advanced research computing projects, ensuring alignment with institutional research goals and priorities. Applies risk management techniques to assess project feasibility, mitigate issues, and deliver on objectives. Collaborates with researchers and stakeholders to ensure projects meet scientific and technical requirements. 

Quality Assurance; Designs, develops, and implements quality assurance processes for ARC infrastructure, including benchmarking and stress testing of computing and storage systems. Conducts system audits and performance reviews to ensure ongoing quality, reliability, and optimal resource utilization. Ensures research computing environments meet rigorous standards for scalability, robustness, and compliance. 

Security and Compliance; Implements security protocols to protect advanced research computing infrastructure from unauthorized access, data breaches, and cyber threats. Ensures compliance with institutional data privacy standards and research data protection policies. Collaborates with cybersecurity experts to maintain the highest standards of security and confidentiality across research computing systems. 

Strategy / Policy: Provides expert input to inform policies governing research computing, including security, data retention, backup, and service scope. Ensures compliance with institutional policies on research infrastructure while advocating for ARC investments that align with McMaster’s long-term goals. Drives the adoption of sustainable computing practices, optimizing the environmental and financial impact of advanced research computing infrastructure. 

Supervise / Manage Teams: Leads a team of research computing professionals, overseeing their training, development, workload management, and performance evaluation. Demonstrates a strong ability to manage distributed teams, fostering collaboration and accountability. Builds a high-performing team culture that ensures the consistent delivery of exceptional research computing support and services. 

System Optimization: Continuously identifies and implements performance-tuning measures for computing, storage, and network systems. Conducts regular system audits, applying industry best practices to maximize resource utilization, improve energy efficiency, and optimize system performance for complex research workflows. Proficient in profiling and optimizing parallel computing applications. 

Vendor and Stakeholder Management: Leverages experience with technology vendors and external stakeholders to achieve business outcomes. Provides technical leadership in negotiating service-level agreements (SLAs), specifying technical requirements, and managing vendor contracts. Ensures timely, cost-effective delivery of ARC services by monitoring vendor performance and maintaining strong relationships to meet institutional research goals. 

Service Management: Ensures the reliability, scalability, and performance of advanced research computing infrastructure, including high-performance computing systems, data storage, and high-bandwidth networking. Applies the ITIL framework (Incident, Change, and Problem Management), capacity planning, and automated provisioning strategies to maintain operational efficiency. Proficient with monitoring and alerting tools to ensure system uptime, resource optimization, and proactive incident response. 

Discretion: Handles sensitive and confidential information, including research data, institutional policies, and proprietary technologies. Ensures strict adherence to data privacy regulations and confidentiality protocols, always safeguarding institutional and researcher data. 

Planning and Implementation of Systems: Assists faculty and research groups in the planning, design, and implementation of advanced computing installations. Provides detailed design specifications for ARC infrastructure, hardware, and software configurations. Ensures that installations align with institutional research priorities and are completed on time and within budget. 

Liaises: Liaises with other university departments, stakeholders, and external partners to ensure the successful delivery of advanced research computing services. Provides technical input for grant applications, helping researchers secure funding for computational resources. Regularly interacts with researchers to balance competing demands and ensure high service quality. 

Research: Conducts research on emerging high-performance computing methodologies and technologies, evaluating their efficacy for specific scientific programs. Stays informed of the latest developments in advanced research computing, contributing to knowledge-sharing and innovation within the department. 

SUPERVISON 

• Responsible for supervising the RHPCS technical staff team.   

• Supports the Director in the hiring and selection of new technical staff 

• Provide backup support for Director while out of office. 

EDUCATION, QUALIFICATIONS, AND CERTIFICATIONS

• A Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, or related field or equivalent experience. Master's degree preferred.

• 8 -10 years of experience in a progressive IT environment (Advanced Research Computing (ARC) environment with increasing responsibility and some supervisory experience preferred).

• 3 - 5 years of experience in an IT management position - within an academic environment preferred or equivalent experience in a research environment.  

• Expert level knowledge of operating systems, network protocols, system design, infrastructure design, and Windows/MacOS/Unix interoperability 

• Extensive knowledge of High-Performance Computing systems, large-scale data storage solutions, cloud computing and related software tools  

• Proven track record managing complex computing infrastructures and leading technical teams and projects 

• Strong understanding of the computational needs and challenges in academic research 

• Excellent communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills 

• Excellent organizational skills and the ability to effectively cope with multiple demands and resolve priority conflicts in a deadline-driven environment 

• Strong analytical and interpersonal skills 

• Experience with technical advisement for grant applications and securing funding for research computing projects are assets 

• Project Management experience and familiarity with ITIL are assets 

• A research background is preferred. 

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Personal Attributes 

Core Business Interpersonal Attributes 

1. Analytical Thinking; Analyzing and synthesizing information to understand issues, identify options, and support sound decision making. 

2. Business Perspective; Using an understanding of business issues, processes and outcomes to enhance business performance. 

3. Creativity and Innovation; Generating viable, new approaches and solutions. 

4. Decision Making; Making decisions involving varied levels of risk and ambiguity. 

5. Developing Others; Fostering employee development by providing a supportive learning environment. 

6. Information Management; Using appropriate procedures to collect, organize, retrieve, maintain and disseminate information while considering privacy and security. 

7. Relationship Building; Establishing, sustaining and fostering professional contacts to build, enhance and connect networks for work purposes. 

8. Resource Management; managing resources (financial, human, physical and information resources) to achieve planned goals. 

9. Leadership; assuming a leadership role in leading work groups and helping others achieve excellent results. 

Core Interpersonal Attributes 

1. Results Orientation; Organizing time, work and resources to accomplish objectives in the most effective and efficient way. Setting high goals for personal and/or group accomplishment; using measurement methods to monitor progress toward goal attainment; tenaciously working to meet or exceed those goals, while deriving satisfaction from the process of goal achievement and continuous improvement. 

2. Client and Stakeholder Focus; Ensuring that the internal and external customer and stakeholder perspective drives decisions and activities; crafting and implementing service practices that meet researchers’ needs in alignment with McMaster’s strategic priorities and plans. 

3. Integrity; Interacting with others in a way that gives them confidence in one’s intentions and those of the RHPCS team and McMaster.  

4. Teamwork; Working collaboratively with others to achieve organizational goals. Actively participating as a member of a team to move the team toward the completion of goals. 

Work Conditions 

• Some after-hours work and on-call may be occasionally required