Associate Director - IT Infrastructure & Architecture

Job Summary:

The Associate Director of IT Infrastructure is responsible for supporting the comprehensive computing needs of the ECE department through providing hands-on technical expertise and collaborating closely with departmental faculty and staff. The Associate Director will develop plans to support the ongoing and future computing infrastructure needs of the Department while managing critical teaching laboratories and administrative workflows. The Associate Director supports our growing department through setting up and optimizing business-related computing frameworks (such as signature flows, workflows, document management, databases, web services), managing the technical requirements and hardware and software maintenance of the undergraduate teaching labs and selected research labs, and creating comprehensive administrative workflows. The role includes understanding research and teaching needs of faculty and students, infrastructure architecture and design principles, infrastructure management, and serving as the primary liaison with the College Computer Center and university IT services and security offices. The Associate Director is responsible for helping researchers in the planning/dimensioning and acquisition of specialized HPC systems, training incoming faculty on procurement processes, conducting requirement gathering to ensure hardware and software meet research needs, and managing IT asset inventory. The position strategically coordinates with university and college resources to support student/faculty needs and projects efficiently and cost-effectively while maintaining security compliance and daily system maintenance. The Associate Director should have proven problem-solving skills and key technical skills, a "can do" attitude and the ability to work through challenging situations. The Associate Director must have the ability to interact effectively with stakeholders including faculty, students, administration, and external IT services. Candidates must have excellent written and oral communication skills, experience working on multiple concurrent projects and activities, and demonstrated initiative to research and learn new technologies. The ECE Department supports compute-intensive research areas. ECE Department represents a diverse range of needs, effectively leveraging centralized heterogeneous high-performance computing systems, identifying university-wide staff and services to support ECE research and teaching, as well as supporting the acquisition, installation and maintenance of customized local computing platforms. The department maintains many computer-based labs, some that are virtualized to increase efficiency and flexibility, while reducing maintenance efforts.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field
• Minimum of 3 years of IT infrastructure experience in a research or academic environment
• Experience with hardware and software support for Mac, PC, and Linux environments
• Strong knowledge of research computing environments and HPC systems
• Experience with specialized software including Cadence, TensorFlow, Keras, PyTorch, and Siemens EDA
• Understanding of IT security principles and compliance requirements
• Strong interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to work with diverse stakeholders and manage multiple projects

Preferred:

• Experience with educational technology development and web programming
• LAMP stack design and implementation experience
• Knowledge of GPU and FPGA cluster management
• Experience with federal research compliance and security requirements
• Background in AI/ML computing infrastructure

Personal Attributes:

• Must be flexible, enthusiastic, and energized by change
• Proven problem-solving skills and a "can do" attitude
• Ability to work effectively in challenging and dynamic situations
• Initiative to research and learn new technologies independently
• Strong customer service orientation for supporting faculty and student needs

Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities:

1. Teaching Lab Management & Support (25%)

• Work closely with the Assistant Director for Space and Lab Safety to manage and maintain undergraduate teaching laboratories and computing infrastructure
• Collaborate with the Assistant Director for Space and Lab Safety and lab technicians on IT infrastructure and architecture-related tasks for teaching spaces
• Understand and support teaching lab software including Cadence design tools
• Provide installation and troubleshooting support for Cadence software tools for faculty, students, and staff
• Coordinate lab scheduling, maintenance, and upgrades to support curriculum needs in partnership with lab safety oversight
• Ensure teaching lab systems meet pedagogical requirements and remain current while maintaining safety compliance

2. Faculty Research Support & Procurement Training (20%)

• Train incoming faculty on hardware procurement processes and university policies
• Conduct requirement gathering sessions to ensure hardware and software meet research needs
• Assist in planning and dimensioning specialized HPC systems and research infrastructure
• Provide technical consultation for grant proposals and equipment specifications
• Support faculty in navigating university procurement and approval processes

3. Administrative Workflows & Asset Management (15%)

• Create and implement administrative workflows for IT processes and procedures
• Manage comprehensive IT asset inventory including hardware, software, and licensing
• Oversee software licensing compliance and renewal processes
• Coordinate hardware purchasing and vendor management activities
• Develop and maintain documentation for all IT processes and systems

4. Security & Compliance Liaison (15%)

• Serve as primary liaison with the ITS Office of Information Security
• Coordinate security upgrades, patches, and compliance requirements
• Ensure research computing environments meet federal security standards
• Manage security protocols for DoD-funded and sensitive research projects
• Implement and maintain departmental cybersecurity best practices

5. AI Initiatives & Strategic Technology (25%)

• Support departmental AI initiatives and computing infrastructure development
• Coordinate with AI University, college, and department faculty committees
• Evaluate emerging technologies and their potential impact on departmental operations
• Lead technology planning for compute-intensive research growth areas
• Collaborate on interdisciplinary AI and ML computing requirements

Position Type

Information Technology

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.

Northeastern has a comprehensive benefits package for benefit eligible employees. This includes medical, vision, dental, paid time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement- as well as commuting & transportation. Visit https://hr.northeastern.edu/benefits/ for more information.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Compensation Grade/Pay Type:

112S

Expected Hiring Range:

$99,010.00 - $143,567.50

With the pay range(s) shown above, the starting salary will depend on several factors, which may include your education, experience, location, knowledge and expertise, and skills as well as a pay comparison to similarly-situated employees already in the role. Salary ranges are reviewed regularly and are subject to change.