Senior Director, Research Computing

Duties & Responsibilities

Harvard Medical School (HMS) is a world-renowned Medical and Life-Sciences research and teaching institution that receives approx. $300M/year in research grants and contracts. 

The Senior Director of Research Computing (RC) will be a key strategic partner for HMS faculty, research departments, and programs in advancing the HMS research mission, and will develop the HMS Research Computing Strategic Plan to support faculty research. S/he will support the work of 150 HMS faculty laboratories as well as ~2000 participating researchers and clinicians from the Longwood Medical Area (LMA) hospitals and other prominent research institutions in the U.S and abroad.
Research computing resources including high-performance computing and data storage are increasingly crucial for the cutting-edge biomedical research performed at Harvard Medical School. The Senior Director RC will work with faculty to identify key trends in resource needs, including the need for training, and partner with the HMS infrastructure group and other groups within IT to develop innovative solutions that address emerging or highly specialized needs and maximize the ability of faculty and trainees to perform their research.

Reporting to the HMS Chief Information Officer, the Senior Director RC will lead a team of 13 experienced and creative scientific and professional staff.  S/he will foster partnerships within HMS IT and with Harvard University research computing teams, and other service providers to offer relevant and advanced technologies as supported services. 

The ideal candidate will have a keen interest in biomedical research, a proven track record of being highly collaborative, a history of successful faculty partnerships and the ability to be an effective and persuasive leader.
 

• Direct Research Computing consulting services and training efforts: assisting researchers with developing or choosing scientific computing workflows relevant to diverse life science domains, and implementing them effectively with HMS or other computational resources.
• Ensure proactive outreach to the HMS research community, foster direct HMS RC relationships with researchers, and across Harvard University IT, affiliate hospitals, and peer institutions. 
• Working with other Harvard offices, coordinate biomedical data management initiatives including data management planning, best practices, and compliance with funding agency requirements.
• Provide guidance and support to HMS core facilities on instrumentation data capture, compute and storage workflows for data analysis and integration, data reduction/visualization processes, and long-term preservation of useful experimental data.
• Guide and oversee the development of policies and practices to allow for effective and efficient use of HMS Research Computing and research data resources.
• Work with HMS IT to implement compliant, the standards-driven computing environment(s) to support the needs of the HMS research community
• Staff management responsibilities include building and developing a diverse and effective team; planning and delegating work effectively; communicating and monitoring performance expectations; motivating and developing direct reports, and ensuring compliance with HMS and Harvard policies and procedures. 
• Other duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications

• Masters or Ph.D. in a field with a strong scientific computing component, preferably in the biological sciences, and 7 years of experience working in a large-scale advanced research computing environment, with a minimum of 7 years managing a Research Computing team.
• History of cultivating a collaborative strategy, with the ability to establish and maintain strong relationships, to influence others, and move toward a common vision or goal.
• Direct experience with research data management, tiered storage lifecycle strategies, and usage/cost optimization.
•  Knowledge of batch processing, cluster management, and cloud orchestration techniques are essential.

Additional Qualifications

• High-level familiarity with high-performance computing trends and technologies.
• Experience with successful project management and delivery.
• Knowledge of file systems architecture and their effective use for storage and management of research data.
• Superior communication skills coupled with an ability to navigate a complex academic environment and work collaboratively with individuals at all levels.
• Direct experience with research data management, tiered storage lifecycle strategies, and usage/cost optimization.

Additional Information

Harvard offers an outstanding benefits package including:
 
Time Off: 3 - 4 weeks paid vacation, paid holiday break, 12 paid sick days, 11.5 paid holidays, and 3 paid personal days per year.
 
Medical/Dental/Vision: We offer a variety of excellent medical plans, dental & vision plans, all coverage begins as of your start date.
 
Retirement: University-funded retirement plan with full vesting after 3 years of service.
 
Tuition Assistance Program: Competitive tuition assistance program, $40 per class at the Harvard Extension School and discounted options through participating Harvard grad schools.
 
Transportation: Harvard offers a 50% discounted MBTA pass as well as additional options to assist employees in their daily commute.
 
Wellness options: Harvard offers programs and classes at little or no cost, including stress management, massages, nutrition, meditation and complementary health services.
 
Harvard access to athletic facilities, libraries, campus events and many discounts throughout metro Boston.
 
 
The Harvard Medical School is not able to provide visa sponsorship for this position.