About BIIE
The Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering is a new interdisciplinary research institute dedicated to innovation in immune engineering. Founded through a generous endowment from Fondation Botnar, the BIIE supports scientists in tackling some of the world's most challenging problems in immunology and global health. The institute unites experts across immunology, biomedicine, bioengineering, computational biology, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, creating a unique multidisciplinary environment with a mission to make a lasting impact and train future leaders in immune engineering. BIIE's cutting-edge research spans systems immunology, synthetic biology, and computational immunology – all underpinned by advanced scientific computing and data analysis.
Position Overview
We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Head of IT and Scientific Computing to lead the development of BIIE's IT strategy and research computing infrastructure. In this senior role, you will provide overall leadership for the institute's information technology operations and high-performance computing resources, ensuring they align with and support BIIE's scientific mission. You will oversee everything from everyday IT services to specialized scientific computing platforms, building a robust, secure, and state-of-the-art infrastructure that empowers our researchers to achieve breakthroughs in immune engineering. This is an exciting opportunity to shape a world-class IT environment from the ground up, working closely with both scientists and administrative staff to enable groundbreaking discoveries and innovation.
Key Responsibilities
1. IT Strategy & Leadership: Develop and implement a comprehensive IT and scientific computing strategy for BIIE, aligning technology initiatives with the institute's research goals and growth plans. Provide guidance to senior management on the most effective IT policies and investments, ensuring that BIIE remains at the forefront of technological innovation in research computing.
2. Infrastructure Build-Out: Lead the design, deployment, and maintenance of the institute's IT infrastructure, including high-speed networks, servers and virtualization environments, large-scale data storage systems, and high-performance computing clusters. Ensure this infrastructure is robust, scalable, and capable of supporting the demanding data-intensive workflows of BIIE's scientists.
3. Scientific Computing Support: Provide world-class scientific computing facilities to the research teams. This includes managing HPC resources (compute clusters, GPU servers, etc.) optimized for high-throughput data analysis and machine learning tasks, as well as implementing advanced storage and backup solutions for large datasets. You will enable researchers to translate their scientific ideas into well-supported computational workflows, removing technological barriers to discovery.
4. Data Security & Compliance: Ensure robust data security, integrity, and privacy across all IT systems. Implement and routinely test backup procedures and disaster recovery plans to safeguard critical research data. Maintain compliance with best practices and relevant regulations for data protection, especially in a biomedical research context, and enforce policies to maintain a secure computing environment.
5. IT Operations & User Support: Oversee day-to-day IT operations, including networks and connectivity, laboratory and office computing, software applications, and databases supporting research and administration. The Head of IT will interface with both scientific and administrative staff to understand their needs and ensure prompt, effective support for hardware, software, and data workflows. Foster an IT service culture that is responsive and user-focused, enabling staff and scientists at all levels to work efficiently with technology.
6. Team Management and Development: Manage and mentor a team of IT professionals and scientific computing support staff. Set clear goals, delegate responsibilities, and cultivate an environment of continuous learning and improvement. Build an in-house team with the skills and motivation to maintain reliable IT services and develop innovative solutions for new research challenges.
7. Strategic Projects & Innovation: Identify opportunities for technical improvements and drive the evaluation and adoption of new technologies (e.g. cloud computing, virtualization, AI tools) that could enhance BIIE's IT capabilities. Plan for the institute's medium- and long-term computing needs, ensuring that our IT infrastructure and services scale with the growth of the institute and remain