Fast Facts

The Executive Director of Research Computing at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville will lead the Research Computing Cluster and provide strategic direction to enhance research capabilities across all campuses.

Responsibilities: Key responsibilities include executing the strategic vision for research computing, collaborating with faculty to meet emerging computational needs, ensuring service excellence, and leading grant proposal submissions for computing infrastructure.

Skills: Required skills include excellent interpersonal and leadership capabilities, decision-making, problem-solving, and proficiency in research computing systems and software.

Qualifications: Bachelor's degree required; Master's preferred. Minimum 10 years experience in research computing with a strong focus on high-performance environments and personnel management.

Location: Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

Compensation: $130000 - $160000 / Annually

Executive Director of Research Computing

Office of Innovative Technologies - UTK

Knoxville, TN, United States (Hybrid)

Job Description

The Executive Director of Research Computing provides leadership and management for the staff and services for the UT Research Computing Cluster, which provides services to the faculty and students across all of the UT campuses and institutes. This position works closely with administrative and faculty advisory boards to set long-term direction of the group, aligning with strategic goals of the University. This position will direct a team focused on the delivery of high performance research capability, including the design, deployment and operation of an advanced computing cluster as well as staff who can work with high profile faculty on applying advanced research techniques involving compliant on premise and cloud computing resources and/or high performance computing.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Execute the strategic vision for research computing, aligning with the UT’s research priorities, including the HPC, Cloud and AI initiatives.
• Collaborate with schools, departments, research centers, and faculty to identify emerging computational needs and opportunities. Identify opportunities for innovation and growth.
• Align the facility's goals with UT’s overall research strategy.

Service Excellence

• Drive service improvements with a strong focus on faculty needs, ensuring research computing services are responsive to emerging research and technology opportunities.
• Evaluate and improve services through fact-based measurement, service level definitions, sound financial practices, security policy, and effective user-focused and faculty-centric governance processes.
• Ensure continuous alignment with institutional research priorities and discipline-specific computing requirements.

Trusted Partner

• Build strong collaborative relationships with faculty, providing reliable expertise to address research computing needs.
• Assist faculty in drafting research proposals, identifying computational solutions, and resolving technical challenges.
• Act as a strategic advisor, ensuring sustainable, cost-effective solutions for faculty research projects.
• Collaborates with other technical leaders and services providers including the secure research computing group.

Research and Scholarship

• Lead the preparation and submission of major grant proposals for computing infrastructure and research projects.
• Collaborate with faculty and researchers to craft compelling grant narratives that align with institutional priorities and funding agency goals
• Co-author high-impact publications in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings, demonstrating the institution's leadership in research computing
• Cultivate relationships with internal and external partners (industry, government labs, other academic institutions) that can lead to joint publications and expanded research opportunities

Communication and Engagement

• Foster an engaged community of researchers by facilitating open communication and regular updates on HPC capabilities.
• Articulate complex technical concepts clearly to both non-technical stakeholders and technical experts, ensuring alignment between researchers and IT services.
• Actively listen to faculty feedback and adjust services to meet evolving research needs.

Technical and Service Expertise

• Maintain an in-depth knowledge of research computing systems and their associated components, whether on-premises or in the cloud.
• Provide expert leadership in computational computing, including AI, hardware, software, and data.
• Serve as an expert with computational tools, software, and programming languages commonly used in research.
• Ensure compliance with federal requirements relevant to university needs, including the evolving AI guidelines

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s required with a Master’s strongly preferred
• Experience: 10 years of progressively increased job responsibility relevant to research computing.
• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Excellent leadership ability.
• Excellent decision-making skills.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Excellent problem-solving skills.
• Excellent conflict management skills.
• Excellent listening and analytical skills.
• Demonstrated ability to delegate tasks appropriately and mentor staff.
• Demonstrated ability to simultaneously manage multiple tasks/projects.
• Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, and training
• Knowledge of computer hardware and software
• Productivity application skills (Microsoft Office, Office 365, and Google)
• Good time management skills
• Excellent knowledge best practices and protocols relative to research computing

Preferred Qualifications

• Education: Master's degree
• Experience:In depth experience in research computing, establishing secure, high performance computing environments within a major research institution.
• Experience could include, but is not limited to, system architecture, job scheduling, distributed processing, parallel code, data science (hadoop, spark, tensorflow).
• Previous supervisory experience.

Work Location:

• Location: Knoxville, UTK’s main campus
• Onsite or hybrid

Compensation and Benefits:

• UT market range: 20
• Anticipated hiring range: $130,000 – 160,000
• Find more information on the UT Market Range structure here
• Find more information on UT Benefits here

Application Instructions:

To express interest, please submit an application with the noted below attachments. To be assured of full consideration, completed applications with all requested materials should be submitted on or before [DATE]

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• List of 3 Professional References

About Us

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has shaped leaders, changemakers, and innovative thinkers since its founding in 1794. The university is home to more than 38,000 students and 10,000 statewide employees—the Volunteers—who uphold the university’s tradition of lighting the way for others through leadership and service.

UT Knoxville offers over 900 programs of study across 14 degree-granting colleges and schools. As Tennessee’s flagship land-grant university, its footprint spans the entire state. The university holds the highest Carnegie classification for research activity and has deep partnerships with industry leaders and the US Department of Energy’s largest multidisciplinary laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The Knoxville campus serves and recruits for UT Knoxville, including the Institute of Agriculture and the Space Institute, as well as the UT Institute of Public Service. 

UT Knoxville considers its employees its number one asset. With values that focus on work-life balance, compensation, and innovation leadership, all Vols are supported to advance professionally. Employees have access to career development and coaching, continued education, and an extensive list of development and training possibilities. The Volunteer employee experience implements structures and practices that attract and retain a diverse community and that support a culture where everyone matters and belongs. 

The university holds a strong commitment to its land-grant mission of learning and engagement, with a tradition of service and leadership that carries that Volunteer spirit throughout the state and around the world. It has been ranked nationally as “Best Employer for New Graduates,” “One of America’s Best Large Employers,” and “Best Workplace for Women,” and has been designated as “Best Place for Working Parents” by Forbes Magazine. 

https://fa-ewlq-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1/job/5062

Job Identification: 5062

Job Category: Info Technology

Job Schedule: Full time

Location: Knoxville, TN, 37996

The University of Tennessee is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA institution in the provision of its education and employment programs and services. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to, and will not be discriminated against on the basis of, race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, or covered veteran status.