Scientific Computing Officer (HPC Systems and Performance)

IRB Barcelona is looking for a Scientific Computing Officer to join its Scientific Computing team, with a focus on computing systems, scientific software and application performance.

The successful candidate will contribute to the operation and evolution of the institute’s High-Performance Computing infrastructure. The role will involve supporting scientific applications, understanding how software interacts with hardware and helping researchers run workloads efficiently on CPUs, GPUs and other computing resources.

We are looking for someone with a basic background in programming and Linux who is motivated to develop deeper expertise in HPC systems and performance engineering. Previous professional experience in this field is an advantage, but it is not essential.

KEY RESPONSABILITIES:

Support the operation of Linux-based scientific computing and HPC environments.

Install, configure, test and maintain scientific applications and software environments.

Compile scientific software and adapt build options to the available hardware.

Help diagnose performance, compatibility and resource-utilisation issues.

Support workloads running on CPUs, GPUs and heterogeneous computing systems.

Assist researchers in selecting suitable compute resources and job configurations.

Analyse application behaviour, memory use, parallelisation and data-access patterns.

Contribute to the maintenance of software stacks, modules, containers and development environments.

Create technical documentation, examples and operational procedures.

Collaborate with infrastructure, storage, networking and research teams.

Evaluate new technologies that could improve performance, usability or reproducibility.

YOU HAVE:

We do not expect candidates to already have extensive HPC experience. The essential requirements are:

Basic programming or scripting skills in at least one language, such as Python, Bash, C, C++, Fortran or a similar language.

Basic knowledge of Linux and command-line environments.

General understanding of scientific computing or data-processing workflows.

Interest in computer systems, scientific software and application performance.

Ability to troubleshoot technical problems in a structured way.

Willingness to learn about HPC architectures, compilers, GPUs and parallel computing.

Ability to work as part of a technical team and communicate with researchers.

Working knowledge of English.

NICE TO HAVE:

Experience or knowledge in any of the following areas would be valuable, but is not mandatory:

Computer architecture, including CPUs, memory hierarchies, caches, NUMA systems and storage I/O.

Compilation of C, C++ or Fortran scientific software.

Compilers such as GCC, LLVM, Intel oneAPI or NVIDIA HPC SDK.

Selection of compiler flags based on CPU architecture and available instruction sets.

Build systems such as CMake, Make, Autotools or Meson.

Scientific software deployment using Spack, EasyBuild, Conda or environment modules.

GPU computing using CUDA, ROCm, OpenCL or GPU-enabled scientific frameworks.

Parallel programming with MPI, OpenMP or similar technologies.

HPC workload managers, particularly Slurm.

Performance analysis, profiling and benchmarking tools.

Linux system administration, networking, storage or filesystems used in HPC environments.

Containers such as Apptainer, Singularity or Docker.

Scientific applications in areas such as molecular dynamics, structural biology, bioinformatics,

imaging, artificial intelligence or data science.

Automation, configuration management, continuous integration or infrastructure-as-code practices.

Git and collaborative software-development workflows.

WHAT WE VALUE:

We are looking for candidates with strong technical curiosity and an interest in understanding how scientific applications work from both the software and hardware perspectives. Candidates do not need to meet every item in the “nice to have” section to apply.

We particularly value curiosity, problem-solving skills and a willingness to learn.

WHAT WE OFFER:

To be a part a part of something meaningful: We are a biomedical research centre that tirelessly works to achieve a society free of diseases. Our mission is to carry out research of excellence to cure cancer and other diseases linked to ageing.

Good Working conditions: Permanent Contract (contrato de actividades científico-técnicas) linked to the scientific and technical activities of the Information Technology Services unit. Employed in compliance with Spanish legislation and regulations under a full-time contract. Employees receive the benefits of the Spanish Social Security system covering sickness, maternity/paternity leave and injuries at work.

Competitive salary: commensurate with experience and qualifications.

International Environment: we are home to nearly 500 researchers, technical and support staff from 45 countries.

Multidisciplinary Research: Research of excellence at the unique interface between biology, chemistry, and structural and computational biology.

Continuous Training: Transversal and general training is offered to our community (examples include research seminars, conferences, training in time management, scientific integrity, gender equality, health and safety, languages courses and emotional wellbeing).

Relocation & Visa Assistance: Trained staff provides support on visa paperwork, administrative requirements, and practical information on living and working in Barcelona, etc.

Social Life: We like to have fun. We promote several activities, like a Football League, an annual skiing trip, a Mountaineering Club, a Running Club and "Cool-off sessions", where members meet informally for drinks, snacks and scientific discussions.

Fairness: Our recruitment is open, transparent and merit-based, and all applicants compete on the same terms. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality, ethnic origin or disability.

HOW TO APPLY & SELECTION PROCESS:

Deadline for applications: 04/08/2026 (If no suitable candidate is found, the deadline will be extended)

Number of positions available: 1

Selection process:

Pre-selection: Will be based on CV, motivation letter & experience,

Interviews: Short-listed candidates will be interviewed.

Job offer: Will be sent to the successful candidate after the interview.

IRB BARCELONA endorses the Requirements and Principles of the European Charter for Researchers, the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers, and Open, Transparent, Merit-based recruitment promoted by the European Commission and follows Equal Opportunities policies.

On 9 December, 2014, IRB Barcelona was awarded the "HR Excellence in Research" logo. This recognition reflects the commitment of the Institute to the continuous improvement of its human resources policies in line with the Charter & Code. The Institute works to ensure fair and transparent recruitment and appraisal procedures.

Please check our Recruitment Policy.

Note: The strengths and weaknesses of the applications will be provided upon request.

ABOUT IRB BARCELONA:

Created in 2005 by the Generalitat de Catalunya (Government of Catalonia) and the University of Barcelona, IRB Barcelona, a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence since the first call in 2011, has received the accreditation four consecutive times.

The institute is devoted to conducting research of excellence in biomedicine and to transferring results to clinical practice, thus improving people’s quality of life, while simultaneously promoting the training of outstanding researchers, technology transfer, and public communication of science. Its 27 laboratories and 9 core facilities address basic questions in biology and are oriented towards diseases such as cancer, metastasis, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and rare conditions.

IRB Barcelona is an international centre that hosts 500 members from 45 nationalities. It is located in the Barcelona Science Park. IRB Barcelona forms part of the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST) and the “Xarxa de Centres de Recerca de Catalunya” (CERCA).

APPLY:

https://recruitment.irbbarcelona.org/jobs/8064439-scientific-computing-officer-hpc-systems-performance-ref-ad-26-09