System Administrator (Research infrastructure) – IT Service

The Research IT-Infrastructure group at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) is currently looking for two Linux administrators ideally with an academic background.

An important goal of our group is to enable tighter collaboration with relevant research departments at DTU, for example, to supervise student projects on contributions to open-source software we are using. While the main task of the two positions is administrating and maintaining our storage system and our private cloud solution, we are also setting up environments for students to experiment with open-source software and code changes. In the long term we are planning to supervise Bachelor/Master projects and potentially develop courses about effective use of large-scale Storage-, HPC-, cloud- and data management systems, including contributions to relevant open-source projects in this area.

About us

As part of our IT infrastructure at DTU we operate a Ceph storage cluster and an Opennebula private cloud instance. The Ceph cluster has a total raw capacity of 13PB distributed over 1000+ disk drives of different types. Our private cloud environment consists of 20 general access virtualization servers and 20 project specific restricted access servers. The number of restricted access servers for research projects is expected to grow considerably in the future.

The Ceph storage cluster provides software-defined storage to two major installations, the HPC cluster Sophia and our private cloud ONE. Besides maintaining these two production installations we plan to set up test clusters as a staging environment for updates, for our own developments, also for external Ceph developers to debug problems and test patches on a physical test installation.

About the two positions

You will be part of a homogenous and well-functioning team of 11 IT specialists, who work purposefully and professionally to help research at DTU with good IT solutions. We emphasize a structured, methodical and conscientious approach to the task with a high degree of understanding of the users' needs.

We are working preferentially with open-source solutions, and your primary tasks will be:

• maintain our Ceph storage cluster (full-stack) or our Private Cloud (full-stack)
• help HPC users with effective utilization of the CEPH file system or the Private Cloud system
• deploy and maintain test clusters
• develop and maintain our ansible automation playbooks
• develop and maintain our administration scripts
• documentation and user support

Both positions will include a period of education to get started. The length will depend on your initial experience with Linux and cluster administration. It will be possible to attend courses with relevant providers. Prior experience is not a hard requirement but an advantage that will be considered together with other skills.

What we are looking for - personal traits

• Curiosity wrt. Research Solutions' IT infrastructure and other projects that in time morph into sympathetic insight.
• You are interested in open-source software development.
• You are able to learn self-motivated and independently and pursue new knowledge as needed.
• Openness and collaborative skills (e.g. humility & will to compromise).
• Effort-dedication to documenting own as well as collaborative work.
• Keep track of tasks and quickly reach out when stuck.
• A patient and user-friendly attitude.

What we are looking for – professional experience

• You have experience with Linux as an operating system.
• You (ideally) have some contributions to publicly available open-source projects as reference.
• An academic background is an advantage, but not a must.
• You are interested in software defined storage, in Private Cloud and virtualization in linux and HPC. Please detail the most relevant prior experience as user and/or administrator.
• If you have a Ph.D. or higher academic degree, please include references for up to 3 collaborative research papers (journal or preprint). A University degree is an advantage but not a requirement.
• Experience with automation tools like ansible is an advantage. Please mention examples if applicable.
• Experience with different programming languages (including C/C++) is an advantage. Please state your level of experience and provide references to relevant projects you contributed to if applicable.
• You are proficient in English. You either speak Danish or are learning the Language.

What we offer in return

As our new colleague you will be part of a team that works in a dedicated and professional way to support research in- and outside DTU with excellent IT solutions. We emphasize a structured, methodological, and conscientious way of working with a high level of understanding of user needs.

We work with challenging and exciting technologies at one of the leading technical universities in Europe. The team is actively supporting research in the field of sustainable energy technologies in Europe.

We place emphasis on a high level of professionalism among our staff, so skills development is an integral part of our organization.

We offer great flexibility in the position. This does not only apply to work hours and -location, but also to a high degree of self-leadership. As is typical for academic environments, we encourage administrators to take ownership of and responsibility for the services offered and grant a large degree of freedom about decisions regarding how and with what components to provide a service.

Salary and appointment terms

Salary and employment terms in accordance with the LC/CO10-Joint Agreement and the organization agreement for IT employees (Prosa) in the service of the state or the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC).

The position is a full-time position. Starting date is 1st April 2026 (or according to mutual agreement).

The workplace is DTU Risø Campus.

Application and contact

Please submit your online application no later than 28 February 2026 (23:59 Danish time) . Open the “Apply now” link, complete the form and attach your motivated application, CV and exam certificates. We will hold ongoing interviews until the position is filled.

If you would like additional information about the position, please contact Teamlead, Research IT-Infrastructure Martin Jespersen, +45 9351 1816, martje@dtu.dk , System Administrator David Drotar, drotar@dtu.dk or System administrator Nikolaj Hult-Christensen, +45 61 39 62 78, nikhu@dtu.dk .

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, disability, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.

Technology for people

DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear mission to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That mission lives on today. DTU has 13,500 students and 6,000 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland, and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.