IT Systems Engineer (m/f/d)

 The Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Göttingen conducts fundamental research in the field of solar system physics. With its approximately 300 staff members, it is one of the leading institutes in the field of solar physics and planetary research. In particular, the institute is involved in numerous international space missions.

The institute invites applications for an IT Systems Engineer (m/f/d) to work for the PLATO Data Center (PDC)

PLATO is a space mission of ESA’s Cosmic Vision Program, which aims to detect and characterize a large sample of exoplanets and their host stars. PLATO will be launched in 2026. At the MPS you will be part of a professional team working on multiple projects of the PDC. The MPS is a leading space research institute in Germany. The MPS is located in Göttingen and offers employees world-class facilities and an excellent working environment. The MPS has a long history of successful contributions to European and international space missions.

Your Tasks

• Contribute to the PDC system architecture and operations concept by defining a high availability environment that supports performant access to 10+PB of science data
• Setup and maintain the PLATO cluster environment running Kubernetes and Docker Swarm, including selecting and maintaining the hardware, network and operating systems
• Act as the technical interface between the PLATO development team and institute IT department
• Support the development team in setting up and maintaining the CI/CD chains
• Contribute to the production of PDC technical documentation in compliance with the applicable standards
• Participation in project meetings when required, which may imply traveling

Your Profile

• Strongly interested in working on a long-term space project (PLATO will launch in 2026)
• Bachelor or Master of Science degree in computer science or relevant experience
• Experience in managing Kubernetes and/or Docker Swarm
• Experience in partaking in a continuous integration workflow (i.e., gitflow and jenkins) as well as working as part of a SCRUM team
• Experience in administering Linux machines
• Ideally experienced in working with SLES 15 or comparable distributions
• Ideally experienced in high volume cold storage backup solution
• Ideally experienced in working with scientific code
• Very good command of the English language

Employment Conditions

• Remuneration is according to the German public salary scale TVöD-Bund
• Arrangements for flexible working time
• Arrangements for work and family life balance
• Health promotion services

Our Offer 

The position is available for an initial period of two years, with the possibility of an extension that is contingent upon performance and funding. The position may be filled by 1 October 2022 at the earliest.

Compensation and benefits will be in accordance with the German Collective Agreement for the Public Service (the baseline is TVöD E13, but the level would depend on your education and work experience)

The Max Planck Society strives for gender equity and diversity. We welcome applications from all backgrounds. The Max Planck Society is committed to employing more severely disabled people. Applications from severely disabled persons are explicitly encouraged.

Your Application

Please apply with a CV and application letter in English (certificates and reference letters may be in German) and the names and contact details of at least two references using our application portal. We look forward to receiving your online application via our portal.

Applications will be reviewed from September 01, 2022.

For any questions regarding the tasks contact Martin Schäfer, schaeferma@mps.mpg.de. 

For further information about the institute please visit our homepage https://www.mps.mpg.de.