{"id":3411474,"url":"https://alion.io/job/kaust-discovery-research-user-computing-linux-specialist","title":"Research User Computing Linux Specialist","company":{"id":36398,"name":"KAUST","domain":"kaust.edu.sa","url":"https://alion.io/company/kaust-discovery","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"SuccessFactors","truth_index":null},"role":"DevOps","role_family":"DevOps","seniority":null,"employment_type":null,"work_mode":"remote","remote_scope":"stated_countries","remote_scope_basis":"board_field","remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Saudi Arabia"],"countries":["SA"],"hiring_countries":["SA"],"hiring_countries_total":1,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"GitOps","optional":false},{"name":"HPC","optional":false},{"name":"IAM","optional":false},{"name":"Linux","optional":false},{"name":"Red Hat","optional":false},{"name":"Ubuntu","optional":false},{"name":"CIS Benchmarks","optional":true},{"name":"CUDA","optional":true},{"name":"ITIL","optional":true},{"name":"NIST 800-171","optional":true},{"name":"NIST 800-53","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-22T02:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-22","last_verified_at":"2026-11-03T07:00:47Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":42,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":42},"description":"About the Role\nThe Research User Computing Linux Specialist designs, operates, and continuously improves KAUST's Linux-based research end-user computing platforms, including Ubuntu and Rocky Linux endpoints, physical scientific workstations, and virtual scientific workstation services. This role enables secure, reliable, and high-performance access to scientific desktop environments for faculty, researchers, and students.\nResponsibilities\nAdminister, maintain, and improve Ubuntu and Rocky Linux end-user platforms to provide stable and secure scientific workstation services for KAUST's research and academic communities.\nDevelop, standardize, and maintain Linux workstation builds and images for physical and virtual scientific desktops, ensuring consistency, reliability, and readiness for research use.\nManage and support remote scientific workstation platforms, including NICE DCV and Kasm Workspaces, to enable secure, high-performance access to research desktop environments.\nAutomate provisioning, configuration, patching, monitoring, and compliance activities using scripting, configuration management, Infrastructure as Code, and GitOps-aligned practices.\nTroubleshoot and resolve complex Linux endpoint, workstation, remote desktop, GPU, driver, performance, identity, storage, and network-related issues, escalating where deeper platform or infrastructure support is required.\nIntegrate Linux desktops and workstations with enterprise IAM, storage, network, monitoring, security, and endpoint management services to support compliant and reliable operations.\nPartner with faculty, researchers, students, research labs, HPC, storage, security, and advanced computing teams to understand scientific workflows and translate requirements into sustainable workstation solutions.\nSupport installation, validation, and maintenance of scientific and research software on Linux workstation environments, considering compatibility, performance, reproducibility, and user needs.\nImplement and maintain security and compliance controls for Linux workstation environments, including patching, hardening, audit logging, endpoint security, and alignment with KAUST policies and relevant frameworks.\nDevelop and maintain operational documentation, runbooks, user guidance, dashboards, and service metrics to improve supportability, transparency, and continuous improvement.\nEvaluate new Linux desktops, remote access, virtualization, automation, and scientific workstation technologies, and provide recommendations to improve service quality and platform capability.\nPerform other applicable tasks and duties assigned within the realm of the employee's knowledge, skills, and abilities in the field of the position.\nQualifications\nEssential: Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, Computer Engineering, Engineering, or a related field.\nPreferred: Relevant Linux certification such as Red Hat Certified Engineer, Linux Foundation Certified Engineer, LPIC, or equivalent.\nCertification or formal training in configuration management, automation, security, IT service management, NICE DCV, Kasm Workspaces, or related platforms is desirable.\nSecurity, cloud, networking, or endpoint management certifications such as Security+, CISSP, CCNA, ITIL, or equivalent are desirable.\nRequired Skills\nStrong Linux administration and troubleshooting skills across endpoint, workstation, and scientific desktop environments.\nStrong automation mindset, with the ability to reduce manual work through scripting, configuration management, Infrastructure as Code, and repeatable operational processes.\nGood understanding of research and scientific computing needs, including GPU-enabled workstations, specialized software, reproducibility, performance, and secure remote access.\nAbility to diagnose issues across operating systems, drivers, remote desktop platforms, identity, storage, network, security controls, and user-side configurations.\nCustomer-centric approach, with the ability to work directly with faculty, researchers, students, and technical teams, communicate clearly, and set realistic expectations.\nStrong documentation and continuous improvement mindset, with the ability to create runbooks, standards, support materials, and operational metrics.\nGood collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with platform, network, security, IAM, storage, HPC, vendor, and research support teams.\nAwareness of security, compliance, auditability, and operational risk in enterprise and research computing environments.\nAbility to prioritize work in a deadline-driven research and teaching environment while maintaining service reliability and user trust.\nWillingness to learn and evaluate new Linux, remote workstation, automation, and scientific computing technologies.\nPreferred Skills\nHands-on experience with remote scientific workstation platforms such as NICE DCV, Kasm Workspaces, or similar technologies.\nExperience with GPU-enabled Linux workstations, NVIDIA/CUDA environments, scientific software stacks, or specialized research desktop environments.\nExposure to security and compliance baselines such as NIST 800-171, NIST 800-53, CIS Benchmarks, ISO standards, or institutional security requirements.\nExperience working directly with faculty, researchers, students, labs, vendors, and cross-functional IT teams to gather requirements and deliver sustainable technical solutions.","description_format":"text","description_chars":5416,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"Saudi Arabia","iso":"SA","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Higher 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