GNU/Linux System Administrator for Radio Telescope Infrastructure

Are you a flexible, detail-oriented sysadmin who thrives in a team? Is the server room your natural habitat? Do you have experience with high-performance computing and large-scale data, and do you want to apply that expertise in a dynamic, international scientific environment? Then ASTRON is looking for you.

GNU/Linux System Administrator

UNLEASH YOUR POTENTIAL

As a system administrator, you will be part of the ICT group and work on the hardware infrastructure of the LOFAR and Westerbork (WSRT) radio telescopes, as well as the Science Data Center. LOFAR is a unique radio telescope consisting of antenna stations spread across Europe, connected via a high-speed network to a central processing facility. At this location, a GPU-based cluster reduces data in real-time, and an HPC compute cluster of 50 nodes processes data on a multi-petabyte file system. The system generates 6 PB of science data products each year, made available to the astronomical community via a distributed archive.

You will strive to provide excellent service to our scientific community by maintaining stable, efficient server operations and delivering the data researchers need. You will collaborate with scientists and engineers at ASTRON and European universities, and with specialists at leading HPC facilities across Europe, to build the next generation of scientific data services. These services are built around our fast-growing distributed data stores for LOFAR and WSRT, currently totaling over 24 PB.

Together with the rest of the ICT group and the Center for Information Technology at the University of Groningen, you will enhance the overall performance and reliability of our systems and prepare them for future developments. Your main focus areas will be:

• Engineering solutions for various project and operational needs
• Proactively monitoring system performance and planning for future capacity
• Administration of database clusters and storage arrays
• Support and administration of various development infrastructure tools
• Providing input on ways to improve the stability, security, and efficiency of the environment
  
  
  

WHY ASTRON?

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Why should you choose ASTRON? Everybody here works on the forefront of innovation. We are constantly pushing the boundaries of what is technologically possible to make discoveries in radio astronomy happen. Further, we care deeply about the wider impact of our work: we aim to innovate in a way that benefits society as a whole. This includes a commitment to reduce the environmental footprint of our work, leading to a real focus on circular and green computing.

We believe that diversity is key to our success. We are dedicated to creating a safe and inclusive workspace for everybody, and we are especially interested in applications from women and other traditionally under-represented groups. We are building an institute where you can work alongside international experts from a variety of fields in a culture of mutual respect and support. We want to see all of our staff, whatever their background or characteristics, thrive and grow in an inspirational environment.

What's more, the ASTRON premises are situated in a fantastic area in the middle of a beautiful national park. Since we are surrounded by stunning scenery, our lunch walks are like little vacations, and you can often see hares, fawns, and deer grazing around the building. We work where people travel to relax and enjoy their vacation!

What You Can Expect From Us

• An inclusive, innovative, and pleasant working environment with an international and inspiring work culture.
• A dynamic, multidisciplinary ICT team working at the intersection of astronomy, HPC, and data engineering — with real opportunities to grow your expertise in cutting-edge infrastructure.
• Opportunities and encouragement to accelerate and develop yourself and your career.
• The exceptional combination of astronomy, operations and engineering in one building.
• Employment conditions tailored to your needs (part-time appointment, parental leave, working from home, etc.).
• A full-time contract in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of two years. Salary is in accordance with the CAO-onderzoeksinstellingen, with additional benefits including a solid ABP pension scheme and generous relocation support.
• A holiday allowance of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.33% of the gross annual salary, plus 42 vacation days per year on a full-time basis.
  
  
  

Generous relocation expenses and support with finding accommodation for candidates relocating to the Netherlands.

CALLING ALL TALENTED SYSTEM ADMINISTRATORS WHO:

We are looking for two GNU/Linux system administrators: one at junior/mid level and one at senior level. Our ideal candidates bring the following qualities:

Essential requirements:

• A BSc degree in Computer Science or a related technical discipline (WO/HBO)
• Proven experience with Linux/Unix-based server infrastructure
• Affinity for complex technological environments and research-supporting organizations
• Strong problem-solving capabilities and a customer-oriented attitude focused on serving the scientific community
• A collaborative mindset, combined with the drive to take initiative based on your areas of expertise
• Excellent command of the English language is required; command of the Dutch language is an advantage.
  
  
  

Ideally you also have:

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• Experience with data center operations
• Familiarity with cluster file systems such as Lustre or Ceph, and virtualization/container technologies (QEMU/KVM, LXD, Kubernetes)
• Working knowledge of modern networking practices and infrastructure configuration/provisioning with Ansible
  
  
  

We strongly believe that progress, creativity and innovation is only possible in an inclusive and diverse environment. Therefore, we value the unique skills and qualities you bring to the table. While we appreciate a range of Linux administration and HPC expertise, please note that not ticking all the boxes does not diminish our interest in your application. Therefore, we warmly welcome everyone and in particular women and individuals from under-represented groups to apply for an interview.

To discover firsthand experiences of colleagues who love working at ASTRON click this link.

Collaboration at our office sparks some of the best ideas and solutions to complex problems. Therefore, we work at least 60% of our time at ASTRON. If you face difficulties coming to the office, we'll be glad to consider exceptions on a case-by-case basis.

LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR APPLICATION

If you are interested in this exciting opportunity, then we would very much like to meet you! Please visit our website www.jobsatastron.nl to apply with your motivation letter and curriculum vitae. Candidates will be considered until the position has been filled. For more information, please contact Auke Klazema, ICT coordinator, by email at klazema@astron.nl or by phone at 0591-595257.

REACTIONS

You can apply for this job by sending your letter and curriculum vitae to ASTRON through www.jobsatastron.nl. The closing date is March 30, 2026. Candidates will be considered until the position has been filled.

The vacancy will be advertised both internally and externally. Internal candidates will be given priority in the procedure if they are equally suitable.

We are seeking responses from individual candidates, not employment agencies.