DevOps Engineer

Job Posting Organization:
CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, was established in 1954 and is one of the world's largest and most respected centres for scientific research. With a mission to probe the fundamental structure of the universe, CERN employs a diverse workforce of physicists and engineers who work together to study the basic constituents of matter. The organization operates in multiple countries and is known for its cutting-edge research and advanced scientific instruments. Diversity has been an integral part of CERN's mission since its foundation, and it is committed to employing a diverse workforce as a central aspect of its success.

Job Overview:
The DevOps Engineer position within CERN's Identity and Account Management (IAM) team is focused on developing and maintaining the authorization services that support one of the largest scientific computing infrastructures in the world. The role involves scaling up grid token issuers to meet the future needs of physics experiments and providing advanced user support. The IAM team consists of nine members who work collaboratively to ensure the reliability and scalability of services. The engineer will be responsible for feature development, maintenance of OAuth Token Issuers running on Kubernetes, and guiding technical users in their authorization architectures. This position is ideal for someone passionate about secure and scalable infrastructure, with a strong background in software engineering and IT.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The primary duties and responsibilities of the DevOps Engineer include:

• Developing and maintaining OAuth Token Issuers to ensure they meet the demands of future physics experiments.
• Ensuring the reliability and scalability of the authorization services.
• Providing advanced user support, including guidance for technical users on their authorization architectures.
• Collaborating with team members to implement best practices in containerization and cloud infrastructure.
• Participating in feature development and maintenance tasks related to the IAM services.
• Utilizing GitOps methodologies to manage infrastructure as code.
• Engaging in continuous learning and improvement of skills related to Kubernetes and OAuth2/OIDC.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess proven experience in containerization and Java development. A strong knowledge of OAuth2 and OIDC is essential, along with experience in Kubernetes being a plus. Familiarity with X.509 certificates and GitOps methodologies (such as Kustomize and ArgoCD) is also advantageous. Additionally, candidates must demonstrate spoken and written proficiency in English or French, with a commitment to learn the basics of the other language. Eligibility criteria include being a national of a CERN Member or Associate Member State and having a maximum of two years of professional experience since graduation in Computer Science or a related field.

Educational Background:
The educational background required for this position includes either a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science or a related field. Applicants without a university degree are not eligible, and those with a PhD are also not eligible for this position. Candidates must have graduated within the last two years to meet the eligibility criteria.

Experience:
The position requires a maximum of two years of professional experience since graduation. This experience should be relevant to the field of software engineering, particularly in areas related to containerization, Java development, and authorization services. Candidates who have previously held a CERN fellow or graduate contract are not eligible to apply.

Languages:
Proficiency in spoken and written English or French is mandatory for this position. Candidates should also be committed to learning the basics of the other language, which is considered a valuable asset for effective communication within the team and organization.

Additional Notes:
The contract duration for this position is 24 months, with a possible extension of up to 36 months maximum. The working hours are set at 40 hours per week, with a target start date of 01-October-202

• The job reference for this position is IT-PW-IAM-2025-127-GRAE. The compensation includes a monthly stipend ranging between 5196 and 5716 Swiss Francs (net of tax), coverage by CERN's comprehensive health scheme for the employee and their family, and membership in the CERN Pension Fund. Additional benefits may include an installation grant, family allowances, and payment of travel expenses at the beginning and end of the contract. Employees are entitled to 30 days of paid leave per year and will have access to on-the-job and formal training, as well as in-house language courses.