Computing 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 centers for scientific research. With a mission to probe the fundamental structure of the universe, CERN employs a diverse workforce of over 2,500 staff members and thousands of scientists from around the globe. The organization operates in multiple countries, collaborating with more than 150 computing centers across over 40 nations, making it a pivotal player in the field of particle physics and scientific discovery.

Job Overview:
The position of Computing Engineer at CERN is designed for motivated computing graduates who are eager to contribute to a global scientific infrastructure. The role involves improving the monitoring and understanding of computing resources across the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid (WLCG). As part of the Technical Coordination group within the CERN IT department, the engineer will be responsible for designing, deploying, and validating a scalable monitoring system for data transfers utilizing the XRootD protocol. This technology is crucial for efficiently reading and moving scientific data across global storage infrastructures, ensuring that data traffic is reliably monitored and visible in near real-time. The successful candidate will work at the intersection of distributed computing, data engineering, and monitoring automation, supporting the global computing infrastructure that underpins scientific discoveries at the LHC.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The duties and responsibilities of the Computing Engineer include contributing to the design, validation, and deployment of site components for XRootD data monitoring, ensuring integration with existing CERN and WLCG infrastructure. The engineer will participate in validating monitoring metrics by comparing collector data with network traffic statistics. Additionally, they will design and implement automated workflows for data quality validation, anomaly detection, and metric correlation across distributed sites. Collaboration with experiment and site administrators is essential to ensure the interoperability, scalability, and reliability of the new monitoring framework. The engineer will also contribute to the evolution of WLCG monitoring dashboards and data analytics services, utilizing modern DevOps practices and containerized environments such as GitLab CI/CD and Kubernetes.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess experience or a strong interest in software development for distributed systems and large-scale data infrastructures. A background in data engineering or monitoring pipeline integration is essential, with familiarity in tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, or InfluxDB. Exposure to Linux environments, scripting, and Git-based collaborative workflows is required. Familiarity with network monitoring, time-series data handling, or performance analysis tools is also important. Hands-on experience in building or operating containerized services (Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift) is desirable. Programming experience in Python and solid knowledge of Linux environments are necessary, along with familiarity with distributed systems, network monitoring, and data streaming frameworks. Some experience or interest in Go (Golang) would be an advantage, as well as experience with REST APIs and structured data formats (JSON, Avro, Parquet). Experience with data processing frameworks such as Apache Kafka or Spark is also beneficial.

Educational Background:
Candidates must have a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Software Engineering or a related field. It is important to note that applicants without a university degree are not eligible for this position, and those with a PhD are also not eligible. The educational background should be complemented by a maximum of two years of professional experience since graduation by the application deadline.

Experience:
The position requires candidates to have a maximum of two years of professional experience since graduation in a relevant field. This experience should ideally be in software engineering or a closely related area, ensuring that the candidate is well-prepared to take on the responsibilities of the role.

Languages:
Fluency in spoken and written English is mandatory, and candidates should demonstrate a commitment to learning French, which is considered an asset for the position.

Additional Notes:
The contract duration for this position is 24 months, with the possibility of extension up to a maximum of 36 months. The working hours are set at 40 hours per week, and the job offers flexibility with a hybrid working model. The target start date for the position is February 1, 202

• The job reference for this position is IT-TC-LCG-2025-241-GRAE. 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 various allowances depending on individual circumstances. Additionally, employees receive 30 days of paid leave per year and opportunities for on-the-job and formal training at CERN, as well as in-house language courses.