OpenStack Cloud Engineer

Job Posting Organization:
CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is a leading scientific research institution established in 195

• It is located in Geneva, Switzerland, and is known for its groundbreaking work in particle physics. CERN employs over 2,500 staff members and collaborates with thousands of scientists from around the world. The organization operates in multiple countries, fostering an environment of innovation and collaboration among diverse professionals from various fields, including engineering, technical, scientific, and administrative roles. CERN's mission is to push the frontiers of science and technology, contributing to our understanding of the universe through cutting-edge research.

Job Overview:
The OpenStack Cloud Engineer position at CERN is a unique opportunity for individuals passionate about cloud infrastructure and large-scale service operations. The role involves working within CERN's IT Cloud team to manage and develop the OpenStack-based cloud infrastructure that supports a majority of CERN and LHC experiment services. The engineer will engage in hands-on experience with one of the world's largest scientific clouds, focusing on service reliability, automation, and feature development. The position requires collaboration with experienced engineers and the upstream OpenStack community, providing a platform for professional growth and contribution to open-source software. The engineer will be responsible for delivering infrastructure that enables groundbreaking research, making this role critical to the success of CERN's scientific endeavors.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The duties and responsibilities of the OpenStack Cloud Engineer include: running and evolving CERN IT's OpenStack-based cloud infrastructure; contributing to the operation and development of cloud services, including compute, storage, networking, and related infrastructure components; developing and maintaining automation and tooling using Python and configuration management systems; collaborating with other IT teams and user communities to design and integrate new capabilities and services; contributing bug fixes and improvements upstream, leveraging CERN's strong links with the OpenStack open-source community; participating in troubleshooting and performance optimization of large-scale distributed systems; and further enhancing the service's automation to ensure scalability and manageability.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must have experience administering or working with Linux systems in a server or data-center environment. They should possess experience writing Python scripts or applications for automation or systems tasks. Familiarity with cloud platforms, virtualization technologies, or distributed systems is considered a plus. Experience with configuration management tools such as Puppet or Ansible, as well as container technologies, CI/CD systems, or software-defined networking, is also advantageous. Contributions to open-source projects or upstream communities will be viewed favorably. Strong knowledge of the Linux operating system, experience with git version control, and programming experience in Python are essential. Candidates should have an interest in cloud infrastructure and large-scale distributed systems, and familiarity with configuration management systems is a plus. Understanding of networking concepts and storage technologies is also beneficial. The ability to collaborate in a multidisciplinary, international team and communicate clearly is crucial.

Educational Background:
Applicants must hold a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science or a related field. It is important to note that applicants without a university degree are not eligible for this position, nor are those with a PhD. By the application deadline, candidates should have a maximum of two years of professional experience since graduation in their respective fields.

Experience:
The position requires candidates to have a maximum of two years of professional experience since graduation. This experience should be relevant to the responsibilities of the OpenStack Cloud Engineer role, particularly in areas such as Linux administration" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">system administration, Python scripting, and cloud infrastructure management.

Languages:
Fluency in spoken and written English is mandatory, and candidates should demonstrate a commitment to learning French. Proficiency in additional languages may be considered an asset but is not explicitly required for this position.

Additional Notes:
The application deadline for this position is set for 10.08.2026 at 23:59 CEST. The contract duration is initially for 24 months, with the possibility of extension up to a maximum of 36 months. The working hours are 40 hours per week, and the job offers flexibility with a hybrid working model. The target start date for the position is 01-November-202

• The job reference is IT-CD-CLI-2026-180-GRAE, and it falls under the field of Software Engineering and IT, benchmarked as job 200020 - Computing Engineer. The compensation includes a monthly stipend ranging from 5266 to 5793 Swiss Francs, which is tax-free, along with 30 days of paid leave per year, comprehensive health insurance coverage, family allowances, and a relocation package depending on individual circumstances. Additionally, the position offers opportunities for on-the-job and formal training, including language classes.