Labs Systems Administrator

This is an incredible opportunity to be part of a company that has been at the forefront of AI and high-performance data storage innovation for over two decades. DataDirect Networks (DDN) is a global market leader renowned for powering many of the world's most demanding AI data centers, in industries ranging from life sciences and healthcare to financial services, autonomous cars, Government, academia, research and manufacturing.

"DDN's A3I solutions are transforming the landscape of AI infrastructure." – IDC 

“The real differentiator is DDN. I never hesitate to recommend DDN. DDN is the de facto name for AI Storage in high performance environments” - Marc Hamilton, VP, Solutions Architecture & Engineering | NVIDIA 

DDN is the global leader in AI and multi-cloud data management at scale. Our cutting-edge data intelligence platform is designed to accelerate AI workloads, enabling organizations to extract maximum value from their data. With a proven track record of performance, reliability, and scalability, DDN empowers businesses to tackle the most challenging AI and data-intensive workloads with confidence. 

Our success is driven by our unwavering commitment to innovation, customer-centricity, and a team of passionate professionals who bring their expertise and dedication to every project. This is a chance to make a significant impact at a company that is shaping the future of AI and data management. 

Our commitment to innovation, customer success, and market leadership makes this an exciting and rewarding role for a driven professional looking to make a lasting impact in the world of AI and data storage. 

DDN is hiring a Lab Administrator to support our GSS and Integration Lab operations. This role manages the physical and virtual infrastructure powering customer demos, engineering testing, and proof-of-concept environments. The position is 80% remote / 20% onsite (Colorado Springs preferred, but candidates from Pueblo to Denver—or remote for the right fit—will be considered).

Key Responsibilities

• Install, configure, and maintain lab infrastructure: bare-metal servers, VMware, Proxmox, Kubernetes, and DDN storage systems (SFA OS, EXAScaler, Infinia).

• Support high-performance networking (InfiniBand, RoCE, Ethernet) and manage switches (Juniper, Mellanox, Dell).

• Monitor and maintain lab operations, ensuring hardware/software reliability and uptime.

• Automate system provisioning and configuration using Ansible, Bash, and Python.

• Manage containerized and virtualized environments (Docker, Kubernetes, libvirt, QEMU, Vagrant).

• Coordinate lab scheduling, licensing, and resource availability.

• Document configurations, rack layouts, and lab readiness; maintain a dashboard and calendar.

• Partner with Systems Engineering field teams to support demos, application tests, and integration projects.

• Provide troubleshooting, system repairs, and occasional on-call/after-hours support.

Qualifications

• 3+ years’ experience in systems or data center administration across servers, storage, and networking.

• Strong Linux administration skills (RHEL, CentOS, Ubuntu) and comfort with remote management (IPMI, iDRAC).

• Hands-on with VMware, Proxmox, Kubernetes, and container orchestration.

• Experience with DDN storage products and high-performance networking environments.

• Proficiency in automation/scripting (Ansible, Bash, Python); familiarity with Puppet, SLURM, or similar tools a plus.

• Strong documentation, communication, and collaboration skills.

• Microsoft Office/SharePoint skills; basic Windows admin experience a plus.

• Relevant certifications (RHCSA, VMware VCP, CompTIA Server+) and lab/demo support experience preferred.

Salary Range for this role: $95,000 -$105,000.00

DDN has a very strong orientation towards these 4 characteristics and any successful employee will demonstrate these capabilities: 

Self-Starter - Takes independent action to identify and solve problems. Seeks out relevant information needed to make decisions. Gets involved with new initiatives. 

Success/Achievement Orientation - Delivers quality results consistently. Targets, achieves (or exceeds) measurable results. Sets challenging goals, focuses on critical priorities, and is accountable. 

Problem Solving - Recognizes problems and responds with a systematic assessment that identifies and addresses cause of issue. Practical, realistic, and resourceful. 

Innovative - Builds and improves key business processes that enhance the effectiveness of DDN. Generates new ideas, challenges the status quo, and solves problems creatively.

DataDirect Networks, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender, sex stereotyping, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

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