The Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) develops and operates a high-performance computing and data research infrastructure that supports world-class science in Switzerland. Its user laboratory is available to domestic and international researchers in academia, industry, and the business sector. The centre is operated by ETH Zurich and has offices at its data centre in Lugano and in Zurich.

Project background

As high-performance computing, AI, and cloud technologies continue to converge, CSCS is redefining how to design and deliver advanced computational services. Modern scientific and engineering workloads are no longer just large; they are complex, data-intensive, and highly diverse, meaning they push existing infrastructure to its limits.

This position is funded via the Helvetic AI Resources ,Technologies, and Services (HEARTS) project, and is based on a two‑year contract, which can be extended or potentially become permanent.

Our core values:
We are looking for candidates who share our guiding principles:

Curiosity: You enjoy learning, exploring new ideas, and understanding problems deeply.
Openness: You listen, collaborate, and are receptive to different perspectives.
Courage: You take responsibility and tackle challenging or ambiguous problems. You are willing to take initiative and have the difficult conversations that can move a team forward.
Supportive: You help colleagues and users succeed and contribute to a positive team culture.
Integrity: You act honestly, ethically, and reliably. and take ownership of your work.

Job description

The primary goal of this position is to design, implement, and operate scalable inference services within a multi-tenant HPC infrastructure
As a systems engineer, you will play a key role in the architecture deployment, operation, and documentation of production-grade inference platforms that support a wide range of AI-driven workloads

Your work will directly influence the evolution of CSCS’s AI and HPC capabilities, which will improve the performance, reliability, and efficiency of our inference services and enable researchers and engineers to deploy and run advanced models at scale.

Profile

You should have a bachelor’s degree or higher in computer engineering, computer science, a relevant technical field, or equivalent practical experience.

You should have a sound knowledge of:

Linux administration skills
Deploying services on Kubernetes
Infrastructure-as-code tools (e.g. Terraform/openTofu)
Automation tools and framework, including CI/CD processes and ecosystem (e.g., Gitlab CI, HashiCorp Vault)

Experience with the following is preferred, though there will be ample opportunities to learn and gain more experience with all of these skills on the job:

Versioning systems and CI/CD workflows such as ArgoCD,
Automated installation systems for physical servers, such as MAAS or Foreman,
Developing Ansible configurations,
Developing services on top of Kubernetes.

Personal qualities:

Self-motivated and proactive team player
Strong communication skills or interest in developing them
Strong problem-solving mindset with tolerance for uncertainty and change
Understands user needs and works collaboratively to address them
Adaptive and willing to learn new technologies with and from others
Comfortable tackling complex or ambiguous problems
Comfortable admitting when you don’t know, reaching out and leveraging the right expertise when needed

Project management and methodology:

Experience with working in self-organized teams
Familiarity with Agile methodology
Experience with test-driven development is a plus

We offer

Your job with impact: Become part of ETH Zurich, which not only supports your professional development, but also actively contributes to positive change in society
You can expect numerous benefits , such as public transport season tickets and car sharing, a wide range of sports offered by the ASVZ , childcare and attractive pension benefits
We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive engineering team and particularly encourage applications from women and others underrepresented in tech. If you are technically strong, curious, and eager to grow, we want to hear from you.
You can look forward to an exciting working environment, cultural diversity and attractive offers and benefits
We value the diversity of our team and, to further enhance the diversity of our workforce, we particularly encourage women to apply

Working, teaching and research at ETH Zurich

We value diversity and sustainability

In line with our values , ETH Zurich encourages an inclusive culture. We promote equality of opportunity, value diversity and nurture a working and learning environment in which the rights and dignity of all our staff and students are respected. Visit our Equal Opportunities and Diversity website to find out how we ensure a fair and open environment that allows everyone to grow and flourish. Sustainability is a core value for us – we are consistently working towards a climate-neutral future .

About ETH Zürich

ETH Zurich is one of the world’s leading universities specialising in science and technology. We are renowned for our excellent education, cutting-edge fundamental research and direct transfer of new knowledge into society. Over 30,000 people from more than 120 countries find our university to be a place that promotes independent thinking and an environment that inspires excellence. Located in the heart of Europe, yet forging connections all over the world, we work together to develop solutions for the global challenges of today and tomorrow.

Please include the following documents with your application:

Motivation letter
CV
Relevant certificates and diplomas in pdf format

We look forward to receiving your online application, including a letter of motivation, CV, diplomas, and employment certificates. Please address your application to Mrs Stephanie Frequente, CSCS Human Resources, Via Trevano 131, 6900 Lugano.

Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted through our online application portal. Applications via email or postal services will not be considered.

Further information about CSCS can be found on our website . Questions regarding the position should be directed to Mark Klein, mark.klein@cscs.ch (no applications).

For recruitment services, the GTC of ETH Zurich apply.

Systems Engineer - Cloud and Platform Services