DevOps Engineer 80%-100% at ETH Zürich – Lugano | Jobyssey

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.

For this position the preferred work location is Lugano, but it could also be Zürich.

Project background

We are seeking a versatile and driven DevOps Engineer to help design, build, and operate the software‑defined infrastructure and services powering advanced scientific computing and AI/ML workloads at scale.

You will work at the intersection of systems engineering, software engineering, cloud‑native infrastructure, and high‑performance computing (HPC), contributing to platforms and services used by researchers and engineers tackling complex scientific and AI challenges.

We value strong engineering fundamentals, curiosity, adaptability, and willingness to learn more than a perfect initial match of technical requirements. We welcome engineers from diverse backgrounds who are eager to contribute and grow. If you are motivated by challenging technical environments and enjoy understanding systems deeply, we strongly encourage you to apply even if your experience does not cover every area listed below.

We are offering a contract initially limited to two years, which will provide the opportunity to contribute to a fast‑evolving AI landscape in which CSCS plays a key role and to support high‑impact initiatives both nationally and internationally. This includes contributions to the Swiss AI Initiative and similar programs, such as lending support for the development and release of the Apertus models.

The initial two‑year contract could potentially be extended or even become permanent.

Job description

Design, deploy, automate, and operate scalable infrastructure and cloud‑native platform services
Contribute to Kubernetes‑based AI/ML and HPC platforms, including CI/CD, GitOps, observability, security, and operational tooling
Collaborate with researchers and engineers to support complex workflows, troubleshoot production environments, and improve reliability and performance
Contribute to platform engineering, automation, and developer productivity initiatives across evolving systems and services
The technologies and areas below illustrate the breadth of our environment and interests. They are not a checklist of requirements, and experience in only some of these areas is expected

Profile

The technologies and areas below illustrate the breadth of our environment and interests. They are not a checklist of requirements, and experience in only some of these areas is expected.

Technical environment and areas of interest

Linux systems engineering, scripting, troubleshooting, and software development (e.g., Python, Bash)
Containers, Kubernetes, CI/CD, GitOps, and Infrastructure as Code (e.g., Terraform, Helm, Ansible, ArgoCD)
Distributed systems concepts, APIs, scalability, observability, identity and access management, and security
AI/ML platforms and supporting infrastructure services
HPC systems, GPU clusters, and large‑scale infrastructure environments
Platform engineering and developer productivity tooling
Secure or confidentiality‑sensitive operational environments

Personal qualities

Curious, hands‑on, and eager to understand systems inside‑out
Strong engineering mindset and problem‑solving attitude
Comfortable learning new technologies and working across disciplines
Effective communicator and collaborative team player

Ways to stand out from the crowd

Experience supporting research or scientific computing environments
Familiarity with HPC systems and services
Exposure to GPU clusters and accelerated computing
Experience with SRE practices or on‑call operations
Advanced Linux security knowledge

Ability to leverage AI‑assisted software development for increased productivity

Our core values as guiding principles

Curiosity: You enjoy learning and understanding systems deeply
Openness: You collaborate effectively and value different perspectives
Courage: You are willing to tackle difficult or unfamiliar problems
Supportive: You help colleagues and users succeed
Integrity: You act responsibly, reliably, and transparently

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 ASVZ, childcare and attractive pension benefits
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.

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 consistently work towards a climate‑neutral future.

Explore more jobs