Digital Library Systems Architect

Description

The Systems Architect in Digital Library Systems & Services (DLSS) specifies, designs and participates in the build out of the Stanford University Libraries’ large-scale preservation and digital asset management systems. This includes the Stanford Digital Repository (SDR), and the Digital Preservation Network (DPN), a nationwide initiative to preserve academic content among a network of preservation repositories.

The Systems Architect will bring expert-level knowledge and a proven track record of systems (hardware, network, software) design & build out to the SDR’s Preservation Core. S/he will focus on the SDR’s storage, processing, replication and audit processes, ensuring that they are secure, scalable and leverage the latest technologies to be cost effective. S/he will also serve as Stanford’s technical lead on DPN, working with a team of technologists from other repositories on the specification, design, engineering, and testing of DPN’s architecture, as well as the modification of the SDR to integrate with DPN.

This is a one year, fixed-term position, reporting to the Associate Director of Digital Library Systems and Services. The incumbent will work closely with SUL’s information architect, SDR team, system administrators, and team members at other DPN nodes.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead the requirements, specification and design process for SDR’s replication and auditing systems. This will include support for disk, tape and cloud-based storage sub-systems, and policy-based distribution, auditing and content repair.
• Lead the investigation and ongoing market analysis of open source and commercial solutions for storage and auditing systems; identify solutions that are consistent with Stanford and SUL’s technology and operational base.
• Work with the SDR team to implement these systems and supporting, sustainable operational processes.
• Serve as Stanford’s focused technical expert on DPN for the specfication, design, engineering and testing of the network. Lead the design from Stanford’s perspective, and assess and critique designs and proposals from other institutions as they emerge.
• Ensure the development of a Stanford-compatible DPN protocol for transfer, packaging, replication, and versioning. Help coordinate the development and testing of DPN (anticipating distributed development from each of the nodes).
• Ensure the scaling and integration of SDR to participate as a full node in DPN.
• Participate in the SDR design and ongoing operation as a robust preservation store.
• Analyze and track the development of SUL’s cyberinfrastructure and overall information architecture in order to understand the particulars of Stanford’s enviornment, and to be able to offer constructive advice and guidance in the development of corresponding hardware systems.

Qualifications:

• Expert knowledge of IT infrastructure and current standards, including designing and integrating multi-tiered system architectures; database design, performance, security and scalability principles; familiarity with data models and modeling techniques; enterprise service buses; web-services and service oriented architectures; federated network service; federated messaging models, object- and procedural-oriented programming languages and concepts, (including Java as a minimum requirement); familiarity with Unix and other host-based server environments; XML, XSLT, and SAML.
• Experience contributing to the successful development and operation of enterprise-scale information systems as reliable infrastructure, including hardware, software, middleware, and supporting human processes.
• Expert knowledge on server and storage architectures, systems and industry development. Expertise with current storage technologies and directions, including CIFS, NFS, DASD, NAS, AFS, and TSM.
• Expert knowledge of network architectures and protocols; experience in operating and integrating components of a multi-protocol data network, including remote-access services. Demonstrated ability in network design, including DNS, VLANs, and firewalls.
• Experience in information security concepts, issues and technique, and an advanced understanding in key management, certificates, encryption, cryptographic techniques, TLS, and SSH.
• Expert knowledge of IT middleware, including authentication, authorization, account provisioning, identity management, and directory services, and proven experience designing system that integrate with / incorporate these services.
• Experience with SQL and relational database applications and concepts. Vertical integration with workflow environments, db applications and dynamic languages.
• Proven ability to capture, document and convey complex business needs and processes, translate them into functional requirements and system specifications, and develop a supporting technical design at an abstract level, and detailed technical specifications (including choice of implementation technologies).
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively on a project from specification to launch; and to work with multiple levels of staff, and colleagues at peer institutions and open source communities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver results in a complex and demand driven environment, to handle multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to develop new programming skills quickly, and to grasp unfamiliar architectures and application designs quickly.
• Masters degree or equivalent professional experience in Computer Science, Information Science or related field
• Ten or more years experience designing middleware, services or infrastructure for software systems.
• Direct experience with standards at working level.
• Knowledge of digital preservation theory and tools highly desired.
• Prior success in working in an academic environment desired.