Head of DevOps

Description

Provide leadership and management of a team of Development Operations (DevOps) Analysts, providing support, design, and maintenance of complex application environments. S/He will collaborate with Library IT and business managers and project Product Owners in Agile Sprint or Kanban planning, developing work tasks and schedules for staff, prioritizing those tasks based on staff abilities and commitments, and executing on communication plans to keep product managers and stakeholders well informed.  S/He will work with other campus and external service providers, and provide guidance on how to best integrate their capabilities with the needs of the Libraries.

S/He will proactively identify solutions and enhancements, and provide guidance and input to high-level architecture decisions and forward-looking plans.  S/He will keep abreast of current and cutting-edge technologies and help the Library plan for future environments.

S/He will collaborate with the DevOps analysts and application developers on system analysis and troubleshooting, continuous integration and testing, performance profiling and high availability, monitoring and reporting, and system and configuration management.

Responsibilities

• Manages and evaluates a team of DevOps Analysts; approves minor purchases and financial transactions, and assists with developing and managing the departmental budget.
• Provides analysis and reporting on section activities, including estimates and projections for sprint planning and on-going operational tasks, and post-mortem analysis of completed sprints and projects.
• Performs analysis and design of new systems and architectures, and modifies the design of existing ones to meet the needs of the Libraries.  Evaluates open-source and commercial software for aptness in meeting library needs and for fit within the technology infrastructure of the Libraries. Provides guidance and input on service models and how to best support systems transitioning into production.
• Collaborates and assists the DevOps Analysts in their day-to-day work, including (but not limited to) system architecture, installation and deployment, troubleshooting, security, patching and updating, and performance tuning.  Ensures that all work is properly tested and documented.
• In concert with DevOps staff, vendors, and campus partners, configures system and application security and access controls, plans for backup, failover and recovery of critical systems and applications.
• Serves as liaison with OIT Information Security Office for security assessment protocols of locally-hosted and vendor-hosted applications and systems.
• Serves as technical contact to campus IT organizations regarding server and system-level matters.

• Maintains knowledge and awareness of technology trends and participates actively in open source and related communities.
• Work with DevOps staff to cross-train and provide backup support for other systems and applications. 
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Supervises and evaluates DevOps Analysts staff (currently 3 FTE), as well as occasional student and temporary staff.
• Provides oversight for vendor staff engaged on Library IT projects.

Qualifications   

It is the expectation that all Duke University Libraries staff members will demonstrate exceptional workplace behaviors in the execution of their specific position responsibilities. These behaviors are customer focus, collaboration, creative problem solving, continuous learning and a commitment to diversity. In addition, managers and supervisors are expected to help develop a common vision by providing clear direction and priorities, clarifying roles and responsibilities, and promoting mutual understanding through effective communication.  They are also expected to take the time to effectively plan and evaluate performance, provide feedback, recognition and coaching, and develop employees to achieve their personal and organizational goals.

Education

Required: BA/BS in computer science or a related technical field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Preferred: Master’s degree in Information Science, Computer Science, Library Science, or a related field.

Experience

Required: 

• Five years of experience in DevOps or related experience interfacing with both software developers and end-users/business analysts.
• Five years of experience working with Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP (LAMP) stack, Ruby on Rails, Java, physical and VM server infrastructure, and related technologies.
• Demonstrated experience with Agile methodologies, Scrum, Sprint, and/or Kanban planning, and project management.
• Experience with virtualization technology; knowledge of cloud and container technology. 
• Strong service orientation as demonstrated by an ability to work effectively with staff in a team environment and with other personnel at all levels.
• Excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication skills; time management and project management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage a team of IT analysts, including prioritization of tasks.
• Ability to establish and build collaborative working relationships with a wide range of people.

Preferred:

• Prior experience supporting IT in an academic research library.
• Experience with Amazon or Azure cloud technology, Docker containers, and/or automation frameworks.
• Ten years of experience with system administration on servers running Red Hat Enterprise Linux or variant.
• Advanced understanding of web services technologies.
• Experience with search engine architectures such as Apache Lucene and Apache SOLR.

Working Conditions

• Normal office environment
• Occasional weekend and evening work required 
• Occasional travel required

These statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the employee in this position. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of a person in this position.

Salary and Benefits

Salary dependent on qualifications and experience. Comprehensive benefits package includes 15 days vacation, 13 holidays, 12 days sick leave; health, dental, disability and life insurance and support for professional development and training.

Environment

Since its founding in 1924, Duke University has grown into one of the most prestigious private universities in the world and its medical center ranks annually among the top in the nation. The Duke University Libraries are the shared center of the university's intellectual life, connecting people and ideas. The Libraries consist of the Perkins Library, Bostock Library, Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Lilly Library, and Music Library, and the library at the Duke Marine Laboratory in Beaufort. Duke's library holdings of 6.2 million volumes are among the largest of private universities in the United States.               

Duke's hometown is Durham, North Carolina, a city with vibrant research, medical and arts communities, and numerous shops, restaurants and theaters. Durham is located in the Research Triangle, a growing metropolitan area of more than one million people that provides a wide range of cultural, recreational and educational opportunities. The Triangle is conveniently located just a few hours from the mountains and the coast, offers a moderate climate, and has been ranked among the best places to live and to do business.

Duke offers a comprehensive benefit packages which includes both traditional benefits such as health insurance, leave time and retirement, as well as wide ranging work/life and cultural benefits. Details can be found at:  http://www.hr.duke.edu/benefits/index.php.

Application

An electronic resume, cover letter, and list of 3 references should be submitted at https://hr.duke.edu/careers/apply - refer to Requisition # 401355293. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.                 

Applications which are missing any of the components listed above will not be reviewed. 

Duke University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual’s age, color, disability, genetic information, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status. The Duke University Libraries have a strong commitment to Affirmative Action and is actively seeking to increase the racial and ethnic diversity of our staff.