Summer Student Helpdesk Associate – ARC (Advanced Research Computing)

Virginia Tech – 2026 Summer (June 1 – August 9) – Paid (hourly, student wage)

Position Overview:

Join the ARC Helpdesk team for an engaging, hands‑on summer role supporting the university’s research computing community. You will be the first point of contact for researchers navigating our cluster resources, gaining valuable experience in systems administration, performance tuning, and user education—all while earning a competitive student wage.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Ticket Triage & Resolution: Monitor the 4Help ticketing system, diagnose issues, and provide clear, step‑by‑step solutions to user queries.

  • User Onboarding: Guide researchers through the ARC workflow: account creation, job submission, data movement, and best‑practices.

  • Software & Code Support

    • Test and use software packages on the clusters.

    • Assist with code profiling, optimization, and high-level debugging

    • Suggest alternative tools or workflows when appropriate.

  • Live Assistance: Host at least several weekly office‑hour sessions where users can drop in for real‑time help and quick troubleshooting.

  • Documentation & Knowledge Base: Contribute concise, user‑focused write‑ups to the ARC documentation site and update existing FAQs.

All duties are primarily performed on‑site in the ARC office suite (Torgersen Hall, Room 3050), but some limited hybrid-remote work is available.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Familiarity with ARC: Hands‑on experience using VT’s ARC clusters (e.g., Tinkercliffs, Owl, Falcon) for research or coursework.

  • Direct System Use: Proven ability to submit jobs, manage modules, and work with Slurm (we will review your historical use of ARC systems).

  • Programming/Debugging Skills: Comfortable with at least one scientific language (C/C++, Python, R, Fortran) and strong skills in bash scripting.

  • Customer‑Service Mindset: Prior experience (tutoring, tech support, TA work) that shows patience and clear communication.

  • Time Management: Ability to juggle multiple tickets and office‑hour sessions while maintaining responsiveness.

Ideal Candidate:

  • Early in a graduate program (first or second year) in Computer Science, ECE, Applied Mathematics, or a related field at VT.

  • Eager to deepen HPC knowledge while helping peers succeed in their research.

  • Comfortable meeting with new people of varied skill levels, listening to their problems, troubleshooting, and helping them find solutions.

How to Apply:

  • Prepare a one‑page resume highlighting ARC/HPC experience.

  • Write a brief cover letter (250 words max) describing why you’re interested about the Helpdesk role and how your background aligns with the responsibilities.

  • Send via email to Matthew Brown (brownm12@vt.edu) before 9:00am on Friday, May 29th. Selected candidates will be invited to a short virtual interview (≈30 min).

Additional Information

  • Term: June 1st - August 9th, 2026

  • Hours: 15–20 hrs/week (flexible scheduling)

  • Compensation: $25-$32 hourly depending on experience

  • Location: Primarily in-person, on‑campus in Blacksburg (Torgersen Hall) with some hybrid remote work

  • Supervision: Direct reporting to the ARC Director of Research Computing Services, with mentorship from computational scientists and experienced graduate students.

  • Benefits: Professional development, build technical skills, daily interaction with a variety of researchers and HPC experts.

Ready to be the bridge between cutting‑edge research and powerful computing resources? Apply now and make a tangible impact on Virginia Tech’s scientific community this summer!