SysOps Engineer

Located on the Paris-Saclay plateau, about 20 kilometers from the capital, the SOLEIL synchrotron is one of France's leading research facilities. Since it began operating in 2008, it has served the national and international scientific communities. Research conducted at SOLEIL covers a wide range of scientific and industrial fields — including physics, biology, chemistry, materials science, environmental science, Earth sciences, and cultural and natural heritage — all connected to current societal challenges. Experiments carried out on the beamlines rely on the use of synchrotron light emitted by electrons accelerated to nearly the speed of light within a storage ring. SOLEIL is jointly supervised by the CNRS and the CEA and offers its staff a dynamic, innovative, multidisciplinary, and international working environment.

At the forefront of technology, SOLEIL II is an ambitious project designed to provide new opportunities for scientific and industrial research. SOLEIL II consists of a major upgrade of the existing infrastructure and aims to significantly improve the performance of electron accelerators and beamlines. It is designed to address major current and future societal challenges, particularly in areas such as advanced materials research, energy and sustainable development, health and well-being, and the environment.

Construction work on the SOLEIL II project began in 2024, marking the start of a phase of development and technological innovation. In parallel, the existing facility will remain operational until the fall of 2028. SOLEIL II is scheduled to start operations in 2030, with a gradual ramp-up phase continuing until 2035.

Context and missions 

As part of the strategic SOLEIL II project, you will join a dynamic project team working in close collaboration with the ISI (IT Infrastructure and Support) and ISAC (Acquisition and Control Systems Engineering) groups. You will be at the heart of the transformation of IT infrastructures dedicated to the control-command of accelerators and beamlines.

Challenges associated with this role:

  • Contribute to the modernization of IT infrastructures (centralization, standardization)
  • Support the industrialization of software deployments in coordination with DevOps teams
  • Set up and improve monitoring and observability solutions
  • Participate in the integration of new equipment and instrumental systems
  • Administer, supervise and industrialize Linux environments in production
  • Deploy high-availability Docker / Kubernetes platforms
  • Automate infrastructures through Infrastructure as Code (IaC) approaches
  • Ensure the security, reliability and availability of systems
  • Contribute to the continuous improvement of operational processes

Technical environment:

  • Containerization: Docker, Kubernetes, Apptainer, CVMFS
  • IaC & automation: Ansible, Terraform, Helm, Proxmox
  • Supervision and monitoring: Prometheus, Grafana, Zabbix
  • CI/CD & security: GitLab CI, Vault
  • Ecosystem: TANGO, Kafka, API Manager

Profile

Education & Experience

  • Engineering degree or equivalent
  • Minimum 5 years of experience in systems administration or complex infrastructure operations
  • Experience in deploying or operating private cloud or hybrid cloud infrastructures

Technical Skills

  • Systems: strong Linux expertise
  • Automation: Bash/Shell, Python, Ansible, Terraform
  • Networking:  
    • Proficiency in TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP
    • Knowledge of security appliances (FortiGate, Stormshield)
    • Protocols: BGP, OSPF, VLAN, VPN
  • Virtualization & cloud: OpenStack, Proxmox
  • Monitoring & observability: Zabbix, Prometheus, Grafana, Nagios
  • Documentation: authoring technical documents (architecture design documents, operational runbooks, procedures)
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Personal qualities we value:

  • Team spirit.
  • Autonomy, rigor, curiosity, and creativity.
  • Kindness, active listening, and service orientation.
  • Analytical skills and ability to communicate findings effectively.

Working conditions

This is a fixed-term contract for a defined purpose (CDDOD) of 3 years, with the possibility of a permanent contract (CDI) thereafter. The position is based in Saint-Aubin (Essonne), at the SOLEIL Synchrotron.

If you are looking for a position in a company built on the pillars of scientific excellence and technological innovation, SOLEIL offers you the opportunity to:

  • Work within an innovative, multidisciplinary, and multicultural research laboratory.
  • Be at the heart of the research and development dynamics of the Paris-Saclay cluster.
  • Collaborate with national and international experts across diverse scientific and technical fields.
  • Take advantage of Paris being only 25 km away, offering rich cultural experiences and a vibrant lifestyle.
  • Undertake short trips within France or Europe.

Benefits :

  • 26 days of paid vacation + up to 2 additional split days + 23 RTT (reduction of working time) days per full year of work, based on a 40-hour work week.
  • Mandatory health insurance (basic plan) costs €20.35 per month for the employee (with an employer contribution of €183.18, corresponding to 90% of the premium), covering household members (spouse/partner + children).
  • We also offer an optional supplementary health plan for €28.43 per month covering your household (spouse/partner + children).
  • Access to a provident scheme that supplements the benefits of the mandatory French Social Security system, which are often insufficient. It compensates for loss of income in case of inability to work, ensuring the standard of living of the insured and their family in difficult circumstances: death, incapacity for work, or disability resulting from illness or accident.
  • Possibility to open a Time Savings Account (CET) after one year of seniority.
  • On-site corporate catering at SOLEIL, with subsidized meals.
  • Family-related benefits depending on individual situations: family allowance supplement, additional days off under certain circumstances, marriage and birth bonuses, etc.
  • Social and cultural activities offered by SOLEIL’s Social and Economic Committee (CSE).

       - Priority access to permanent (CDI) recruitment processes for up to one year after the end of the contract; 

       - Eligibility for individual salary increases, promotions, and performance bonuses, subject to a minimum of 6 months’ seniority; 

       - Participation in annual performance reviews; 

        - Access to professional training (job adaptation, VAE—validation of prior experience, skills assessments, etc.); 

     -   4 hours per week of paid leave during the last 3 months of the contract to support job searching.