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Systems Services Representative

IBM

California, USA · Sauk City, WI, USA

Posted on Jan 29, 2026

Introduction

At IBM Infrastructure & Technology, we design and operate the systems that keep the world running. From high-resiliency mainframes and hybrid cloud platforms to networking, automation, and site reliability. Our teams ensure the performance, security, and scalability that clients and industries depend on every day. Working in Infrastructure & Technology means tackling complex challenges with curiosity and collaboration. You’ll work with diverse technologies and colleagues worldwide to deliver resilient, future-ready solutions that power innovation. With continuous learning, career growth, and a supportive culture, IBM provides the opportunities to build expertise and shape the infrastructure that drives progress.

Your role and responsibilities

Deep understanding of IBM Spectrum Scale (GPFS) architecture
- NSD servers, quorum nodes, manager roles
- Metadata vs data disks
- Failure groups & declustering

ESS node roles:
- I/O Server (IOS)
- Management node
- Client nodes (HPC / AI workloads)
ESS building blocks
- Building block layout (BB, racks, drawers)
- Disk enclosures, NVMe / SSD / HDD tiers
ESS high availability design
- Node failover
- Disk and enclosure redundancy
- Network path redundancy

Spectrum Scale (GPFS) – Advanced Administration

Install, configure, and upgrade Spectrum Scale on ESS
File system lifecycle management:
- Create, modify, extend, and delete GPFS file systems
- Fileset design (dependent/independent)
- Snapshot management
Advanced GPFS tuning:
- Pagepool tuning
- Token management
- NSD performance optimization
Quorum & cluster health management
CES (Cluster Export Services):
- NFS, SMB, Object (if applicable)
- Authentication (AD / LDAP)
ILM (Information Lifecycle Management):
- Tiering policies
- Placement rules & Policy execution and troubleshooting

. Storage Hardware Expertise (ESS-Specific)

Disk and enclosure management:
- Drive replacement procedures
- Drawer and enclosure diagnostics
- RAID and declustered array behavior
Firmware management:
- Disk, enclosure, HBA, NIC firmware
- Non-disruptive firmware updates
Hardware error interpretation:
- ESS event logs
- Call Home data
- Predictive failure analysis

Understanding of ESS Call Home & SSR workflow

Performance Engineering & Troubleshooting

. Networking (Critical Skill Area)

ESS networking design:
- Data vs management networks
- High-speed interconnects (25/40/100 GbE)
VLAN, bonding, LACP configuration
RDMA / RoCE concepts (for performance-critical deployments)
Network troubleshooting impacting storage I/O

Linux System Administration (Advanced)

RHEL administration (ESS-certified versions)
Kernel parameter tuning
Systemd services for ESS & GPFS
Disk, multipathing, and device management
Log analysis and root cause isolation
Secure access, sudo, SSH hardening

Availability, DR & Maintenance

Planned maintenance with zero or minimal downtime
Rolling upgrades (Spectrum Scale & firmware)
Backup and restore strategies:
- GPFS snapshots
- Integration with backup tools
Disaster recovery concepts:
- Multi-cluster ESS
- AFM (Active File Management)
- Replication and failover
Operational Excellence & IBM Processes
Deep familiarity with:
- IBM ESS maintenance workflows
- Firmware compatibility matrices
- IBM support engagement (PMRs)
Root cause analysis documentation
Change management and risk assessment
Client advisory and best-practice guidance

Required education

Bachelor's Degree

Preferred education

Master's Degree

Required technical and professional expertise

Role Summary

The IBM Elastic Storage System (ESS) System Administrator is responsible for the design, administration, performance, availability, and lifecycle management of IBM ESS environments powered by IBM Spectrum Scale (GPFS).
This role requires deep technical expertise across storage hardware, Spectrum Scale software, Linux, and high-performance networking to support mission-critical HPC, AI, and enterprise workloads.

Key Responsibilities

ESS & Spectrum Scale Administration

Storage Hardware & Firmware Management

Performance Engineering & Troubleshooting

Networking & Infrastructure

Linux System Administration

Security, DR & Compliance

Automation & Monitoring

Operational Leadership

Preferred technical and professional experience

Required Technical Skills

Expert knowledge of IBM ESS architecture
Advanced administration of IBM Spectrum Scale (GPFS)
Strong Linux (RHEL) system administration skills
Deep understanding of storage hardware and firmware lifecycle
Performance tuning and troubleshooting expertise
Enterprise networking knowledge (Ethernet, RDMA, bonding)

ABOUT BUSINESS UNIT

IBM Systems helps IT leaders think differently about their infrastructure. IBM servers and storage are no longer inanimate - they can understand, reason, and learn so our clients can innovate while avoiding IT issues. Our systems power the world’s most important industries and our clients are the architects of the future. Join us to help build our leading-edge technology portfolio designed for cognitive business and optimized for cloud computing.

YOUR LIFE @ IBM

In a world where technology never stands still, we understand that, dedication to our clients success, innovation that matters, and trust and personal responsibility in all our relationships, lives in what we do as IBMers as we strive to be the catalyst that makes the world work better.

Being an IBMer means you’ll be able to learn and develop yourself and your career, you’ll be encouraged to be courageous and experiment everyday, all whilst having continuous trust and support in an environment where everyone can thrive whatever their personal or professional background.

Our IBMers are growth minded, always staying curious, open to feedback and learning new information and skills to constantly transform themselves and our company. They are trusted to provide on-going feedback to help other IBMers grow, as well as collaborate with colleagues keeping in mind a team focused approach to include different perspectives to drive exceptional outcomes for our customers. The courage our IBMers have to make critical decisions everyday is essential to IBM becoming the catalyst for progress, always embracing challenges with resources they have to hand, a can-do attitude and always striving for an outcome focused approach within everything that they do.

Are you ready to be an IBMer?

ABOUT IBM

IBM’s greatest invention is the IBMer. We believe that through the application of intelligence, reason and science, we can improve business, society and the human condition, bringing the power of an open hybrid cloud and AI strategy to life for our clients and partners around the world.

Restlessly reinventing since 1911, we are not only one of the largest corporate organizations in the world, we’re also one of the biggest technology and consulting employers, with many of the Fortune 500 companies relying on the IBM Cloud to run their business.

At IBM, we pride ourselves on being an early adopter of artificial intelligence, quantum computing and blockchain. Now it’s time for you to join us on our journey to being a responsible technology innovator and a force for good in the world.

IBM is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, or other characteristics protected by the applicable law. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.

OTHER RELEVANT JOB DETAILS

For additional information about location requirements, please discuss with the recruiter following submission of your application.

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