Technical Lead for Digital Research Infrastructure at the TECH Faculty (Chief Consultant)

Are you passionate about digital research infrastructure and can you contribute to the development of offerings for researchers and students at the Faculty of Technology (TECH)? Then TECH Research IT (TRIT) at Aarhus University is looking for a Chief Consultant with a start date of 1 February 2027 or as soon as possible. The position is a permanent appointment.

The technical leader for digital research infrastructure defines the technical direction, ensures that data remains under AU's control, develops and operates user-friendly services in collaboration with researchers, and creates a balance between innovation, security, regulatory compliance and sustainability. The work is supported by a team of software engineers who turn the vision into reality.

Expected start date and duration

It concerns a permanent position starting on 1 February 2027 or as soon as possible.

Job description

It is expected that you have a vision and ideas for developing the digital research infrastructure to offer researchers and students at TECH the best possible opportunities. The work is based on core principles of developing services and offerings that are close to the user, both logically and physically.

You will primarily be working in the field of technical leadership and development of new services, where you continuously assess the development of services against using existing solutions from AU, DeiC, national HPC centers, EuroHPC, EOSC or European cloud providers, including risk assessment of ownership and jurisdiction. Solutions in TRIT originate from close dialogue with researchers, onboarding, documentation, support and training.

The work will also bear marks of collaboration with internal actors at AU, DeiC, other universities, EuroHPC, EOSC and open source communities.

The position will also focus on aspects of technical leadership of the TRIT team. Additionally, it includes prioritization of tasks, code reviews, mentoring and prototyping of solutions, in collaboration with the team.

Another part of the work will involve tracking usage, satisfaction, and the research results the infrastructure contributes to.

We are looking for a profile who has worked a minimum of 5 years with digital research infrastructure at a leadership level in a larger public/private company or university, with the following technical qualifications

• System architecture, system development, public cloud, containers (Docker, Kubernetes), Linux and networking.
• Web technologies, including modern browser-based solutions (e.g., WebAssembly).
• Information security and identity management (SAML, OIDC, federations) and integrations with solutions.
• HPC, AI, storage and data management systems.
• As well as software development and DevOps (Git, CI/CD and infrastructure as code).

In addition to technical competencies, your profile may also cover areas such as

• GDPR, data processing agreements, data sovereignty.
• Communication in relation to delivering solutions to users, spread across several campus areas
• Coaching and development of employees around technical development in an AI-enabled world.
• Financial accountability and understanding of public administration.

We are looking for the following personal competencies

• Ability to translate between researchers, IT operations, management and law
• Strategic overview, combined with practical technical depth.
• Good collaboration and communication skills in both Danish and English.
• Pragmatic and decisive. Knowing when to build, and when to buy or reuse.

Curiosity and willingness to learn. Keeps up-to-date and dares to try new solutions in a responsible manner.

• Responsibility to society. Takes data sovereignty, privacy and sustainability seriously (e.g., energy consumption and green IT).
• Research-facing understanding. Has respect for and insight into the research process.
• Openness and sharing. Supports open source, open science and knowledge sharing across institutions.
• Also inclusive collaboration. Creates a safe, diverse and respectful working environment.

Who we are

The position is anchored at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at Aarhus University, which conducts research and teaching in areas such as computer technology, robotics, autonomous systems and digitalization – in close collaboration with industry.

What we offer

We offer a work environment with close working relationships, networks and social activities, where you are at the forefront of working with digital research infrastructure.

It is an exciting interdisciplinary environment with many national, international and industrial partners and a collaborative climate that promotes a lively, open and critical discussion in relation to working with digital research infrastructure.

There is a well-developed digital research infrastructure with laboratories and access to shared equipment with a close link between research, education and application, and where the focus is that the solutions are put into operation.

There are good opportunities for professional and personal development, e.g., through courses, conference participation, etc., and we are a workplace characterized by professionalism, equality and a healthy balance between work life and private life.

We offer the opportunity to help build and further develop digital research infrastructure used by researchers and students across institutes through work with modern technologies within e.g. cloud, data management, software development, digital twins and automation.

Workplace and employment area

The workplace is Finlandsgade 22 in Aarhus north and the employment area is Aarhus University with its affiliated institutions.

Contact information

Further information can be obtained by contacting: Lecturer, Lukas Estele +45 22464893, [email protected].

Deadline

All applications must be received no later than 13.11.2026 23:59.

Formalities

Salary and employment terms follow the state academic collective agreement. You are employed as chief consultant with salary according to the appendix 4 of the agreement.

You can read more about salary levels in the state here.

Aarhus University will be an attractive and inspiring workplace for everyone and wishes for a culture where each individual can develop and grow. We see equality and diversity as a resource and therefore encourage all interested to apply.

Applications must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University’s website.

About Aarhus University

Aarhus University is an academically broad and research-intensive university with high quality in education and research, and a strong commitment to societal development nationally and globally. The university offers an inspiring educational and research environment for 37,500 students including PhD students and has 9,000 staff in terms of full-time equivalents and an annual turnover of 8.9 billion DKK. Read more at au.dk