Application Platform Engineer

Working at the University Library puts you at the very heart of the nation's oldest state university. With an enduring commitment to the people of North Carolina, UNC-Chapel Hill is the number 4 ranked public university in the country and the 10th-ranked university for federal research funding.

At the University Library, you are part of a welcoming, inclusive, open library community that advances research, teaching, healing and creativity on campus and far beyond. Here, we strive to create an environment of respect and collaboration, where vision and innovation can flourish.

The University Libraries aspires to set the standard for public university research libraries in the digital age.
As one of the premier libraries in the South, we are an essential partner in the research, education, clinical care, and public service missions of UNC-Chapel Hill. The library system includes 10 on-campus Libraries, with nearly 10 million volumes, rich archival collections, and a growing investment in digital collections.
The University Libraries serves campus and broader communities that reflect the socioeconomic, ethnic, and religious diversity of the state of North Carolina, and we maintain a welcoming, inclusive, and open educational and workplace climate for all. We strive to create an environment of respect and collaboration where vision and innovation can flourish. Learn more about our Strategic Framework - including our pillars, values, and priorities by visiting https://library.unc.edu/about/strategic-framework/'.

As a member of a highly collaborative team, the Application Platform Engineer helps define service requirements, develop and deploy the platform, and support its ongoing operation.

The Application Platform Engineer helps establish and maintain robust software development and operational practices. The Software Development department values mentorship and a healthy, welcoming work environment, and the person in this position will contribute to and benefit from this culture, where colleagues support one another in learning new skills and taking on technically challenging projects while respecting work-life balance.

The Application Platform Engineer will support PromptLab s continued development and operation as sustained campus infrastructure. The incumbent will bring strong software and systems foundations. Relevant backgrounds may include software development, systems administration and automation, DevOps or platform engineering, site reliability engineering, research computing, or related work.

The Application Platform Engineer will work closely with the department's technical leads and other experienced colleagues. The position includes regular mentorship, paired work on deployments and incident investigation, code and architecture review, and protected time to learn unfamiliar technologies. As the engineer learns the service, they will take on increasing responsibility and eventually assume lead responsibility for routine platform development and operations.

Primary responsibilities include:
deploying, operating, and customizing LibreChat and related applications;
maintaining the model API gateway and integrating new models and providers;
developing integrations, administrative tools, and automation that improve the reliability and reproducibility of the environment;
monitoring services, investigating incidents, and performing routine upgrades;
developing cost and usage reporting; and
documenting the platform's architecture, dependencies, recovery procedures, and routine operations.

Master's or Bachelor's and 0-2 years' experience; or will accept a combination of related education and experience in substitution.

Bachelors or masters degree and 0-2 years of experience or a combination of related education and experience.
Experience developing software or using code and automation to deploy, operate, or support software applications.
Demonstrated ability to plan and complete technical projects.
Experience collaborating and communicating effectively with stakeholders and colleagues from a range of technical backgrounds.
Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.

Demonstrated ability to investigate unfamiliar technical problems, learn new technologies, and put that learning into practice.
Experience operating, deploying, or supporting a software service used by others, including monitoring, upgrades, incident investigation, or recovery.
Experience writing software or automation in a language such as Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, or shell and working within an existing codebase or web application framework.
Familiarity with foundational systems and technologies used to build and operate web applications, such as Linux, Git, web APIs, databases, authentication, and cloud infrastructure.
Experience deploying containerized applications or automating infrastructure and software delivery, using one or more technologies and practices such as Docker, Kubernetes, infrastructure as code, configuration management, and continuous integration and delivery.
Experience using documentation and testing practices to make a technical system more secure, reliable, reproducible, or maintainable.
Interest in or experience with generative AI model APIs, model gateways, locally hosted models, or tools such as LibreChat and LiteLLM.
Interest in the mission of academic and research libraries and in the use of technology to support teaching, learning, and research.

For a more detailed vacancy announcement, please visit:

A minimum of three references are required upon application submission.

The University is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all to apply without regard to age, color, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.