Performance Technologist
Description
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Time Series is a large enterprise-level infrastructure system capable of supporting a set of Thomson Reuters products using a Common Platform. It is capable of accepting data at real time global market rates and recording that data into a database while also serving that data to consuming applications upon demand. This database is approximately 50TB in size in the first year and growing each year. This represents an extreme set of performance requirements. The Time Series team is in need of a strong technologist who can establish and continue to enhance a strategy for evaluating the performance of the system, identify limits and performance trends and communicate those limits to Senior Management for evaluation of how to address any performance gaps. Given the fact that the input rates are increasing by 100-150% each year and that the Time Series infrastructure will continue to be enhanced to satisfy a wider range of products this role represents an ongoing and challenging opportunity for the qualified candidate.
• Technical Owner for Performance Strategies that can be expressed effectively to Senior Management
• Ensure that the Key Performance Indicators of the infrastructure accurately capture the needs of the business and the customer
• Work with Architects to ensure that new enhancements are effectively modelled from a performance perspective and have strongly established and effective Key Performance Quality Parameters established.
• Work with engineering teams to ensure that such KPQPs can be effectively measured in our production infrastructure.
• Work with Test teams to ensure that the testing activity accurately assess the performance of the system for all proposed changes.
• Establish Performance Testing and Tuning strategies and be able to execute against those strategies using a large set of resources available from within the Time Series team.
• Develop and enhance effective Performance reporting mechanisms that allow Senior Management to clearly understand where performance and capacity risks are within the system.
• Support the Capacity Planning activities within the Time Series infrastructure by providing effective projections and other analysis.
• Support the development of Key Performance Indicators for all resources within the Time Series Infrastructure
• Grow the Practice within the Engineering and Testing areas to ensure that Time Series has the talent to ensure that capacity and performance are delivered in a predictable and cost efficient manner.
• Design of tools, scripts and data sets required to prove the performance aspects of the Time Series infrastructure.
• Work with Architecture and Quality domain owners in other teams to ensure that best practice is understood and delivered
• Complete the objectives of each assignment within the agreed timeframe.
• Evaluating and making recommendations for buy vs. build decisions.
• Reviewing design, code, implementation and test cases, of own work, or work of colleagues, to ensure compliance to requirements and performance specifications.
• Collaborating in setting development guidelines. Assisting in developing architectural policies and standards for the development groups.
• Liaising with colleagues in sites overseas, and internal customers on trouble shooting, analysis and solution on maintenance / support issues.
• Researching new and emerging technologies. Evaluating and making recommendations for new tools, technologies, and platforms to be implemented.
• Provide technical leadership, coaching, and mentoring to application development, infrastructure engineering and test teams.
• Aiding in preparation of status updates of projects
Qualifications
Technical and/or Functional skills
• MS Degree in CS, Engineering or related fields
• 7 ~ 10 years independent professional working experience in multiple IT (networking, application engineering, operations, etc) areas.
• Intermediate to advanced knowledge and understanding of multiple IT (networking, application engineering, operations, etc.) areas, or architectural and core business functions (high volume, real-time, wide-area distributed systems)
• Strong analysis skills that allow breaking a complex system and set of performance requirements into areas that can be thoroughly characterized
• Development experience in a multi-threaded, multi-CPU environment is preferred
• A strong background in Quality Assurance roles and non-functional testing a strong plus.
• Capability to solve complex problems in a real-time production environment
• Strong awareness of networking using IP based protocols (TCP, UDP, HTTP, etc.), and exposure to any middleware is a plus.
• Experience in dealing with high-availability production systems including minimizing risks in capacity / maintenance / support / installations / troubleshooting, etc.
• Awareness of WebSphere ND and .NET runtimes and tuning of those environments a plus.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English. (Writing in English is a primary activity of this role). Strong presentation skills necessary.
• Proven ability to manage priorities, to manage multiple environments and business crises.
• Intense personal creditability. Able to command respect and communication with colleagues of global Thomson Reuters sites.
• Willing and able to travel occasionally (a must). Flexibility of work hour scheduling to promote communication with colleagues in other time zone is required.
Other skills and abilities
• A proactive team player with the ability to work in dynamic environments.
• Work independently, takes ownership of problems within own area of knowledge and accountable for the quality of own work.
• Ability to work under tight deadlines with high stress tolerance.
• Willing to work late for teleconference with overseas colleagues occasionally, to provide technical support over telephone to assist first and second level support, round the clock.
• Passionate about new knowledge.
• Have good interpersonal skills with the ability to deal with people at all levels and comfortable in cross-cultural environment.
• Highly motivated in problem solving.
