The CERN Junior Distributed Storage Engineer job (reference IT-SD-PDS-2026-246-GRAE) is a 24-month, fully onsite graduate position in Geneva, Switzerland, paying a net monthly stipend of CHF 5,266 or CHF 5,793 depending on your degree. It is open to nationals of a CERN Member or Associate Member State with a Bachelor's or Master's degree and up to two years of professional experience since graduation, and applications close on 14 November 2026. At Youth Works Hub, we reviewed the posting so you can see the duties, eligibility rules and benefits in one place before you apply.
Position Overview
🏛️ Organisation: CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research
💼 Role: Junior Distributed Storage Engineer
🔖 Job reference: IT-SD-PDS-2026-246-GRAE
📍 Location: Geneva, Switzerland, fully onsite
🧩 Group: CERN IT Storage and Data Management Group, EOS Storage Development and Operations team
🗂️ Field of work: Information Technologies
🧭 Benchmark job: 200020 - Computing Engineer
📆 Contract duration: 24 months, with a possible extension up to 36 months maximum
🕘 Working hours: 40 hours per week
🚀 Target start date: 01 January 2027
💶 Net monthly stipend: CHF 5,266 or CHF 5,793, depending on your degree
Evolving the Storage Behind the Large Hadron Collider
The role is about evolving the CERN data storage systems used at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). You join the CERN IT Storage and Data Management Group and work on services and technology that enable scientific progress at CERN.
You become part of the EOS Storage Development and Operations team, which delivers large-scale, reliable, high-performance storage services. Today, this infrastructure manages more than 1 Exabyte of disk storage and serves around 10 Exabytes of data annually to researchers and computing facilities worldwide.
The position gives you an opportunity to learn, contribute and gain experience in the operations and evolution of an innovative, open-source storage platform. You also work closely with developers and service managers to improve automation, observability, reliability and performance of CERN's storage services.
Your Responsibilities
⚙️ Operate and maintain EOS large-scale distributed storage services supporting CERN's scientific programmes.
🔧 Integrate, troubleshoot and optimise distributed storage systems at exabyte scale across software, hardware and network layers.
🧪 Contribute to the development, testing, deployment and automation of EOS platform capabilities and operational tools.
🤝 Liaise with users, developers, service managers and external collaborators to support the evolution of CERN storage services.
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Your Profile
🐧 Experience and good knowledge of Linux, networking and storage technologies.
📚 Interest in distributed storage systems, data management platforms and large-scale scientific computing.
📈 Interest in storage performance, scalability and reliability challenges.
🧠 Understanding of concepts such as replication, fault tolerance, caching, scheduling and data consistency.
Skills Needed
💻 Software development and knowledge of modern programming languages (for example C++, Python, Git, CI/CD).
🛠️ Linux administration, troubleshooting and performance optimisation.
🤖 Automation, configuration and operational tooling.
👥 Collaboration skills and the ability to work in diverse teams.
🗣️ Spoken and written English, with a commitment to learn French.
Eligibility Criteria
🛂 You are a national of a CERN Member or Associate Member State.
🎓 By the application deadline, you have a maximum of two years of professional experience since graduation in Software Engineering (or a related field), and your highest educational qualification is either a Bachelor's or Master's degree.
🆕 You have never had a CERN fellow or graduate contract before.
🚫 Applicants without a university degree are not eligible.
🚫 Applicants with a PhD are not eligible.
Eligible Nationalities
Nationals of the following CERN Member and Associate Member States can apply: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Brazil, Chile, India, Ireland and Ukraine.
Conditions of the Position
The posting states that this position involves stand-by duty and work during nights, Sundays and official holidays, in both cases when required by the needs of the Organization. The job is fully onsite, so you need to be able to work from CERN in Geneva.
Salary and Benefits
💶 A monthly net stipend of either CHF 5,266 or CHF 5,793, depending on your degree.
🏖️ 30 days of paid leave per year plus 2 weeks of annual closure.
🏥 Coverage by CERN's comprehensive health insurance scheme for yourself, your spouse and children, and membership of the CERN Pension Fund.
👨👩👧 Family, child and infant monthly allowances, depending on your individual circumstances.
📦 A relocation package (installation grant and travel expenses), depending on your individual circumstances.
⏫ Possibility to extend your contract up to 36 months.
🎒 On-the-job and formal training, including language classes.
About CERN
At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, the frontiers of science and technology are pushed every day. The work brings together not only physicists but also a diverse range of professionals from engineering, technical, scientific and administrative fields, in an environment where innovation and collaboration thrive.
Every day brings new challenges and opportunities to contribute to cutting-edge research that shapes our understanding of the universe. Diversity has been a core value of CERN since its foundation and remains central to its mission and continued success.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the CERN Junior Distributed Storage Engineer job pay?
The net monthly stipend is either CHF 5,266 or CHF 5,793, depending on your degree. The package also includes 30 days of paid leave per year, health insurance, membership of the CERN Pension Fund and a relocation package.
How long is the contract and when does it start?
The contract lasts 24 months, with a possible extension up to 36 months maximum. The target start date is 01 January 2027, at 40 hours per week, fully onsite in Geneva.
Who can apply for this CERN graduate position?
You must be a national of a CERN Member or Associate Member State, with a Bachelor's or Master's degree as your highest qualification and a maximum of two years of professional experience since graduation in Software Engineering or a related field. You must never have had a CERN fellow or graduate contract before.
Can I apply with a PhD or without a university degree?
No. The posting states that applicants without a university degree and applicants with a PhD are not eligible.
What languages do I need?
You need spoken and written English, with a commitment to learn French. CERN offers language classes as part of the on-the-job and formal training.
Does the job involve stand-by or night work?
Yes, when required by the needs of the Organization. The posting lists stand-by duty and work during nights, Sundays and official holidays.
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Deadline
⏳ 14 November 2026
Link
Application: https://jobs.smartrecruiters.com/CERN/744000160887379-junior-distributed-storage-engineer-it-sd-pds-2026-246-grae-
