Principal IT DR Analyst

Overview

IT Disaster Recovery Principal

Job Summary

The IT Disaster Recovery Specialist is responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining robust disaster recovery strategies to ensure business continuity during outages, cyber incidents, or natural disasters. This role requires expertise in data center operations, infrastructure components, DR frameworks, and hands-on experience with industry-standard tools and technologies.

Key Responsibilities Disaster Recovery Planning & Framework

Develop and maintain comprehensive IT Disaster Recovery (DR) plans for critical applications and infrastructure.

Align DR strategies with organizational Business Continuity Plans (BCP) and compliance frameworks such as ISO 22301 and NIST.

Define and regularly review Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) for Tier 1 and Tier 2 applications.

Establish and maintain IT DR governance processes and documentation.

Data Center-Level Exercises

Plan, coordinate, and execute full-scale data center failover and recovery exercises.

Validate DR strategies for both on-premises and cloud environments (Azure/AWS).

Perform post-exercise analysis and implement corrective actions to improve resilience.

Infrastructure Knowledge

Maintain deep understanding of core infrastructure components including Network, Storage, Database, Servers, Virtualization (VMware), Citrix, and Cloud platforms (Azure, AWS).

Support integration of mass notification systems for crisis communication.

Tools & Technologies

Utilize ServiceNow for workflow automation and incident management.

Monitor infrastructure health using SolarWinds.

Implement security measures with IBM Defender.

Manage backup and replication processes using Veeam.

Leverage Discovery tools for asset identification and dependency mapping.

Apply CrowdStrike for endpoint protection and Rapid7 for vulnerability management.

Testing & Validation

Conduct regular DR drills, tabletop exercises, and failover tests for critical systems.

Document test results, identify gaps, and recommend improvements.

Compliance & Reporting

Ensure adherence to ISO 22301, NIST Cybersecurity Framework, and internal DR policies.

Prepare and maintain DR readiness dashboards and reports for senior management.

Collaboration & Communication

Work closely with IT teams, vendors, and business units to ensure DR readiness.

Provide training and awareness sessions for stakeholders on DR processes.

Act as a subject matter expert during crisis situations and recovery efforts.

Should have strong and commandable communication skills and proven experience in hosting large-scale calls with IT teams and stakeholders during DR events or exercises.

Process Improvement & Automation

Continuously evaluate existing DR processes for efficiency and effectiveness.

Identify opportunities for automation in DR workflows, failover testing, and reporting.

Stay updated on emerging technologies and best practices in disaster recovery and business continuity.

Recommend and implement innovative solutions to enhance resilience and reduce recovery time.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in IT Disaster Recovery, Business Continuity, or related roles.
• Strong knowledge and practical experience in Business Impact Analysis (BIA), Recovery Time Objective (RTO), Recovery Point Objective (RPO), Mean Time to Work (MTTW), Maximum Tolerable Downtime (MTD), and Work Recovery Time (WRT).
• Expertise in IT infrastructure components and data center functionality.
• Hands-on experience with DR tools and technologies (ServiceNow, SolarWinds, IBM Defender, Veeam, etc…).
• Familiarity with CrowdStrike, Rapid7, and Discovery tools is a plus.
• Knowledge of new technologies, process improvement methodologies, and automation tools.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
  
  
  

• MBCI (Member of the Business Continuity Institute)
• CBCP (Certified Business Continuity Professional)
• ISO 22301 Lead Implementer / Auditor
• Familiarity with NIST Cybersecurity Framework
• Any Cloud Certification (AWS, Azure, ect..)
• Cybersecurity Certifications will be an added advantage