Backup & Storage Architect Design, Migration & Administration

Role: Backup & Storage Architect - Design, Migration & Administration

Location: Troy, MI

Type : Contract

Role Overview

The Backup & Storage Architect will lead the design, migration, administration, rapid recovery, and documentation of enterprise storage and backup platforms. Scope includes HPE Alletra, NetApp ONTAP, Infinidat InfiniBox, Dell Unity and backup stacks such as Commvault, Dell EMC Data Domain, Veeam, and Avamar. The architect ensures availability, integrity, cyber resilience, compliance-and publishes clear, consumable design and operations artifacts (HLD/LLD/SOPs/runbooks).

Key Responsibilities

Architecture & Design

1. Define and maintain enterprise storage & backup reference architectures across multi vendor platforms.
2. Produce and own High Level Designs (HLD):
   1. End to end logical architecture, integration touchpoints (AD/DNS/PKI), security & resiliency patterns, RTO/RPO tiers, data flows, and guardrails.
3. Produce and own Low Level Designs (LLD):
   1. Detailed configurations (arrays, pools/volumes/filesystems, snapshots/replication), protocol settings (FC/iSCSI/NFS/SMB), Commvault plans/policies, Data Domain DD Boost/retention lock, Veeam/Avamar job design, firewall/ports, naming/IP schema, version/firmware matrices.
4. Implement resiliency baselines (snapshots, replication, immutable copies) and security hardening (RBAC, MFA/SSO, encryption).

Migration & Cutover

1. Lead end to end storage & backup migrations: assessment, dependency mapping, wave planning, pilot, parallel run, cutover & validation.
2. Author migration runbooks and cutover checklists (pre checks, execution steps, rollback criteria, post cutover validation).
3. Automate tasks using PowerShell/Python/Ansible; leverage native tools (SnapMirror, InfiniBox replication, Unity replication, Commvault aux copies, DD replication, Veeam replication/Instant Recovery).

Administration & Operations

1. Day to day operations: provisioning, performance tuning, capacity planning, patching/firmware, dedupe/index hygiene, catalog maintenance.
2. Publish Operational Documentation (SOPs):
   1. Provisioning procedures, backup policy management, retention changes, monitoring & alerting, incident handling, service request catalog items.
3. Generate operational dashboards & reports (success %, failures, capacity, RPO/RTO).

Rapid Recovery & DR

1. Design rapid recovery patterns (Instant VM Restore, DB PITR, share restore) to meet aggressive RTO/RPO.
2. Create and maintain DR runbooks (failover/failback), including DNS/GTM steps, application smoke tests, and evidence capture.
3. Implement immutable backup/vaulting; coordinate cyber recovery exercises.

Customer Handling, Escalations & Troubleshooting

1. Act as primary technical point for customers during migrations and incidents; run governance calls and provide executive ready updates.
2. Manage multi vendor escalations (HPE/NetApp/Infinidat/Dell/Commvault/Veeam/Avamar); drive RCA with corrective/preventive actions.
3. Troubleshoot complex storage/backup issues (protocols, authentication/ACLs, replication lag, pathing, firewall/ports).

Collaboration & Leadership

1. Partner with PMO, application, DB, network, and security teams; enforce standards and change control.
2. Mentor engineers; curate document repositories (HLD/LLD/SOPs/runbooks, templates, version control).

Required Skills & Qualifications

Storage Expertise

1. HPE Alletra MP/B10000, NetApp ONTAP, Infinidat InfiniBox, Dell Unity (block/file)-provisioning, replication, snapshots, performance engineering.

Backup Expertise

1. Commvault (CommServe, MediaAgent, Disk/Cloud Libraries, dedupe, Command Center).
2. Dell EMC Data Domain (DD Boost, retention lock, replication).
3. Veeam (VM backup/replication/Instant Recovery).
4. Avamar (dedupe, policy design).

Protocols & Integration

1. iSCSI, FC, NFS, SMB; AD/LDAP integration; TLS/certificates; DNS/GTM considerations.

Automation & Observability

1. PowerShell, Python, Ansible; health/alerts and SLA dashboards.

Documentation Excellence

1. Demonstrated ability to produce HLDs, LLDs, SOPs, runbooks, and executive summaries-clear diagrams, versioned artifacts, and auditable change logs.

Customer Engagement

1. Strong communication; escalation management; RCA authoring; stakeholder alignment.

Education & Certifications

1. Bachelor's in Computer Science/IT or equivalent experience.
2. Preferred: HPE ASE/ATP, NetApp NCDA, Dell EMC Proven Professional, Commvault Certified Professional, VMCE (Veeam), Avamar/Dell EMC certs, ITIL Foundation; INFINIDAT credentials a plus.

First 90 Days (Illustrative)

1. Publish HLD for current state and target state storage/backup; complete LLD for priority platforms (Commvault/DD/Veeam/Avamar + arrays).
2. Deliver migration runbooks for initial waves and DR runbooks for tier 0/1 apps with test evidence.
3. Stand up operational SOPs and weekly SLA/RAG dashboards; align vendor escalation matrices and license inventories.

Reporting & Collaboration

1. Reports to: Infrastructure/Platform Lead.
2. Partners with: PMO, App Owners, DBAs, Network/Security, OEM Vendors.