Disaster Recovery Specialist

Job Title: Disaster Recovery Specialist

Location: Toronto, ON (Hybrid)

Estimated Duration: 12 Months

Company Overview:

The client is a forward-thinking technology company dedicated to providing innovative solutions to our customers. We are committed to excellence and continuously strive to improve our services through the implementation of industry best practices. We are seeking an experienced Disaster Recovery modernization advocate to help transform our practices, establish robust governance compliance and frameworks across the organization.

Job Summary:

As a Disaster Recovery Specialist, your primary responsibility is to develop, implement, and enforce enterprise-wide Disaster Recovery (DR) policies and processes that support Business Continuity Management (BCM).  This means you are at the center of the organization’s efforts to prepare for, respond to, and recover from technology-related disasters, ensuring that business operations can continue or resume quickly after an incident.
 

• Stakeholder Collaboration:  You will work with both internal teams (such as IT, BCM, and technical staff) and external partners to ensure all disaster recovery and resiliency planning processes are robust and effective. This includes handling incidents across on-premises and cloud-based solutions, data centers, and cyber recovery events.
• Plan Development & Testing:  You are responsible for developing and regularly testing Disaster Recovery and Cyber Resiliency plans. This ensures that the organization is prepared for various disaster scenarios and that recovery plans are effective and up-to-date.
• Regular Exercises:  Coordinating and conducting regular exercises to validate enterprise recovery plans is a critical part of your role. These exercises test the effectiveness of DR plans and ensure all stakeholders are prepared for real incidents.

Key Responsibilities:

• DR Team Support: Assist in the administration, fulfillment and maintenance of BIA & DR Plans utilizing ServiceNow's BCM APP/module.  Help build and implement automation processes for sustaining DR Plan creation and maintenance.
• Establish DR Process:  Assist in onboarding BIA’s by the BCM team to consolidate and integrate use of ServiceNow's BCM APP/module.  Develop and maintain processes for disaster recovery plans, ensuring alignment with organizational requirements and industry best practices.
• Assist in conducting DR Exercises:  Support in the administration, coordination, scheduling and performance of DR tests and document proceedings.  Organize and execute DR exercises, including testing and drills, in alignment with Company DR policies or as requested by the business. These exercises validate the effectiveness of recovery plans.
• Develop Exercise Scenarios:  Create realistic and comprehensive DR exercise scenarios to rigorously test disaster recovery plans and ensure successful execution during actual incidents.  Help Coordinate technical activities for Vendor disaster recovery exercises
• Deliver Training:  Help train new users in using ServiceNow's BCM APP/module in the creation of BIA and DR plans.  Provide training through practical exercises in disaster scenarios to ensure all stakeholders are prepared for IT DR processes.
• Collaborate with the BCP Team:  Work closely with the Business Continuity Planning (BCP) team to scope, plan, and execute disaster recovery (DR) exercises. This ensures that all recovery scenarios are realistic and comprehensive.
• Assist in Disaster Recovery Efforts:  In the event of a disaster declaration, coordinate activities across various teams to restore critical operations swiftly and efficiently.
• Datacenter Recovery Planning:  Establish, maintain, and test the high-level DR plan for datacenter recovery, ensuring readiness for large-scale incidents.

Qualifications:
 

• Experience:
  • Minimum 3+ years of experience in disaster recovery or business continuity.
  • At least 3+ years of progressive experience supporting technology platforms related to IT infrastructure, with a focus on managing DR-related activities in complex environments.
• Certifications:
  • ITIL foundations certificate and/or disaster recovery certification (IT DR Implementer) is considered an asset.
  • Certification from the Disaster Recovery Institute (DRI), Business Continuity Institute (BCI), or an equivalent certifying body is an asset.
• Technical Skills:
  • Working experience with ServiceNow Business Continuity Management (BCM) is an asset.
  • Understanding of disaster recovery best practices and methodologies.
  • Experience in conducting disaster recovery tests and exercises.
  • Working knowledge of ITIL best practices related to Change, Configuration, Incident, and Problem Management.
• Core Competencies:
  • Strong analytical and documentation skills.
  • Excellent communication and teamwork abilities.