Disaster Recovery Plan Implementation Specialist

Overview:

We are seeking an exceptionally skilled and experienced Disaster Recovery (DR) specialist to lead the end-to-end design, implementation, and rigorous testing of a robust and resilient disaster recovery plan for our mission-critical systems and sensitive data. Our primary objective is to establish an ironclad business continuity framework that guarantees minimal downtime (low RTO) and minimal data loss (low RPO) in the face of any catastrophic event, be it natural disaster, cyber-attack, or major system failure. This project is crucial for safeguarding our operations and maintaining stakeholder trust.

Responsibilities:

•  Assessment & Strategy Development:
  • Conduct a thorough audit of our current IT infrastructure, applications, and data assets to identify critical systems, dependencies, and potential single points of failure.
  • Perform a comprehensive Business Impact Analysis (BIA) to determine the Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) for each critical business function and system.
  • Develop a detailed, multi-faceted disaster recovery strategy, including active-passive, active-active, or pilot light approaches, tailored to our specific needs and budget.
  • Select appropriate DR technologies and platforms (e.g., cloud-based DRaaS, on-premise replication, hybrid solutions).
• Solution Design & Implementation:
  • Design the technical architecture for the chosen DR solution, including network configurations, data replication mechanisms, compute resource provisioning, and application failover procedures.
  • Implement the selected DR tools and technologies (e.g., configuring replication, setting up failover clusters, establishing backup schedules for DR purposes).
  • Integrate DR solutions with existing monitoring and alerting systems to ensure real-time visibility into DR readiness.
  • Automate DR processes where feasible, using scripting or Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools.
•  Documentation & Testing:
  • Create comprehensive DR documentation, including detailed runbooks, recovery procedures, communication plans, and contact lists.
  • Develop a rigorous DR testing methodology and conduct multiple full-scale DR drills (e.g., tabletop exercises, simulated failovers, data recovery tests).
  • Analyze test results, identify gaps, and refine the DR plan and procedures based on lessons learned.
  • Provide a detailed post-test report outlining success metrics, identified issues, and corrective actions.
• Training & Handover:
  • Conduct thorough training sessions for our internal IT and operations teams on executing the DR plan, using DR tools, and interpreting recovery procedures.
  • Establish a clear handover process for ongoing DR plan maintenance and updates.
• Required Qualifications:
  • Minimum 7+ years of hands-on experience in designing, implementing, and testing enterprise-level disaster recovery and business continuity solutions.
  • Deep expertise in various DR technologies, including data replication (synchronous/asynchronous), backup and restoration tools, and virtualization platform DR features (e.g., VMware Site Recovery Manager, Hyper-V Replica).
  • Extensive experience with cloud-based DR solutions and services on at least two major cloud platforms (AWS Disaster Recovery, Azure Site Recovery, Google Cloud Disaster Recovery).
  • Proficiency in scripting (e.g., PowerShell, Python, Bash) for automation of DR tasks.
  • Strong understanding of network architecture, storage area networks (SAN), and database recovery mechanisms.
  • Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills to anticipate and mitigate potential DR challenges.
  • Exceptional documentation, communication, and presentation skills to convey complex technical information to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
  • Relevant industry certifications such as Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP), Disaster Recovery Certified Specialist (DRCS), or cloud-specific DR certifications are highly desirable.

Key Skills:

• Disaster Recovery,
• Business Continuity Planning (BCP)
• RTO/RPO
• Data Replication
• Backup & Restore
• Cloud DR (AWS, Azure, GCP)
• Virtualization (VMware, Hyper-V)
• Network Architecture
• Storage Management
• Automation, Scripting
• Incident Response
• Risk Assessment
• Compliance
• Documentation
• Testing
• Training

Expectations:

We are looking for a strategic partner, not just a service provider. We expect a highly proactive, detail-oriented, and results-driven freelancer who can deliver a truly resilient and thoroughly validated disaster recovery solution. The successful candidate will demonstrate a deep understanding of our business needs, communicate transparently throughout the project lifecycle, and provide a solution that not only meets but exceeds industry best practices for business continuity and data protection. We value clear, concise documentation and a commitment to knowledge transfer to our internal teams.