Sr Lead SME- Backup - DGM

Job Title:

Cloud Data Protection SME

Band:

A3/E4

Location:  

Noida (Onsite)

Job Type:

Full Time (FTE)

Job Summary:

Lead India's Cloud Revolution & Operate at Hyperscale: Join Airtel's New Platform Operations Team!  

Airtel is making a strategic leap, launching its own hyperscale cloud service in India.  

We're building an elite Platform Operations team to be the custodians of this vital infrastructure, delivering unmatched operational excellence from day one.

This role places you at the helm of overseeing a sophisticated and large cloud infrastructure built on cutting-edge technologies. You will be instrumental in creating a world-class core system that guarantee the availability, performance, security, and scalability of our sovereign cloud services, leveraging Airtel's robust network connectivity, extensive infrastructure backbone and deep enterprise relationships.  

The L3 Lead Data Protection Engineer / SME is the foremost technical authority within the data protection domain. This role involves designing, architecting, implementing, and overseeing the entire data protection strategy and infrastructure. Responsibilities include leading complex projects, setting technical direction, mentoring junior engineers, acting as the final escalation point for critical issues, driving innovation, and ensuring the backup environment is resilient, secure, scalable, and aligned with business objectives and compliance requirements.

We are looking for seasoned operations professionals with a passion for running resilient, secure, and highly performance distributed systems. If you are passionate about the challenge of running infrastructure at a gigantic scale while delivering world-class service delivery for a hyperscaler, Airtel Cloud offers a unique opportunity. Come build and run the future with us!

Key Roles & Responsibilities:

As an L3 Backup Engineer, you will be responsible for designing, architecting, implementing, and managing enterprise-scale, resilient, and cost-effective data protection solutions in the cloud environment. You will act as a subject matter expert, providing technical leadership, expert troubleshooting, and driving automation and optimization within the backup infrastructure.

·        Architecture and Design:

o    Design and architect robust backup and recovery solutions using tools such as Veritas NBOS, NetBackup, and Horizon.

o    Develop and maintain the long-term data protection technology roadmap, evaluating emerging technologies and industry trends.

o    Define and enforce comprehensive backup policies, standards, security controls, and best practices.

o    Conduct capacity planning, performance forecasting, and lifecycle management for the backup infrastructure.

o    Develop and implement practices for public cloud backup setups with Openstack and Openshift.

·        Implementation and Operations:

o    Engineer, implement, and maintain enterprise data protection solutions, including Veritas NBOS and other relevant technologies.

o    Lead and execute major data protection projects, such as technology migrations, new platform deployments, and disaster recovery enhancements.

o    Operationalize industry frameworks to optimize Backup solutions with zero touch operations and auto healing capabilities.

·        Optimization and Automation:

o    Drive strategic automation initiatives using scripting, orchestration tools, and APIs to enhance efficiency, reliability, and self-service capabilities.

o    Continuously identify and implement optimizations for performance, cost, and manageability of the backup environment.

o    Automate Backup services and implement them effectively.

o    Utilize tools like Veritas IT Analytics and NetBackup Self Service for monitoring, reporting, and automation.

·        Technical Expertise:

o    Possess extensive knowledge and deep expertise in backup hardware and software, particularly Veritas NBOS, NetBackup, and Horizon.

o    Demonstrate an excellent understanding of core backup technology concepts, including Filesystem, OS, NDMP, DB Backup, Snapshot, Catalog Recovery, and System Recovery.

o    Apply comprehensive understanding and hands-on experience with complex mission-critical applications, focusing on RTO and RPO objectives.

o    Understand and apply knowledge of datacenter infrastructure, Software-defined Backup, SaaS-based infrastructure, Public/Private cloud, and high-performance computing in a data protection context.

o    Possess strong knowledge in areas such as Ransomware protection, data resiliency, data isolation, Identity and Access Management, Security patching, endpoint management, Networking, and Firewall principles relevant to data protection.

o    Work with sensitive data considerations, including legal data requirements, Data Governance, PCIDSS, and PII information protection.

·        Troubleshooting and Problem Management:

o    Serve as the ultimate escalation point for complex, persistent, or critical data protection incidents and problems.

o    Lead technical task forces for major incident resolution impacting backup and recovery capabilities.

o    Perform in-depth root cause analysis for systemic issues and architect long-term solutions.

·        Leadership and Mentorship:

o    Provide technical leadership, direction, and mentorship to L1 and L2 Data Protection Engineers.

o    Lead technical deep-dive sessions, training, and knowledge transfer initiatives.

o    Set performance standards and contribute to the technical development of the team.

·        Security and Compliance:

o    Ensure data protection solutions meet stringent security standards and comply with relevant regulations.

o    Collaborate closely with security and audit teams on assessments and remediation efforts.

·        Vendor Management:

o    Manage technical aspects of vendor engagements, proof-of-concepts (POCs), and technology evaluations.

o    Manage relationships with key data protection vendors regarding technical support escalations, feature requests, roadmap alignment, and contract renewals.    

Technical Skills and Competencies:

·        Backup Technologies: Expert-level knowledge, architecture, design, implementation, and troubleshooting experience with Veritas NetBackup, Veritas Appliances (Flex, NBU), and HP StoreOnce. Deep understanding of underlying mechanisms. Experience with other enterprise backup solutions is a plus.

·        Backup Concepts: Mastery of backup/recovery architectures, disaster recovery strategies (including RPO/RTO definition and testing), data lifecycle management, data immutability, cyber-resiliency for backups.

·        Operating Systems: Expert-level knowledge of Linux, Unix (various flavors), and Windows Server administration, performance tuning, and security hardening relevant to backup infrastructure.

·        Scripting/Automation: Advanced proficiency in scripting (Python, Perl, PowerShell, Shell) and experience with automation/orchestration tools (e.g., Ansible, Terraform) and API integration.

·        Cloud Computing: Deep expertise in designing, implementing, and managing backup/DR solutions for hybrid and multi-cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP, OpenStack, OpenShift), including native services and third-party tools.

·        Networking and Storage: Strong understanding of advanced networking concepts (VLANs, routing, firewalls, load balancing) and enterprise storage technologies (SAN - FC/iSCSI, NAS - NFS/CIFS, Object Storage - S3) and their impact on backup performance and design.

·        Databases and Applications: Experience designing backup strategies for critical enterprise applications and databases (e.g., Oracle, Mongo, SQL Server, SAP HANA, NoSQL).

·        Security Principles: Strong understanding of security concepts (encryption, key management, access control, vulnerability management) applied to data protection.

Core Competencies:

·        Robust Foundation in Core Cloud Computing Principles:

o    Exhibits a strong theoretical and practical understanding of IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, Compute, Storage, Networking, Security, Databases, and Serverless architectures.

o    Demonstrates a proactive stance towards acquiring knowledge of new cloud services and technologies, actively seeking opportunities to optimize processes, enhance tooling, and improve system reliability.

o    Experience in cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) is a plus.

·        Expertise in Developing Automation Solutions:

o    Exhibits the ability to design, develop, and implement scripts to streamline repetitive operational tasks, automate deployments, and enhance monitoring capabilities.

o    Proficiency in at least one scripting language relevant to automation (e.g., Python, Bash, PowerShell, Ruby, and Perl).

·        Systematic and Data-Driven Technical Diagnostics and Remediation:

o    Employs a methodical and rigorous approach to identify, diagnose, and resolve technical challenges within distributed systems

o    Leverage data analysis of logs, performance metrics, and system behavior to pinpoint underlying root causes.

·        Commitment to Operational Excellence and Process Adherence:

o    Demonstrates a strong commitment to following established operational procedures, including incident, change, problem, and release management in alignment with ITIL frameworks

o    Exhibit comprehensive understanding and practical application of the incident lifecycle, encompassing systematic procedures for identification, containment, eradication, recovery, and post-incident analysis.

o    Proficient in using enterprise-grade monitoring tools (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, Zabbix, SolarWinds, ELK) and ITSM/ticketing systems (e.g., ServiceNow, Jira) for proactive incident detection, alert management, and streamlined issue resolution workflows.

·        Experience in Infrastructure and Procedural Documentation:

o    Proven ability to create and maintain comprehensive documentation for infrastructure, operational procedures, and incident resolutions.

·        Exceptional Communicator and Collaborative Team Player:

o    Demonstrates mastery of English communication, both written and verbal, alongside exceptional interpersonal skills that facilitate strong working relationships

o    Drive effective collaboration and teamwork across diverse engineering teams to achieve shared goals.

·        Ability to Thrive in a Dynamic Support Environment:

o    Exhibits the flexibility and commitment required to work in a 24/7 support model, including rotational shifts and on-call responsibilities.

Qualifications:

·        Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in enterprise data protection, with a significant portion in design, architecture, and lead roles.

·        Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, Information Technology, or a related field.

·        Advanced industry certifications are highly expected (e.g., Veritas Certified Professional, advanced Cloud Architect/Ops certifications).

·        Demonstrated experience leading technical teams or projects.