Infrastructure Disaster Recovery Lead

2. MUST-HAVE QUALIFICATIONS (Non-Negotiable)

Requirement

8+ years preferred (15+ is acceptable)

4+ years minimum - MUST be deep, hands-on DR experience, not just policy/paper

Former engineer or infrastructure support background (VMware, Linux/Windows, Storage, Networking) - NOT a pure Project Manager

Financial services is a MUST (regulatory/compliance experience critical)

Must have supported DR for at least 1,000 applications and 10,000 services at an enterprise level

Must have experience with automation/scripting (PowerShell, Python, Ansible, vRO, etc.)

Must be vocal, authoritative, and able to speak up/answer questions under pressure during adverse events

Must understand infrastructure pitfalls and know how to fix them - must be able to identify gaps and drive improvements

3. NICE-TO-HAVE QUALIFICATIONS

• Over-qualified candidates are welcome - they value deep DR expertise
• Hands-on experience with VMware vRealize Orchestrator (vRO)
• Experience with Fusion Framework or ServiceNow BCM modules
• Development/scripting experience (even a little is a plus)

4. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES (What the Candidate Will Do)

• Act as the service provider for all applications to ensure completion of:
  • Annual failover exercises
  • Time recovery objectives
  • Recovery plan submissions and approvals
• Lead technical planning, validation, and execution of DR, BCP, and Point-in-Time Recovery (PiTR) plans
• Coordinate across infrastructure towers (Compute, Storage, Network, Database, Middleware) and application owners
• Partner with automation engineers to integrate automated recovery runbooks (vRO, scripting)
• Act as primary technical point of contact and spokesperson during live DR tests and incident recovery exercises
• Track, analyze, and remediate infrastructure gaps identified during exercises, audits, or regulatory assessments
• Manage projects around infrastructure vulnerabilities, remediation of audit findings, and continuous improvement
• Weekend work is expected - many exercises happen on weekends
• Global coordination across different time zones is required

5. INTERVIEW PROCESS

Focus

Skills assessment (technical/DR depth)

Qualification & personality fit

6. CANDIDATE SCREENING GUIDE FOR RECRUITERS

✅ GREEN FLAGS (What to Look For)

• Resume shows clear progression: Systems Engineer → Senior Infrastructure Engineer → DR/Resiliency Lead
• Hands-on experience with VMware, Linux/Windows, SAN/NAS, Networking
• Active use of automation/scripting (vRO, PowerShell, Python, Ansible)
• Experience in financial services, banking, or heavily regulated environments
• Can articulate scale - DR for 1,000+ apps and 10,000+ services
• Can speak to PiTR (Point-in-Time Recovery) validation and restore integrity
• ServiceNow and/or Fusion Framework experience

❌ RED FLAGS (Disqualifiers)

• Pure Policy/Paper DR - experience limited to writing documents/compliance reports with NO hands-on technical infra background
• Desktop/Service Desk Only - no core infrastructure engineering experience
• Pure Project Manager - focuses on budgets/timelines only, cannot articulate technical failover sequences
• Frequent job hopping (3-6 month stints) - this is a 26-month commitment
• C2C requirement - role is W2 ONLY
• Hesitation on location or shift - Tempe onsite 3 days/week, 6:00 AM start is non-negotiable

7. KEY INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR RECRUITERS TO PREPARE CANDIDATES

Candidates must be prepared to answer:

1. "Tell me about a DR exercise you led for at least 1,000 applications and 10,000 services. Which technology towers did you coordinate? What was the sequence of tasks? What did you automate, and what should have been automated?"
2. "Describe a time when something went wrong during a DR test or real failover. How did you respond, and what did you do to fix it?"
3. "How do you handle application owners who push back on DR requirements or who don't prioritize testing?"
4. "Explain your experience with Point-in-Time Recovery (PiTR) exercises and how you validate restore integrity."
5. "What automation have you implemented to reduce recovery time or improve consistency in DR testing?"
6. "How do you manage DR planning and execution across different global time zones?"
7. "Walk me through the DR planning cycle—from annual plan submission to testing to gap remediation."

8. TARGET EMPLOYER TALENT POOLS (For Sourcing)

Phoenix/Tempe Area & National:

• Banking & Financial: Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, American Express, Charles Schwab, Northern Trust, Discover Financial
• Insurance & Healthcare: State Farm (Tempe Hub), USAA, CVS Health/Aetna, UnitedHealth Group
• Tech & Infrastructure: Insight Enterprises, General Dynamics IT, Cognizant, DXC Technology

9. RECRUITING DIFFICULTY

Rating: 4 out of 5 (High Difficulty)

Why:

• Uncommon hybrid skillset (infrastructure engineering + DR automation + governance)
• Strict location (Tempe) + shift (6:00 AM start) eliminates remote candidates
• W2-only removes ~30-40% of seasoned C2C contractor market
• Compensation ceiling ($70/hr) competes against full-time roles at $150k-$175k total comp

Selling Points for Candidates:

• 26-month project stability
• High-visibility enterprise role at a major financial institution
• Opportunity to drive automation and modernization initiatives

Subject: Updated Must-Have Requirements for IAA Production Support & Infrastructure Specialist