Systems Engineer - Backup & Storage Specialist

About This Role

Black & Grey HR is recruiting for a leading technology solutions and services provider in Doha, Qatar. Our client is looking to hire a Systems Engineer - Backup & Storage Specialist who will be responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining robust backup, recovery, and storage solutions to ensure data integrity, availability, and business continuity across hybrid cloud, hyperconverged, and on-premises environments.

Responsibilities:

General System Management

• Maintain the overall health, security, and documentation of backup, storage, server, virtualization, and hyperconverged systems to support reliable operations and compliance.
• Perform routine system maintenance tasks, including patching, firmware updates, and health checks across Windows/Linux servers, VMware/vSAN/Nutanix environments, SAN/HCI arrays, and Azure/GCP resources.
• Ensure system security through access controls, encryption management, vulnerability scanning, and adherence to organizational policies and standards (e.g., GDPR, ISO 27001).
• Maintain comprehensive documentation for configurations, procedures, and runbooks related to backup schedules, storage mappings, and recovery processes.
• Provide tier-2 support to end-users and IT teams on storage and backup queries, including capacity reporting and performance optimization recommendations.

Backup and Recovery Management

• Oversee the implementation and maintenance of enterprise backup solutions using tools like Commvault to ensure reliable data protection and rapid recovery.
• Configure and manage backup policies, schedules, and retention strategies for physical, virtual, cloud-based, and hyperconverged workloads.
• Perform regular backup integrity checks, testing, and disaster recovery drills to validate restore capabilities.
• Troubleshoot backup failures, optimize performance, and generate reports on backup success rates and storage utilization.
• Integrate backup solutions with monitoring tools for automated alerts on anomalies or compliance issues.

Enterprise Storage & Hyperconverged Operations

• Administer SAN, NAS, and hyperconverged storage systems (including vSAN and HCI platforms) to provide scalable, high-availability storage infrastructure supporting critical business applications.
• Design, deploy, and maintain SAN and HCI environments, including provisioning, zoning, LUN management, and datastore configuration for optimal I/O performance.
• Monitor storage capacity, performance metrics, and health using tools like EMC Unisphere or vendor-specific HCI dashboards; perform capacity planning and forecasting.
• Implement data tiering, replication, and snapshot technologies to enhance data resilience and efficiency.
• Collaborate with application teams to ensure storage configurations align with workload demands and SLAs.

Cloud and Hybrid Infrastructure Support

• Manage storage and backup integrations in multi-cloud environments (Azure and GCP) alongside on-premises and hyperconverged systems for seamless hybrid operations.
• Provision and manage cloud storage solutions (e.g., Azure Blob Storage, GCP Cloud Storage) for hybrid backup workflows, including data migration and synchronization.
• Configure cloud-native backup services and integrate them with enterprise backup software for unified management.
• Optimize cloud storage costs through lifecycle policies, archiving, and deduplication while ensuring data sovereignty and compliance.
• Conduct security assessments for cloud storage access controls, encryption, and integration with on-premises virtualized environments.

Server and Virtualization Administration

• Support Windows and Linux server operations within virtualized and hyperconverged environments, focusing on storage integration and performance tuning.
• Administer Windows Server and Linux systems, including patching, scripting (PowerShell/Bash), and configuration for storage attachments.
• Manage virtual environments, including VM provisioning, live migration, and storage optimization for non-disruptive operations.
• Integrate virtualization hosts with enterprise storage arrays and HCI platforms via protocols like iSCSI, FC, and NFS; monitor for bottlenecks and resource contention.
• Develop automation scripts for routine tasks such as storage provisioning in virtual environments and server backup orchestration.

Incident, Problem, and Change Management

• Apply ITIL best practices to manage incidents, perform root cause analysis for problems, and oversee changes in backup, storage, and hyperconverged environments to ensure minimal disruption and continuous improvement.
• Respond to and resolve incidents related to backup failures, storage outages, or performance degradations, adhering to defined SLAs.
• Conduct root cause analysis for recurring problems, implementing preventive measures such as enhanced monitoring or configuration hardening.
• Evaluate, plan, and execute changes through the formal change management process, including risk assessments, testing in non-production environments, and post-implementation reviews.
• Document incidents, problems, and changes in the IT service management system, collaborating with stakeholders to drive process improvements and knowledge base updates.

Requirements:

Experience & Education

• 5+ years of hands-on experience in enterprise backup and storage administration, with proven expertise in hybrid cloud, hyperconverged, and virtualization environments.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• Relevant certifications (preferred) such as Commvault Certified Administrator (CCA), VMware Certified Professional Data Center Virtualization (VCP-DCV), Nutanix Certified Professional (NCP), Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104), Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect, Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA), or ITIL Foundation.

Required Skills

• Proficiency in enterprise backup software for backup orchestration, including application-consistent backups and cloud integrations.
• Expertise in enterprise storage systems (SAN/HCI) with skills in array management, thin provisioning, and replication technologies.
• Strong command of Azure and GCP services for storage and backup, with experience in Infrastructure-as-Code tools (e.g., ARM Templates, Terraform).
• Advanced Windows and Linux server administration skills, including Active Directory integration, kernel tuning, and multi-pathing configuration.
• In-depth knowledge of virtualization and hyperconverged technologies (e.g., VMware vSphere, vSAN, Nutanix AHV).
• Scripting and automation proficiency in PowerShell, Python, or Bash for operational tasks.
• Familiarity with monitoring and analytics tools for storage performance and alerting.