Job Description

Job Summary/Basic Function:
The Senior Storage Administrator is responsible for the architectural design, implementation, and management of the university’s centralized, mission-critical enterprise storage systems. This role ensures high availability, data integrity, and robust recovery capabilities for all university data through the management of SAN/NAS infrastructure and complex backup/disaster recovery (DR) solutions. The position provides the “last line” of technical support and offers strategic leadership in infrastructure evolution, including virtualization and cloud integration.
Minimum Qualifications
Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, plus at least 8 years of relevant enterprise storage experience (or commensurate hands-on experience in lieu of a degree).
Storage Platforms: Expert-level, hands-on administration experience with enterprise Block and NAS storage systems, specifically Dell EMC platforms (Unity, PowerStore, and Isilon).
SAN Fabric Management: Proficiency in configuring, maintaining, and upgrading SAN fabrics, including strong experience with Cisco MDS SAN switches and dual-fabric redundant configurations.
Backup & Recovery: Deep expertise in enterprise data protection, specifically using Veritas NetBackup appliances.
Ransomware Protection: Demonstrated experience managing immutable/WORM storage (e.g., NetBackup Flex) to secure data against ransomware.
Systems & Networking Integration: Advanced understanding of how storage integrates with server virtualization (e.g., VMware) and core networking concepts.
Problem Solving: Proven ability to act as an escalation point for complex, cross-domain technical issues

Preferred Qualifications
Certifications: Relevant industry certifications, such as Dell Technologies Proven Professional (Storage), Cisco Certified Specialist (Data Center SAN), or SNIA (Storage Networking Industry Association) credentials.
Cloud Integration: Practical experience managing off-site replication, hybrid cloud storage workloads, and archival tiering using Amazon S3.
Automation & Scripting: Proficiency in scripting languages (e.g., Python, PowerShell, Bash) or automation tools (e.g., Ansible, Terraform) to streamline storage provisioning, reporting, and lifecycle management.
SaaS Data Protection: Experience managing enterprise-scale backups for Microsoft 365 environments.
Advanced Monitoring: Familiarity utilizing Dell CloudIQ and InsightIQ for predictive analytics, capacity planning, and performance tuning.
Vendor & Procurement Experience: Previous experience consulting with stakeholders, evaluating vendor bids, and contributing to the technical aspects of RFPs/ITNs for infrastructure procurement.
Frameworks: Working knowledge of IT service management frameworks (like ITIL) for structured incident, problem, and change management.

Essential Functions and percent of time:
1. Storage Architecture & Management (30%)
Design & Build: Plan, organize, and manage centralized storage for all university servers, ensuring capacity, reliability, and protection.
Provisioning: Provision block and file storage for new servers and applications; add new servers to storage platforms using vendor interfaces.
SAN Fabric: Maintain and modify storage fabrics (Cisco MDS SAN switches), performing maintenance, upgrades, and configuration changes to support redundancy and performance.
Lifecycle Management: Coordinate storage migration projects and platform transitions to ensure hardware remains current and performant.

2. Backup, Recovery & Disaster Recovery (25%)
Policy Design: Establish and maintain backup and retention policies and design disaster recovery solutions for mission-critical data.
Immutable Security: Manage immutable/WORM storage (NetBackup Flex) to protect against ransomware and data loss.
Restoration: Perform complex file-level and system-level restores for faculty, staff, and students, ensuring recovery processes are tested and repeatable.
Cloud Integration: Manage archival workloads and off-site replication using Amazon S3 and off-site Isilon DR clusters.

3. Advanced Technical Support & Problem Resolution (20%)
Last-Line Support: Provide the highest level of technical support to other technical staff, resolving high-complexity issues that require cross-domain knowledge (storage, servers, networking).
Coordination: Lead storage related problem resolution activities between CaTS staff, vendors, and the university community.
Monitoring: Utilize tools including Dell CloudIQ and InsightIQ for regular monitoring of storage logs, alerts, and performance trends.
Essential Functions and percent of time (cont'd):
4. Technical Leadership & Infrastructure Strategy (10%)
Evolution: Provide storage related leadership in the design of infrastructure changes, including server virtualization, cloud services, and data center modifications.
Process Standards: Establish quota management rules and monitor overall space capacity to ensure minimum free-space thresholds.
Mentorship: Lead and coordinate other storage staff in day-to-day management activities.

5. Strategic Advisory & Vendor Relations (10%)
Consultation: Advise management, department heads, and faculty researchers on storage needs, growth trends, and technology advances.
Procurement: Lead storage related equipment acquisition, including researching technology changes, writing RFPs/ITNs, and evaluating vendor bids.

6. Professional Development & Documentation (5%)
Continuous Learning: Attend training and conferences to stay informed of industry directions and emerging storage solutions.
Documentation: Maintain detailed records of configurations and processes on restricted NAS platforms to ensure operational continuity.