Storage and Backup Engineer

Overview

Empower AI is AI for government. Empower AI gives federal agency leaders the tools to elevate the potential of their workforce with a direct path for meaningful transformation. Headquartered in Reston, Va., Empower AI leverages three decades of experience solving complex challenges in Health, Defense, and Civilian missions. Our proven Empower AI Platform® provides a practical, sustainable path for clients to achieve transformation that is true to who they are, what they do, how they work, with the resources they have. The result is a government workforce that is exponentially more creative and productive. For more information, visit www.Empower.ai.

Empower AI is proud to be recognized as a 2024 Military Friendly Employer by Viqtory, the publisher of G.I. Jobs. This designation reflects the company’s commitment to hiring and supporting active-duty and veteran employees.

Responsibilities

POSITION SUMMARY

DIGIT is looking for a Storage and Backup Engineer for Storage Area Networks (SAN) to support GSA platform management services which encompass operations, continuity services, and recovery services for all IT core infrastructure services required to deliver any technology. In support of platform management, the Storage and Backup Engineer= support services including, but not limited to, managed hosting and unmanaged hosting (Platform-as-a-Service/Infrastructure-as-a-Service (PaaS/IaaS)), server installation, O/S loading, system hardening in accordance with Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) security requirements, installation of patches, application and system back-ups, and restoration.  

As a leading provider of advanced information technology solutions and professional services to U.S. federal government agencies, is the prime for a $807m task order in support of the General Services Administration (GSA) Office of Digital Infrastructure Technologies (IDT) DIGIT (Digital Innovation for GSA Infrastructure Technologies) task order driving digital transformation and delivering continuous improvement and business value to its customers.  The team is comprised of the best-in-class technology partners to leverage forward-leaning technologies and best practices to transform GSA’s IT capabilities and shift offerings to provide a more flexible service delivery model, completing the agency’s shift to a fully digital experience along with its adoption of advanced, emerging technologies such as intelligent automation, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES: 

The Storage and Backup Engineer/Architect shall perform the following (to include but not limited to) activities: 

• Support a legacy architecture (i.e., server/host, Storage Area Network (SAN), switch) and be able to simultaneously convert and support existing and future Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI) architecture.
• Manage and maintain legacy backup, SAN to tape, and HCI while providing technical expertise to migrate workloads from on-premises to cloud architecture.
• Monitor Storage System operations and verify systems availability. Interact with network engineers and systems engineers to proactively facilitate integration of storage array systems into enterprise ICT infrastructure.
• Perform tasks related to storage provisioning and host integration.
• Function as Level / Tier III support for analyzing, troubleshooting, and implementing solutions related to storage technical problems.
• Function as a technical resource in storage system support for storage service continuity solution implementation and provide efficient data recovery capability in case of disaster.
• Actively involve with third parties engaged in Storage infrastructure projects to ensure acceptable quality of service delivery and, prevent information security incidents.
• Perform the functions of systems backup and recovery administrator, and data replication process owner.
• Implement data storage management guidelines, policies, standards, procedures, and other documentations for DPKO and DFS field missions.
• Responsible for keeping track of existing storage usage and making recommendation for growth.
• Provide necessary training and support missions in storage management, backup and restore operation, as required.
• Define technical specifications and assist with capacity planning and budget estimates for SAN equipment.
• Assist COOP/DR exercises, projects and tasks as required.
• Supervise other SAN technicians and assess their performance on a regular basis.
• Build capacity through on-the-job training or formal training.
• Ensure all procedures in handling storage and backup tasks are documented by staff.
• Establish relationships with third-party vendors to facilitate the timely release and distribution of information on infrastructure product security issues and patches.

Qualifications

• • CONTRACT REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

    • Public Trust Clearance by start date.
    • Previous experience with Cohesity.
    • Previous experience with Catalogic.
    •  ITILv4 Foundation Training and ITILv4 Foundation Certification, may be obtained within 120 days after hire.
    • Possesses and applies expertise on multiple complex work assignments.
    • Assignments may be broad in nature, requiring originality and innovation in determining how to accomplish tasks.
    • Operates with appreciable latitude in developing methodology and presenting solutions to problems.
    • Contributes to deliverables and performance metrics where applicable.
    • Ability to work a 24x7x365 on-call rotation schedule.

    CONTRACT DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

    • Experience with Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI), Nutanix HCI administration, Cisco UCS, and/or migration to cloud based backup solutions (e.g. AWS Glacier) strongly preferred.
    • Understand / develop network diagrams to support hardware deployments.
    • Previous experience with NetApp. 
    • Utilize AIOps to proactively evaluate, identify, and implement configurations, changes to existing configurations, and remediate known problems to enhance and maintain performance.
    • Experience using ServiceNow for ticket management and inventory management.
    • Self-motivated, detail oriented, positive in approach, professional.
    • Help create, develop, and implement project process improvement(s).
    • General knowledge of server/network equipment and software support configurations.
    • Strong aptitude for independent working environment and high productivity rate.
    • Excellent communication and customer relationship skills.
    • Help create, develop, and implement project process improvement(s).
    • Good analytical, interpersonal, and communication skills.
    • Ability to adapt to changing priorities and quickly learn new skills and techniques.

    EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

    • 4 - 9 years of experience and bachelor's degree
    • Experience supporting industry standard software products.
    • Experience as a remote worker demonstrating time management and self-discipline.

    PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

    The physical demands described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to do the following: 

    • As a remote position, personnel are expected to maintain their home workspace in a safe manner, free from safety hazards.
    • As a remote position, personnel are expected to appear on camera for meetings with co-workers and government partners via video chat. 
    • As a remote position, personnel are expected to maintain standard working hours per the DIGIT contract and to be available for meetings, Agile ceremonies and other collaborative efforts during working hours. 
    • Personnel are expected to ensure the protection of proprietary company and customer information accessible from their home office consistent with the company’s expectations of information security.
    • Communicate verbally and respond to verbal communications in person, over the phone or by video chat.
    • Communicate clearly and succinctly in writing, primarily utilizing a keyboard. 
    • Sitting for long periods.
    • Viewing computer screens for long periods of time.
    • Travel minimally (less than 10%), via car or plane, which requires ability to manage luggage, laptop, and briefing materials (up to 25 pounds).

About Empower AI

All hiring and promotion decisions at Empower AI are based on merit to bring the best talent available to contribute to our firm’s overall success. It is the policy of Empower AI not to discriminate against any applicant for employment, or employee because of age, color, sex, disability, national origin, race, religion, or veteran status. Empower AI is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.