Job Description: Senior Backup Architect / Engineer
Level: Senior Individual Contributor / Architect
Function: IT Infrastructure — Cloud & Data Center
Experience: 10+ Years
Additional Locations : United States (Remote)
About the Role
We are looking for a seasoned Senior Backup Architect / Engineer to lead the design, evaluation, and migration of enterprise backup and data protection solutions. This role is critical to ensuring the resilience and recoverability of our infrastructure across on-premises and cloud environments. The ideal candidate brings deep hands-on expertise with leading backup platforms, a structured approach to requirements gathering, and the executive presence to present formal recommendations to Senior Leadership.
Key Responsibilities
Architecture & Design
Architect, design, and implement enterprise-scale backup and data protection solutions across hybrid and multi-cloud environments
Define backup policies, retention schedules, RPO/RTO targets, and data lifecycle management strategies
Evaluate and recommend backup platforms (Commvault, Cohesity, Veeam, Rubrik, Zerto, etc.) based on business and technical requirements
Design solutions aligned with disaster recovery, business continuity, and compliance frameworks
Migration & Evaluation
Lead end-to-end backup platform migrations — from discovery and assessment through cutover and validation
Conduct thorough evaluations of existing backup environments, identifying gaps, risks, and optimization opportunities
Develop and execute migration runbooks, test plans, and rollback procedures
Capture and document functional and non-functional requirements from application, infrastructure, and business stakeholders
Documentation & Stakeholder Communication
Produce formal documentation including Architecture Decision Records (ADRs), solution design documents, migration plans, and executive summary decks
Present findings, recommendations, and migration status to Senior Leadership and IT steering committees
Create RFP/RFI materials for vendor selection and lead proof-of-concept (PoC) evaluations
Maintain operational runbooks, SOPs, and knowledge base articles for backup operations
Operations & Governance
Establish and enforce backup standards, governance policies, and compliance controls (SOX, HIPAA, ISO 27001 as applicable)
Monitor backup success rates, capacity trends, and SLA adherence; drive continuous improvement
Collaborate with Security, Cloud, and Application teams to ensure data protection coverage across all critical workloads
Mentor junior engineers and provide technical leadership within the infrastructure team
Required Qualifications
10+ years of hands-on experience in enterprise backup and data protection engineering
Deep expertise with two or more of the following platforms:
Commvault (IntelliSnap, Command Center)
Cohesity DataProtect / DataSphere
Veeam Backup & Replication
Rubrik Security Cloud
Zerto / Dell EMC NetWorker / Veritas NetBackup
Proven experience leading backup platform migrations at enterprise scale
Strong background in requirements gathering , gap analysis, and formal solution documentation
Experience presenting technical strategies and business cases to Director / VP / C-Suite audiences
Solid understanding of cloud backup in AWS, Azure, or GCP (S3, Azure Blob, Glacier, etc.)
Familiarity with storage technologies : SAN, NAS, object storage, snapshots, and replication
Understanding of disaster recovery frameworks, RTO/RPO design, and DR testing methodologies
Preferred Qualifications
Certifications: Commvault Certified Professional, Cohesity Certified, Veeam VMCE, AWS/Azure Solutions Architect
Experience with immutable backups , ransomware protection, and air-gapped architectures
Exposure to Kubernetes/container data protection (Kasten by Veeam, Cohesity Helios)
Familiarity with ITIL practices and change management processes
Experience in regulated industries (healthcare, finance, life sciences)
What Success Looks Like (First 12 Months)
Completed current-state assessment of backup environment with documented findings
Delivered formal platform evaluation and recommendation to Senior Leadership
Executed migration plan with zero critical data loss events
Established backup governance framework and SLA reporting dashboard
Documented all runbooks and architecture diagrams for the new environment
Skills Summary
Category
Skills
Backup Platforms
Commvault, Cohesity, Veeam, Rubrik, Veritas
Cloud
AWS, Azure, GCP — cloud-native backup services
Storage
SAN, NAS, Object Storage, Snapshots
Documentation
Solution Design, ADRs, Executive Decks, RFPs
Soft Skills
Executive Communication, Stakeholder Management, Leadership
Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries of the position across all US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional job-related factors, including knowledge, skills, experience, tenure and relevant education or training. The pay scale is subject to change depending on business needs. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process. Additional compensation may include benefits, discretionary bonuses, and equity
