Senior Disaster Recovery Specialist

What does success look like in this role? The Senior Disaster Recovery Specialist is responsible for developing, implementing, maintaining, and testing disaster recovery and business continuity strategies to ensure the organization's critical systems, applications, and data can be restored effectively following disruptions. This role collaborates with IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, cloud operations, and business stakeholders to minimize downtime and ensure operational resilience.

Key Responsibilities

Disaster Recovery Planning

• Develop, maintain, and update disaster recovery (DR) plans, procedures, and documentation.
• Conduct business impact analyses (BIA) and risk assessments to identify critical business functions and dependencies.
• Define Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs) for critical systems and applications.
• Establish recovery strategies for on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments.

Testing and Validation

• Plan, coordinate, and execute disaster recovery exercises and failover/failback tests.
• Evaluate test results and implement corrective actions to address identified gaps.
• Maintain records of testing activities, findings, and remediation efforts.
• Ensure disaster recovery plans remain aligned with evolving business requirements.

Infrastructure and Data Recovery

• Work closely with infrastructure, cloud, and application teams to implement backup and recovery solutions.
• Monitor backup processes and verify recoverability of critical systems and data.
• Support the design and implementation of resilient architectures and high-availability solutions.
• Participate in recovery activities during actual incidents and outages.

Compliance and Governance

• Ensure compliance with regulatory, contractual, and industry requirements related to business continuity and disaster recovery.
• Develop DR policies, standards, and governance frameworks.
• Support internal and external audits by providing documentation and evidence of DR readiness.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Coordinate with business units to ensure recovery plans address operational requirements.
• Provide training and awareness programs for employees involved in recovery activities.
• Serve as a subject matter expert on disaster recovery and business continuity best practices.

Sounds great, but do my skills fit? Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Business Continuity, or related field.
• 3+ years of experience in disaster recovery, business continuity, infrastructure operations, or IT risk management.
• Experience with backup and recovery technologies, cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud), and virtualization technologies.
• Strong understanding of enterprise infrastructure, networking, storage, databases, and cybersecurity principles.
• Experience conducting DR tests and managing recovery documentation.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certifications such as:
• Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP)
• Certified Disaster Recovery Engineer (CDRE)
• ISO 22301 Lead Implementer or Lead Auditor
• AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud certifications
• Experience with enterprise backup solutions such as Veeam, Commvault, Rubrik, Cohesity, or NetBackup.
• Knowledge of ITIL, NIST, ISO 22301, and related resilience frameworks.

Key Skills

• Disaster Recovery Planning
• Business Continuity Management
• Risk Assessment and Analysis
• Backup and Recovery Solutions
• Cloud Disaster Recovery
• Incident Management
• Infrastructure Resilience
• Documentation and Reporting
• Stakeholder Management
• Project Coordination

Success Metrics

• Achievement of established RTO and RPO targets.
• Successful completion of DR testing exercises.
• Reduction in recovery risks and identified control gaps.
• Compliance with regulatory and audit requirements.
• Improved organizational resilience and recovery readiness.

Why join RAVL?

• Flexible, client-aligned work model — autonomy with accountability, adapting to client delivery needs.
• Variable bonus & RRSP contributions tied to performance and delivery impact.
• 4 weeks paid time off (plus public holidays).
• Paid professional development days and continuous learning opportunities.
• Comprehensive health & dental coverage, including mental health support.
• Commitment to lifelong learning — continuous improvement through training, mentorship, and certification.