Data Centre Operations Lead

Data Centre Operations Lead

Rockville MD (on site)

6 months Contract



Job Description:



Lead the data center operations team providing guidance training and support to ensure high performance and operational excellence. Act as the primary point of contact for all data centerrelated issues and escalations.

Oversee the daily operations of data center facilities ensuring high availability and reliability of all systems.

Manage data center infrastructure technology stack end to end VMWare/VxRail/Citrix/Logic Monitor/Moog Soft/AD/Azure AD SSO Azure Security Policy/PKI/Windows & Linux Servers/Vulnerability management/Beyond Trust Password Safe and ADBridge/Storage & Backup tools etc.

Ensure adherence to operational standards and best practices.

Drive the major incidents and potential incidents end to end with periodic updates to client stake holders for approvals/recommendations.

Lead mentor and manage a team of data center operation engineers.

Provide guidance and support for professional development and performance improvement.

Coordinate and manage the teams daily activities ensuring alignment with organizational goals and priorities.

Lead the response to data center incidents ensuring timely resolution and minimal impact on business operations.

Perform root cause analysis and implement preventive measures to avoid recurrence of issues.

Develop and maintain incident management processes and procedures.

Plan and oversee scheduled maintenance and upgrades of data center infrastructure.

Ensure that all hardware and software components are uptodate and functioning optimally.

Coordinate with vendors and service providers for maintenance and support activities.

Monitor and analyze data center resource usage ensuring efficient utilization and avoiding overprovisioning.

Conduct capacity planning to support future growth and demand.

Implement optimization strategies to enhance performance and reduce operational costs.

Ensure data center infrastructure adheres to security policies standards and best practices.

Implement and maintain security controls to protect data and systems.

Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and industry standards (e.g. ISO 27001 HIPAA).

Develop and implement disaster recovery and business continuity plans for data center operations.

Ensure regular testing and validation of disaster recovery procedures.

Ensure data center infrastructure is resilient and can recover quickly from failures or disruptions.

Work closely with other IT teams business units and stakeholders to understand requirements and deliver solutions that meet their needs.

Collaborate with vendors and service providers to evaluate and integrate new technologies and services.

Communicate effectively with stakeholders providing regular updates on data center operations and performance.

Maintain comprehensive documentation of data center infrastructure configurations processes and procedures.

Generate regular reports on data center performance incidents and operational metrics.

Ensure documentation is uptodate and accessible to relevant stakeholders.



Here are some technical responsibilities in detail.

Active Directory and Cloud Services

Administer Azure AD manage security groups GPO SSO and application configurations.

Handle public cloud directory services Oracle IDCS network/file shares SCP policies privileged user management and service account passwords.

Conduct AD audits schema updates backup/restore services and assist with JSOX FDA and GQS audits.

Manage ticket queues and follow up on aging tickets.

Endtoend support for Active Directory Domains (Azure AD AD security groups GPO SSO application configurations etc.



IT Environment Monitoring

24x7 ITSM queuebased monitoring.

Triage and firstlevel troubleshooting based on alert severity.

Incident resolution using Standard Operating Procedures.



Vendor Coordination

Coordinate with vendors for infrastructure on public/private Cloud.

Provide vendor contact details and escalation matrix.



Citrix Architecture and Optimization

Maintain Citrix architecture and seek continuous optimization.

Participate in architecture design and planning with the steering committee.

Recommend system and enduser performance improvements.

Implement approved performance improvements.



Citrix Environment Support

Support Citrix environment and integrate with Otsukaspecific technologies.

Order install update and maintain Citrix servers and tools.

Assess consolidate upgrade and manage Citrix infrastructure including SDX appliances.

Manage NetScaler infrastructure and upgrades.

.

IT Service Continuity and Disaster Recovery (DR) Services



Strategy and Policy Definition

Coordination and Execution

Data Management

Testing and Reporting

DR Activation and Coordination

Review and Enhancement



Onsite and Remote Support

Onsite server support IMAC services and remote software installation.

Decommissioning proactive evaluation and datacenter assessment.



Windows Server Management & Projects

Administer and monitor Windows servers including health checks and problem management.

Manage local users groups shares and server disk/storage.

Handle event logs vendor coordination and performance issues.

Install and manage IIS apply security patches and troubleshoot clusters.

Oversee DNS SCOM certificate management migrations and server deployments.



Linux Server Administration and Projects

User Administration Manage user accounts environments and home directories.

OS Package Administration Add/remove OS packages and troubleshoot issues.

Storage Management Create/manage file systems logical volumes and clean up disk space.

NIS and NFS Management Administer NIS tables and services install/configure NFS servers.

Network and Security Configure/manage NTP DNS and implement security standards.

OS Upgrade and Patching Upgrade/patch Linux OS configure SSSD and AD manage disk and security.

High Availability and Compliance Build/configure HA environments enforce security and ensure regulatory compliance.

Server Builds and Management Install/configure NIS mail DNS servers and centralized syslog servers.



DC Power Tools



Tool Stack Logic Monitor MoogSoft Manage Engine Beyond Trust Password Safe Beyond Trust AD Bridge CommVault compliance Search Veritas Hubstor etc. Management and Support



Logic Monitor Administration

Installation and Configuration Install and configure LogicMonitor Collectors and group servers for monitoring.

Monitoring and Reporting Configure monitoring settings create HLD/Templates/SOPs and integrate with Moogsoft.

Maintenance and Troubleshooting Backup/restore LogicMonitor Collectors troubleshoot devices and modify LogicModules.

Consultancy and Coordination Provide consultancy manage stakeholders oversee platform support and monitor infrastructure services.

Moogsoft Administration and Issues

Integration and Event Management Resolve Element Layer Tool integration issues and missing events/alarms at the Moogsoft layer.

Ticketing and Situation Formulation Address ticketing problems with ITSM tools and inconsistencies in situation formulation/Cookbook.

Maintenance and Upgrades Fix maintenance window malfunctions and perform Moogsoft module upgrades.

Configuration Management Manage Moogsoft ReC Ipe additions/deletions/modifications and Cookbook enablement/disablement.

TeamRooms and API Integration Create/modify/delete Moogsoft TeamRooms and integrate Moogsoft AI Operations with vendor APIs to automate ticketing.

Updates and Enhancements Manage Moogsoft updates and enhancements.



Storage Backup & Data Management

Define performance data segregation backup restore archival retention reliability encryption security scheduling and access control needs.

Recommend hierarchical storage solutions (shared/dedicated tiered storage platforms) and procedures to meet requirements and SLRs.

Review and approve storage and backup solutions and procedures.

Procure and manage data storage infrastructure (SAN NAS tape optical).

Provide and manage backup and archival consumables for Otsuka facilities.

Maintain data set placement manage data catalogs and configure Nimble SAN and NAS switches.

Notify Otsuka of any data losses or risks.

Perform data and file backups/restores per procedures and SLRs.

Manage file transfers data movement and input processing for thirdparty media.

Decommission storage and backup environments per policies.

Develop and maintain backup schedules manage backup media and ensure data retention.

Work with thirdparty vendors to archive data at secure offsite locations.

Conduct media testing to ensure data recovery capability and integrity.

Test endtoend system recovery remediate flaws and coordinate with vendors.

Recover files/data as required provide recovery updates and manage data replication to DR sites.



Qualifications we seek in you!

Minimum Qualifications / Skills

Bachelors degree in Computer Science Information Technology Electrical Engineering or a related field. Advanced degrees or relevant professional training are a plus.

Minimum 10 years of experience in data center operations with at least 5 years in a leadership or senior technical role.

Extensive experience in data center operations with a proven track record of managing largescale data center environments.

Strong leadership and team management skills with the ability to motivate and develop a highperforming operations team.

Indepth knowledge of data center infrastructure including servers storage networking power and cooling systems.

Excellent problemsolving and analytical skills with the ability to diagnose and resolve complex technical issues.

Experience with incident and problem management change management and capacity planning.

Strong understanding of compliance security and regulatory requirements related to data center operations.

Effective communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to interact with stakeholders at all levels.

Experience in vendor management and contract negotiations.

A proactive approach to continuous improvement and innovation in data center operations.



Preferred Qualifications/ Skills



Relevant certifications from Microsoft VMWare Citrix and Storage vendors are highly desirable.

Experience with ITIL or other IT service management frameworks.

Familiarity with cloud computing and hybrid data center environments.

Excellent communication and collaboration skills with the ability to effectively interact with technical and nontechnical stakeholders at all levels of the organization.

Strong analytical and problemsolving skills with the ability to identify root causes of issues and implement effective solutions in a timely manner.

Proven ability to work independently as well as part of a team with a proactive and selfmotivated attitude towards achieving project goals.

NETWORKING , AZURE AD , DISASTER RECOVERY , NTP , CLOUD SERVICES , DATA MOVEMENT , ITSM , VENDOR COORDINATION , WINDOWS , CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT , API , DATA MANAGEMENT , VMWARE