Manager, IT Disaster Recovery Program

Position Summary

As a member of the Office of Information Technology team, the Manager, IT Disaster Recovery Program, is responsible for overseeing the development, implementation, and maintenance of the university's IT disaster recovery program. This role will focus on infrastructure resilience, plan development, and ongoing testing to ensure the continuity of critical IT services in the event of unforeseen disruptions. The Program Manager works collaboratively with other OIT professionals, OIT partners, and the university community to assess and analyze the operational and business impacts and risks of potential IT disasters. The position is expected to evolve with shifts in technology paradigms. The manager operates as a thought leader, using expertise to strategically translate business operations recovery requirements into action-oriented plans, programs, data center infrastructures, and recovery testing strategies.

The ideal candidate for this position is a strategic and detail-oriented professional with a robust background in developing, implementing, and managing comprehensive IT disaster recovery (DR) and business continuity (BC) plans. This individual deeply understands the unique needs and challenges faced in a research-intensive academic environment and is committed to ensuring the resilience and uninterrupted operation of critical IT infrastructure for the Rice campus community.

Workplace Requirements

This position is exclusively on-site, necessitating all duties to be performed in person. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

Hiring Range

This is a full-time, benefits-eligible position, and the proposed salary range is $120,000-$140,000 annually, depending on qualifications and experience. *Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree
  • In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience above and beyond what is required may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis
• 4+ years of related experience in IT disaster recovery and business continuity planning, including development, maintenance, and administration, along with experience in IT roles involving critical planning and decision-making for enterprise computing systems and infrastructure.
  • In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education, above and beyond what is required, may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis

Skills

• Strong knowledge of IT infrastructure, systems, and applications
• Experience in conducting and managing disaster recovery testing exercises
• Ability to work collaboratively with a diverse team of IT professionals, clients, and partners, thereby establishing credibility and relationships with senior leadership, colleagues, and customers
• Ability to assess functional requirements and provide appropriate technology solutions
• Ability to use hands-on experience to support backup, recovery, storage systems, and IT security management
• Understanding of how disasters impact functional systems, technical infrastructure, and campus constituents
• Ability to troubleshoot issues and identify solutions in complex and disparate systems environments
• Strong interpersonal, analytical, presentation, and critical thinking skills
• Strong customer service and communication skills
• Self-motivated and actively shares knowledge and experience with colleagues
• Vendor management skills
• Familiarity with current computing trends and issues

Preferences

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, or a related field
• Familiarity with relevant regulations and compliance standards in the education sector
• Experience with cloud-based disaster recovery solutions
• Experience administering or integrating on-site, cloud, or other enterprise systems
• Experience recovering enterprise systems from real-life incidents
• Familiarity with project management methodologies and experience as a project lead
• Familiarity with the ITIL service delivery framework
• Prior experience working in a higher education environment

Essential Functions

• Lead the development and documentation of comprehensive IT disaster recovery plans in collaboration with key stakeholders
• Ensure alignment of disaster recovery plans with overall business continuity strategies
• Evaluate and enhance the resilience of IT infrastructure to minimize the impact of potential disasters
• Develop and execute regular disaster recovery testing exercises to validate the effectiveness of recovery plans
• Analyze test results and make recommendations for improvements to enhance overall preparedness
• Work closely with incident response teams to integrate disaster recovery plans into broader emergency response procedures
• Conduct training sessions for relevant staff to ensure a high level of awareness and understanding of disaster recovery procedures
• Proactively identify opportunities to leverage tools, improve processes, or enhance services for greater efficiency and effectiveness
• Recruit, retain, manage, and mentor staff
• Ensure documentation of internal processes, standards, and procedures
• Perform all other duties as assigned

Special Instructions to Applicants: Applicants should attach a resume and cover letter in PDF format to the Supporting Documents section of the application.