Director, Data Services Job in Etobicoke, Ontario Canada
One of our major Telecommunications clients in GTA West is currently looking for a Data Center Director for their organization. This resource is going to be responsible for 8 Data Centers across Canada . This resource will also coordinate and lead the provision of support services to IT and customers in the areas of operating systems (Windows, AS/400, Unix, Linux, etc); network; storage, and / or desktop and technical engineering, as assigned. Leads the development of IT plans and objectives and acts as a focal point in the development, updating and stewarding of the Department's strategy as applies to system administration. Defines with team mates, users and colleagues in other IT units the team critical success factors required to ensure high impact results and achievement of departmental objectives. Audits and champions the introduction of new technology.
General Responsibilities:
- Manages large sites and designs / implements a service delivery environment with structures suiting business requirements. Includes analyzing system's hardware / software configuration, performing system analysis, monitoring system usage and performing application tuning. Manages and troubleshoots cluster domain models and resolve major failure in production environment.
- Participates in the system infrastructure design plan and takes operational responsibility for all aspects of systems specification and design. Includes evaluating and undertaking impact analysis on major design options. Ensures that designs take full account of specified operational support requirements and constraints, including any potential safety-related aspects, and are appropriate to the target implementation and support environments. Works with project management colleagues where appropriate, reviews and revises cost benefit analyses, risk analyses and development plans to take account of design decisions.
- Leads software installation activities. Includes directing the development of installation procedures and standards, scheduling installation work, liaising with all concerned to ensure that installation priorities are met with minimum level of disruption to the business, defining software standards and configuration based on sound technology and business need. Analyzes, debugs and resolves problems (e.g. poor performance) and faults (e.g. system failure) occurring in the operation of software.
- Provides expert contribution to the development and maintenance of the organization's incident management system. Includes monitoring the effectiveness of incident management and advising on the need for system enhancements to overcome recurring problems. Advises on the best way to handle major incidents for which the degree of impact on user community is extreme and advises on appropriate escalation values and processes in light of incident impact and urgency.
- Oversees all activities related to hardware installation and support. Includes the development of procedures and standards, defining hardware standards and configuration based on sound technology and business needs, liaising with concerned to ensure that installation priorities are met and disruption to the organization is minimized. Analyzes, debugs and resolves problems and faults such as poor performance and system failures occurring in the operation of hardware.
- Provides advanced technical support. Includes medium / complex software problems and determines appropriate actions to be taken. Responds to requests for support (making medium / complex system modifications, developing work-around or site-specific enhancements, manipulating data, reconfiguring systems, changing operating procedures). Accepts new releases of applications software from systems development staff or software suppliers. Participates with vendors for any related customized activities of the systems.
- Installs and manages complex networks. Includes advising on established methods, hardware and software tools and procedures used for planning, installing, configuring, commissioning, monitoring and investigating the network, and initiating and evaluating improvements.
- Monitors and reviews performance, throughput, availability and exceptional incidents and proposes and implements needed improvements. Includes managing the provision of agreed quantities and quality of service and support, particularly the integrity and confidentiality of information, levels of service performance such as throughput, availability and response time, etc. Ensures network traffic, performance and quality of service provided by the network and its constituent components are regularly monitored and reviewed.
- Manages and controls data storage resources and activities. Includes defining data growth factor, performing data storage upgrades, controlling and managing data storage configuration including installing and upgrading software servers and application tools. Ensures that procedures and scripts for all aspects of data storage administration are established and maintained.
- Optimizes database performance. Includes managing database resources including allocation of system storage, ensure efficient access to data, ensuring that procedures and scripts for all aspects of database administration are established and maintained. Plans for backup and recovery of database information as per agreed plans and implements recovery procedures when necessary.
- Uses database management tools to investigate, diagnose and resolve complex database problems within service level agreement tolerances. Controls and manages database configuration including installing and upgrading software servers and application tools. Ensures that version control procedures are observed, applying fixes, and maintaining supplier and user documentation.
- Investigates medium operational requirements and problems, seeking effective business solutions through improvements in information systems, data management, processes/ procedures, organization and equipment. Analyzes the underlying issues arising from investigations into requirements and problems, and identifies available options for consideration.
- Interprets and executes a set of moderately complex test cases using agreed methods and standards. Analyzes test results, distinguish between apparent and implicit successes and failures, and suggest enhancements to the system being tested. Analyzes system behavior and document test failures and successes based on pre-determined criteria, and in accordance with agreed standards. Assist business users in carrying out user testing, explain system behavior and describe testing requirements and methods, where necessary.
- Implements new software releases and hardware into operational environment using the controlling processes of Configuration Management and Change Management. Coordinates and assists Release initiators to meet CCRM requirements. Tracks changes to requirements and communicates impacts to externally dependent product releases. Validates and ensures that the releases are in line with the release management requirements.
- Ensures that incidents and problems in systems and services are fully documented within the configuration management defect / problem reporting system. Classifies and prioritizes unresolved incidents and participates in the problem investigation to discover root causes, and drives the implementation of necessary remedial action. Ensures that problem's investigation is fully documented, to facilitate the optimum implementation of remedies.
- Participates in determining the Availability requirements for a new or enhanced IT Service and formulating the Availability and recovery design criteria for the IT Infrastructure. Monitors and conducts trend analysis of the Availability, Reliability and Maintainability of IT components. Reviews IT Service and component Availability and identify unacceptable levels in accordance with established guidelines. Investigates the underlying reasons for unacceptable Availability.
- Prepares and maintains project plans and tracks activities against the plan, providing regular and accurate progress and status reports. Estimates and monitors costs, timescales and resources used, and take appropriate action where these exceed the agreed tolerances. Identifies, assesses and manages risks to the success of the project
- Identifies potential exposures of all information systems which support critical business processes and works with the appropriate level of management to create, test and maintain disaster recovery plans for those information systems which support critical business processes. Ensures that business continuity planning requirements are identified and that plans are developed to implement solutions signed-off by the organization functional and IT management.
- Takes a leading role in the preparation of the Service Desk's and Network Operations Center 's contributions to IT business plan and budget.
- Contributes to the development of IT strategies and plans as related to systems management.
- Ensure that all requests from users for assistance are handled promptly and effectively and pertinent records are kept up to date at all times.
- Promotes commitment to the provision of professional customer service by all team members. Conducts / arranges workshops and seminars for systems management team in customer service management.
- Take responsibility for the provision of adequate, accurate and timely management reports on systems management activities. Prepares justifications for any significant failures to meet service target.
- Weekly management reviews covering service availability, recurring incidents, service breaches, etc.
- Schedules and conducts monthly management reviews covering overall performance, achievements and trend analysis, customer satisfaction, support staff and third party performance, etc.
- Prepares statistical analysis to monitor irregular activities which are subject to SLA such as response times to service requests.
- Contributes to the development of IT strategies and plans as related to application management.
Qualifications
Education
- B.S. Degree in Computer Science, Management Information Systems, or related field required, advanced degree preferred.
- Relevant industry certification in infrastructure technologies and IT processes are desired.
Experience
- Over 5 years' experience in the management of IT operations including good knowledge and experience in major technical domains of servers, storage, networks, data center facilities, client devices and management tools. The jobholder must also have in-depth knowledge of various service delivery processes, with strong ITIL experience desired.
- 12 years' experience in large-scale, mission-critical IT environments.
Skills
- Matches IT needs with the strategic direction of the enterprise.
- Up to date with the prevailing practices and development in the industry with respect to application management.
- Prepares budgets with colleagues / managers and agree on roles, goals and strategies. Analyzes bottom line implications of policies, procedures, projects or recommendations.
- Uses analytical techniques to understand and interpret complex issues and evaluate situations accordingly.
- Accountable for the preparation and delivery of plans for an activity or project undertaken by a work group or team of application management professionals. Incorporates scenario building into the planning process.
- Coordinates a number of different projects or activities at different stages of completion, and handle conflicting priorities.
- Proactively generates ideas and non-standard approaches in order to improve performance. Continuously revises procedures to iron out inefficiencies.
If you or anyone you know is a good fit for this role, please forward your resumes to imad@isgearch.ca . Thank you to all those who apply.