Salary: Circa £75,000 depending on experience plus an excellent benefits package
Location: London / Swindon - Working from the London Data Centre around 40% annually/ 60% from home.
The opportunity:
The Data Centre & IT Resilience Specialist (DC&RS) is a crucial role within Zurich Insurance's Service Delivery & Resiliency function. Based in London, the DC&RS ensures that IT systems and services supporting critical business processes remain continuously operational. They manage supplier/vendor access to Zurich Data Centre space and collaborate closely with the central Business Resilience Function to drive the evolution of IT business continuity and disaster recovery strategies. The DC&RS oversees the development, implementation, and maintenance of modernised technical recovery solutions that meet the changing requirements of the company's Business Units.
Working alongside the central Business Resilience Function and a team of IT Resilience and DR Specialists, the DC&RS is responsible for shaping suitable IT business continuity and disaster recovery strategies. They also ensure the effective and compliant operation of Zurich's facility in London's data centre locations.
The DC&RS is accountable for preparing the company to handle any eventuality that may disrupt business operations. They ensure that critical IT systems are built and maintained with resilience, enabling rapid recovery of infrastructure and applications in line with business expectations. Acting as a trusted partner to the Business Units, the DC&RS advises on key IT resilience and recovery matters, promptly addressing any identified weaknesses.
In summary, the DC&RS in Zurich Insurance's Service Delivery & Resiliency function, based in London, plays a critical role in designing, implementing, and maintaining a robust disaster recovery (DR) strategy that incorporates both cloud-based solutions and on-premises data centre dependencies. You will be responsible for ensuring the integrity, availability, and recoverability of critical systems and data in the event of a disaster or disruption. They manage supplier/vendor access, collaborate with the Business Resilience Function, drive the evolution of IT business continuity and disaster recovery strategies, and ensure the effective functioning of Zurich's facility. Their responsibilities include ensuring resilience in critical IT systems, providing advisory support to the Business Units, and addressing weaknesses promptly.
Many of our employees work flexibly in a variety of different ways, including part-time, flexible hours, job share, an element of working from home or compressed hours. This is because we want the best people for our roles, and we recognise that sometimes those people aren’t available full-time. Please talk to us at the interview about the flexibility you may need.
What will you be doing?
- Develop and implement a hybrid disaster recovery model that combines cloud-based solutions with on-premises data centre infrastructure.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify critical systems, applications, and services that require disaster recovery capabilities, identifying potential gaps
- Collaborating with architects and service owners for cost-effective technical solutions.
- Conduct regular disaster recovery testing exercises to validate the effectiveness and reliability of the hybrid DR model, ensuring regulatory compliance.
- Design and manage recovery processes, procedures, and technologies to ensure the seamless recovery of systems and data.
- Document disaster recovery processes, procedures, and configurations, and maintain an up-to-date inventory of critical systems and dependencies.
- Provide technical guidance and support to IT teams during disaster recovery events, troubleshooting any issues and ensuring timely recovery.
- Stay updated with industry best practices, emerging technologies, and trends related to hybrid disaster recovery, and make recommendations for continuous improvement.
- Liaising with Group Business Resilience for alignment with business requirements.
- Building strong relationships with IT suppliers for support during recovery.
- Monitoring and improving the resilience of critical IT systems and services.
- Managing the relationship with the co-location provider and ensuring contract compliance.
- Understanding data centre cabling and computer hardware for diagnostics.
- Managing external suppliers and vendors to ensure service delivery according to contract terms.
- Responding to data centre outages and incidents, even after hours.
- Developing positive relationships and improving Data Center Operations.
- Collaborating with Business Units to understand resilience and recovery requirements.
- Working with Information Security for cyber incident recovery capabilities.
- Leading the development and delivery of solutions with technical experts.
What are we looking for?
- Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in Computer Science or a related field.
- Over seven years of experience in roles related to Data Center Operations, Business Resilience, and/or disaster recovery.
- Understanding of disaster recovery concepts, including RPOs, RTOs, and business impact analysis.
- Excellent problem-solving and troubleshooting skills, with the ability to analyse complex systems and identify potential issues.
- Knowledge of electrical power and distribution.
- Ability to create and implement Methods of Procedures (MOP) for equipment in the Data Hall, focusing on enhancing resilience.
- Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively across teams and stakeholders.
- Strong understanding of complex IT architectures, including traditional Datacentre-based and Cloud platforms (such as AWS and Azure) Knowledge of cloud.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Experience in infrastructure engineering and/or IT architectures (Datacentre and/or Experience in infrastructure engineering and/or IT architectures, particularly in Datacentre and/or Network services.
- Exposure to both traditional on-premise and Cloud architectures, including operational delivery.
- CBCI (Certified Business Continuity Institute) or equivalent certification is preferred.
- Experience with Traditional, Cloud Native, and Hybrid recovery strategies.
- Familiarity with Backup & Retention schemes.
As an inclusive employer, we want to ensure that all candidates feel comfortable and can perform at their best during the interview. You’ll have the opportunity to let us know of any reasonable adjustment or practical support needed when you apply.
Who we are:
At Zurich, we aspire to be one of the most responsible and impactful businesses in the world and the best global insurer. Together we’re creating a brighter future for our customers, our people and our planet.
With over 55,000 employees in more than 170 countries, you’ll feel the support of being part of a strong and stable company that is a long-standing player in the insurance industry.
We’ve made a promise to each other and every employee; to focus on sustainable impact, to care about each other’s wellbeing, to use our diverse expertise to be curious and optimistic and to develop the skills needed for our future.
If you're interested in working in a dynamic and challenging environment for a company that recognises and rewards your creativity, initiatives and contributions - then Zurich could be just the place for you. Be part of something great.
Our Culture:
At Zurich, our sense of community is strong and we’re particularly passionate about diversity and inclusion, which we’ve won numerous awards for. We want our people to bring the whole of themselves to work and ensure everybody is made to feel welcome, regardless of their background, beliefs or culture. We want our employees to reflect the diversity of our customers, and so are committed to treating all of our applicants fairly and with respect, irrespective of their actual or assumed background, disability or any other protected characteristic.
We have an environment that places real importance on our people’s well-being from a physical, mental, social and financial perspective. We work with our well-being partners and industry experts to provide the best advice and access to a wealth of lifestyle support. We’re also committed to continuous improvement and we offer access to a comprehensive range of training and development opportunities.
We’re passionate about supporting employees to help others by getting involved in volunteering, charitable and community activity. Our charitable arm, Zurich Community Trust, is one of the longest-established corporate trusts in the UK. In that time, we’ve awarded grants and volunteered time to deserving causes in the UK valued at over £90 million.
So make a difference. Be challenged. Be inspired. Be supported, Love what you do. Work for us. #LI-Hybrid