Data Protection Specialist - Remote

About the Company

Our client is a modern data management and security company whose platform is trusted by thousands of enterprises worldwide. The company helps organizations protect critical data from ransomware, operational disruptions, and data loss.

About the Role

The client is seeking an experienced Data Protection / Storage Engineer for a remote, contract-to-hire engagement supporting a global organization. This role requires strong, hands-on expertise with Cohesity data protection applications, including DataProtect, SmartFiles, and FortKnox.

As a primary technical resource, the engineer will manage and optimize enterprise backup and recovery infrastructure, maintain cyber-resilient data protection capabilities, and help ensure systems meet organizational service-level requirements. The position requires someone who can work independently, troubleshoot complex infrastructure issues, and communicate effectively with enterprise stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Administer and optimize data protection infrastructure using Cohesity DataProtect, SmartFiles, Helios, and FortKnox.
• Configure, monitor, and troubleshoot backup and recovery operations across enterprise workloads.
• Implement and manage SmartFiles for unstructured data management, tiering, and governance.
• Administer FortKnox to support cyber-resilient data vaulting and ransomware recovery readiness.
• Support backup operations across VMware environments, physical servers, and agent-based configurations.
• Develop and maintain operational runbooks, architecture documentation, and standard procedures.
• Recommend best practices for data protection strategies, policy design, and recovery testing.
• Collaborate with storage, virtualization, security, and compliance teams to meet organizational service-level agreements (SLAs).
• Conduct capacity planning, performance analysis, and infrastructure health reporting.
• Participate in incident response and root cause analysis for backup failures and data protection gaps.

Required Qualifications

• At least 5 years of experience in enterprise data protection or backup infrastructure.
• Recent, hands-on experience with Cohesity applications, particularly DataProtect, SmartFiles, and FortKnox. This experience is mandatory.
• Strong understanding of enterprise cluster architecture, deployment, and management.
• Experience with VMware backup integration, including VADP and SAN transport.
• Hands-on experience configuring backups for physical servers and agent-based environments.
• Ability to work independently and communicate effectively with enterprise stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting data protection in regulated enterprise environments, such as pharmaceutical or healthcare organizations.
• Experience with automation and APIs.
• Experience with cloud platforms such as Microsoft Azure or AWS, including Amazon S3.

Work Arrangement and Employment Details

• Work arrangement: Fully remote within the United States.
• Employment type: Contract-to-hire.
• Compensation: $60–$75 per hour.
• Work authorization: Candidates must be able to work on a W-2 basis without visa sponsorship, or on a C2C basis through an LLC.