The Storage Engineer is responsible for supporting the implementation, configuration, testing, and day-to-day operation of storage infrastructure within the client's data centres. This role ensures storage systems are deployed correctly, monitored effectively, and maintained for optimal performance, reliability, and availability.

The Storage Engineer will also assist in backup and disaster recovery processes and play a key role in troubleshooting and resolving storage-related issues.

Key Responsibilities

Architecture & Design Support

• Assist in gathering and documenting storage requirements and contributing to storage Bill of Materials (BOM).
• Maintain storage architecture diagrams, LUN mapping schemas, and zoning documentation under senior guidance.

Equipment Receipt & Staging

• Receive, inspect, and validate storage hardware deliveries against purchase orders.
• Record serial numbers and asset tags, and escalate discrepancies or damages.

Installation & Configuration

• Rack, cable, and power storage arrays and Fibre Channel switches.
• Configure RAID groups, storage volumes, LUNs, SAN (FC/iSCSI) connectivity, and NAS shares according to design specifications.
• Apply firmware updates and patches under guidance of the Senior Storage Engineer.

Backup & Disaster Recovery

• Assist with installation and configuration of backup solutions.
• Execute scheduled backup and recovery tests, ensuring accurate documentation of results.
• Monitor backup jobs and escalate failures or anomalies promptly.

Monitoring & Reporting

• Deploy monitoring tools and configure alert thresholds based on defined baselines.
• Monitor storage health, performance, and capacity on a daily basis.
• Produce utilisation and performance reports for IT Operations.

Documentation

• Maintain accurate as-built documentation, LUN mappings, and asset registers.
• Contribute to the development of operational runbooks and standard procedures.

Knowledge Transfer & Support

• Participate in knowledge transfer sessions with regional teams (e.g., Kenya operations).
• Provide hands-on support and guidance during deployment and hypercare phases.

Qualifications

• National Diploma or Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Relevant certifications and proven practical experience will be considered in lieu of formal education.

Advantageous Certifications:

• Pure Storage Certified FlashArray Professional
• Huawei HCIP-Storage
• CompTIA Storage+
• NetApp Certified Data Administrator (NCDA)
• Dell EMC Associate – Information Storage and Management (DCA-ISM)
• ITIL Foundation

Experience

• Minimum 5 years' experience in IT infrastructure support, with at least 3 years focused on storage administration.
• Hands-on experience with enterprise storage platforms (e.g., NetApp, Dell EMC, Pure Storage, HPE).
• Exposure to SAN technologies (Fibre Channel and/or iSCSI).
• Familiarity with NAS protocols (NFS, SMB/CIFS).
• Experience with backup operations, monitoring, and recovery testing.
• Working knowledge of Windows Server and/or Linux in storage environments.
• Experience in data centre deployments or infrastructure projects is advantageous.

Skills & Competencies

Technical Skills

• Solid understanding of RAID configurations and storage tiering.
• Ability to provision and validate LUNs and host connectivity.
• Basic SAN administration (zoning, WWPN management, multipathing).
• iSCSI configuration (targets, initiators, CHAP authentication).
• NAS administration (NFS exports, SMB shares, permissions).
• Backup software configuration and execution of scheduled jobs.
• Monitoring and responding to storage alerts and performance issues.
• Familiarity with VMware vSphere storage concepts (VMFS, datastores, MPIO).
• Basic scripting knowledge (PowerShell or Bash) is advantageous.

Behavioural Competencies

• Strong attention to detail and documentation discipline.
• Problem-solving mindset with the ability to escalate appropriately.
• Effective communication and teamwork skills.
• Ability to work in a structured, process-driven environment.