Information Systems Advisor I - IBM Storage Replication Administrator

Illinois Secretary of State; Springfield, Northern (IL, KY); On-site; USD 7,000 - 13,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits package

Job summary

Office of the Illinois Secretary of State is seeking an Information Systems Advisor I – IBM Storage Replication Admin in Springfield, IL, to manage IBM VTS tape and SAN replication, DR planning, and storage administration across statewide systems.

The role requires senior mainframe storage expertise, strong vendor coordination, and mentoring of junior staff to ensure high availability and data integrity for critical government applications.

Qualifications

• Requires completion of two years of college in a computer science field and four years of experience with technical systems and/or programming and/or IT project management or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Responsibilities

• DASD and VTS management: monitor performance, availability, and utilization of storage resources.
• Capacity planning: analyze storage usage trends and provide recommendations for future storage requirements.
• Performance tuning: troubleshoot and resolve storage performance issues.
• Backup and recovery: implement and manage daily data backups and data replication for DR.
• Incident and problem management: respond to major incidents and conduct root-cause analysis.
• Vendor management: coordinate with hardware/software vendors for installations and upgrades.
• Documentation and mentoring: provide training to junior staff and create runbooks.
• System configuration: allocate storage, configure storage solutions, and implement changes.

Skills

z/OS

DASD management

VTS management

Storage replication

Disaster recovery

Vendor management

System administration

Monitoring

Technical guidance

Education

Two years college in computer science

Tools

IBM Copy Services Manager

HP SAN Replication

BCM

Safeguarded Copy

IBM VTS

Job description

Office of the Illinois Secretary of State

Alexi Giannoulias

Job Title: Information Systems Advisor I – IBM Storage Replication Admin

Division: Technology Office – Infrastructure

Union: IFT

Location: 501 S 2nd St., Springfield, IL – Sangamon County
Salary: Range from $6,962 to $12,950 monthly. Commensurate with experience

Benefits: https://cms.illinois.gov/benefits/stateemployee.html

Attention: Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States; the Office of the Secretary of State will not complete certification and/or sponsorship requests.

Overview:

Responsible for managing and maintaining mission-critical IBM mainframe VTS tape and SAN infrastructure. This role acts as a Mainframe Storage and DASD Replication Administration and is responsible for the installation, configuration, monitoring, and administration of IBM VTS backup environment and an HP SAN Replication environment for Disaster recovery and failover. Will ensure system stability, performance, and security for the backup architecture in support of statewide business applications and services. Requires senior level expertise doing mainframe storage and replication management for backup and failover to DR Systems. Will assist with resource monitoring and administration, with the ability to work independently and collaboratively on high-availability, enterprise-scale environments. Key responsibilities include configuring storage, troubleshooting issues, providing technical guidance to junior staff, and collaborating with hardware vendors. This role requires expertise in z/OS, storage management software (like HP\Hitachi BCM and IBM Copy Services Manager), and disaster recovery processes.

Duties and Responsibilities:

System Administration:

• DASD and VTS management: Monitor performance, availability, and utilization of DASD and VTS storage resources.
• Capacity planning: Analyze storage usage trends and provide recommendations for future storage requirements.
• Performance tuning: Troubleshoot and resolve performance issues related to storage.
• Backup and recovery: Implement and manage daily data backups using software like Safeguarded Copy and ensure data replication for disaster recovery purposes.
• Incident and problem management: Respond to major incidents, perform root cause analysis, and work on long-term problem prevention.
• Vendor management: Work with hardware and software vendors on installations, upgrades, and support escalations.
• Technical guidance: Provide support and mentorship to less experienced team members.
• System configuration: Allocate storage space, configure storage solutions, and implement changes to the storage environment.

Disaster Recovery & High Availability:

• Participate in Disaster Recovery (DR) testing and system restoration planning.
• Develop and maintain storage recovery runbooks and operational procedures.

Support & Collaboration:

• Troubleshoot and resolve storage and replication system issues, performance problems, and outages.
• Work with vendors (IBM, HPE, etc.) and internal DoIT teams for upgrades, migrations, and issue resolution.
• Provide documentation, training, and mentoring to junior staff and operations personnel
• Performs other duties as required or assigned.

Education and Experience:

Requires knowledge, skill, and mental development equivalent to the completion of two years of college, with coursework in the computer science field AND four years of experience with technical systems and/or programming experience and/or IT project management OR any equivalent combination of education and experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Requires extensive knowledge of systems design and implementation, including the way programs are written, compiled, and tested, the methods of operating computers, and the way data is transcribed into a form suitable for reading by computer and has an appreciation of the wider business context for those programs.
• Requires excellent oral and written communication skills for effective engagement with colleagues and internal users/customers.
• Requires extensive knowledge necessary to effectively perform the ability to exercise sound judgement in analyzing, appraising, evaluating, and solving problems of a procedural, organizational, administrative, and technical nature.
• Requires awareness and adherence to organizational standards for security, privacy and ethics.
• Requires extensive knowledge of the devices for capturing data for computers and the means available for receiving and transmitting data from remote locations to a computer.
• Requires extensive knowledge of the principles and techniques of computer system documentation.
• Requires extensive knowledge of the advantages and limitations of computer communication, and information retrieval systems as management information tools.
• Requires the ability to organize facts and findings, analyze data logically and to present results with clarity and comprehension, orally and in written or graphic form.
• Requires the ability to use and understand appropriate methods, tools, applications, and processes to demonstrate a rational and organized approach to work.
• Requires willingness to travel and possession of a valid Illinois driver’s license as required by individual positions within the class.
• Requires the ability to push/pull, lift and carry up to 50 lbs. Requires a valid Illinois Driver's License.

Application Process:

• Preference will be given to Illinois residents in the hiring and selection process, in accordance with the Illinois Secretary of State Merit Employment Code.
• Questions regarding this posting or Illinois Secretary of State employment practices may be directed to Job Counselors at our Personnel offices in Chicago (312-793-5515) or Springfield (217-782-4783).

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. Applicants must be lawfully authorized to work in the United States.

Applicants are considered for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital or veteran status, or the presence of a non-job-related medical condition or disability.