Staff Site Reliability Engineer - IT Disaster Recovery (ITDR) - job 2 of 20

As a Staff Site Reliability Engineer in IT Disaster Recovery at Visa, your key responsibilities include developing and implementing the Disaster Recovery Program, collaborating with various business units to identify critical functions, defining recovery time and point objectives, and leading disaster recovery testing activities. You will also be tasked with creating documentation related to risk assessment and governance while ensuring that best practices are maintained to protect Visa's crucial information assets.

To excel as a Staff Site Reliability Engineer specializing in IT Disaster Recovery at Visa, candidates should possess extensive knowledge of network configurations, cloud-hosted services, and databases like MySQL and Oracle. Strong analytical skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with diverse teams are essential. Experience in developing disaster recovery plans, risk assessments, and rigorous testing methods would also be beneficial. Leadership qualities, a courage to challenge the status quo, and the ability to execute plans efficiently are key to thriving in this role.

The Staff Site Reliability Engineer position at Visa offers a hybrid work arrangement. This means that while you'll have the flexibility to work remotely, you will also spend 2-3 days a week in the office, ensuring collaboration and teamwork with other departments. The balance between remote and in-office work is dependent on business needs and is set by leadership.

In the role of Staff Site Reliability Engineer for IT Disaster Recovery at Visa, you will work with a wide array of technologies. This includes cloud services for disaster recovery, various databases like PostgreSQL and MongoDB, network components such as VPNs and firewalls, and middleware platforms like Java Web Services and Apache Kafka. Your expertise in these technologies will play a critical role in ensuring the resilience and security of Visa's functions.

Visa is committed to fostering an environment of professional growth and development for its Staff Site Reliability Engineers. Employees are encouraged to participate in continuous learning opportunities, such as training programs and workshops related to emerging technologies and best practices in disaster recovery. The culture at Visa emphasizes collaboration and constructive debate, promoting knowledge sharing and innovation, which supports career advancement.

When answering this question, be specific about your previous roles and responsibilities in disaster recovery planning. Highlight your experience in identifying critical business functions, defining RTOs and RPOs, and leading testing activities. Use examples to demonstrate how you've successfully managed and executed disaster recovery plans in high-pressure scenarios.

Your response should showcase your ability to assess the situation quickly. Explain how you identify critical systems and collaborate with relevant teams to prioritize tasks, ensuring that the most crucial functions are restored first. Additionally, discuss any strategies you have employed for effective communication during these high-stakes moments.

Detail the specific tools and technologies you have experience with, such as cloud services for backup, networking tools, and database management systems. Discuss how these tools helped you implement effective disaster recovery processes and how you adapted to new technologies over time.

In your answer, emphasize your understanding of compliance requirements and how you integrate them into your disaster recovery planning. Discuss the importance of regular audits, documentation, and training to ensure that all processes align with both internal and external standards.

Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to outline a specific incident you faced, explaining the context, your role, and the actions you took. Highlight the lessons learned and how it prepared you for future challenges in disaster recovery.

Discuss your commitment to continuous learning by mentioning relevant conferences, webinars, industry publications, or online courses you follow. Outline how you apply these insights in your work to enhance your disaster recovery strategies.

Explain the significance of regular testing in ensuring the effectiveness of disaster recovery plans. Provide examples of the types of tests you've conducted and how the results informed improvements to the plans.

Describe your approach to researching and assessing disaster recovery technologies. Outline the criteria you consider when selecting tools, such as ease of integration, cost-effectiveness, reliability, and scalability, as they relate to Visa's specific needs.

Illustrate your leadership skills by discussing a time when you were in charge during a disaster recovery event. Focus on how you prioritized tasks, communicated effectively with your team, and ensured that everyone understood their roles and responsibilities.

Provide insights into your knowledge of network components and their crucial role in disaster recovery. Detail specific scenarios where you utilized your understanding of network configurations, VPNs, or firewalls to resolve potential issues or enhance recovery solutions.