Principal Systems Engineer, Enterprise Backup & Disaster Recovery Solutions

Who We Are:

Neurocrine Biosciences is a leading biopharmaceutical company with a simple purpose: to relieve suffering for people with great needs. We are dedicated to discovering, developing and commercializing life-changing treatments for patients with under-addressed neurological, psychiatric, endocrine and immunological disorders. The company's diverse portfolio includes FDA-approved treatments for tardive dyskinesia, chorea associated with Huntington's disease, classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia, hyperphagia in Prader-Willi syndrome, endometriosis* and uterine fibroids*, as well as a robust pipeline including multiple compounds in mid- to late-phase clinical development across our core therapeutic areas. For more than three decades, we have applied our unique insight into neuroscience and the interconnections between brain and body systems to treat complex conditions. We relentlessly pursue medicines to ease the burden of debilitating diseases and disorders, because you deserve brave science. For more information, visit  neurocrine.com , and follow the company on  LinkedIn ,  X , Facebook and YouTube . ( *in collaboration with AbbVie )

About the Role:

This is a hands-on, Principal Systems Engineering role responsible for leading the design, implementation, operation and continuous improvement of enterprise data protection and disaster recovery (DR) solutions across cloud, on-prem, hybrid, and scientific systems infrastructure. The Principal Systems Engineer scales backup and recovery coverage across enterprise and lab systems, establishes and operates SOPs to regularly test backups and validate recoverability. The individual in this role defines and implements DR solutions for core infrastructure systems and services. This includes building the foundational DR capability from the ground up, planning and executing DR exercises on a recurring cadence, and maintaining backup, recovery, and DR testing artifacts as objective evidence supporting the enterprise resiliency objectives owned by the Cybersecurity team. This role provides technical leadership and oversight to GxP and compliance processes governing backup, recovery, and disaster recovery (DR), ensuring applicable regulatory requirements are identified and met. Serve as the primary technical resource for RTO/RPO governance, recovery testing, and restore evidence across enterprise IT and lab technology infrastructure. Partner closely with Cybersecurity, Infrastructure, Cloud, Network, and Scientific Systems teams to ensure critical systems and data can be reliably restored within business-approved recovery objectives. _

Your Contributions (include, but are not limited to):

Data Backup and Recovery Coverage

Lead and scale the enterprise data backup and recovery program across cloud, on-prem, hybrid, and lab infrastructure, increasing coverage of critical systems, servers, instruments, and data stores over time

Serve as the primary technical owner and go-to resource for backup and recovery coverage across both enterprise IT infrastructure and lab/scientific systems, ensuring lab systems, instruments, and associated data stores are identified, scoped, and included in backup and DR planning alongside enterprise systems in AWS and Azure

Design and implement backup architecture across compute, storage, and database platforms, ensuring backup strategies align with data classification, retention, and recovery requirements

Partners with Infrastructure, Cloud, Network, and Scientific Systems teams to identify systems and user/instrument generated data lacking adequate backup coverage and drive remediation to close gaps

Establish and maintain SOPs to regularly test backups (restore testing, integrity validation, sampling strategies) to ensure ongoing reliability and resiliency of the backup solution

Define and track KPIs for backup health (e.g., backup success rate, coverage percentage, restore test pass rate, time to restore) and report progress to leadership and governance forums

Troubleshoot and resolve complex backup and recovery failures, driving root cause analysis and long-term corrective actions

Disaster Recovery Engineering and Execution

Define and implement disaster recovery solutions and architecture for business critical (Tier 1) technology infrastructure, systems and services, spanning cloud, on-prem, and hybrid environments

Lead the design and implementation of foundational DR capability where none currently exists, including DR architecture, tooling, runbooks, and recovery procedures for Tier 1 systems and platforms

Establish critical service tiers in partnership with Cyber, business and technology owners, and recommend and establish corresponding RTO (Recovery Time Objective) and RPO (Recovery Point Objective) targets for each tier.

Plan and execute DR exercises on a regular, recurring cadence, coordinating cross functional participation across Infrastructure, Network, Cloud, and application teams

Identify and remediate gaps uncovered during DR testing (architecture, dependencies, documentation, automation) to continuously improve recovery readiness

Build automation to streamline DR failover/failback processes and reduce manual effort and recovery time during actual DR events

Resiliency Evidence, Reporting, and Cyber Partnership

Maintain a long-term repository of backup, recovery, and DR testing artifacts (test plans, results, restore evidence, remediation records) as objective evidence supporting enterprise resiliency objectives owned by the Cybersecurity team

Lead technical execution of GxP and compliance requirements governing backup, recovery, and DR practices, partnering with Cybersecurity on enterprise resiliency policy, risk tolerance, and audit/compliance requirements (e.g., GxP, SOX, business continuity standards)

Publish recurring recoverability results and metrics (e.g., percentage of Tier 1 services tested, percentage of successful restorations within approved recovery objectives) to leadership and governance reviews

Support internal and external audits related to data protection, backup, and disaster recovery, ensuring evidence is complete, current, and readily retrievable

Serve as the enterprise technical escalation point for backup and DR related incidents, driving recovery execution and post incident review

Mentor engineers on backup, recovery, and DR engineering practices, and contribute to enterprise architecture reviews to ensure resiliency is designed in early rather than retrofitted

Other duties as assigned

Requirements:

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, Systems Engineering, or a related technical field and 6+ years of progressive experience as a Systems Engineer, with 3+ years focused specifically on backup, recovery, and disaster recovery engineering, OR

Master's degree in a related technical field and 4+ years of experience as listed above, OR

10+ years of a relevant combination of technical education, certifications, training and/or progressively responsible systems engineering experience

Demonstrated experience building and operating enterprise backup and DR capability across hybrid (cloud and on-prem) environments is required

Experience planning and executing recurring DR exercises and maintaining test evidence is required

Working Experience with Veeam Backup solution is plus

Certifications such as AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Veeam VMCE, Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP), or equivalent are a plus but not required

Deep, hands-on expertise designing, implementing, and operating enterprise backup and recovery solutions across cloud (AWS/Azure) and on-prem/hybrid infrastructure (e.g., NetApp, Veeam, Commvault, AWS Backup, Azure Backup, or equivalent platforms)

Demonstrated experience building disaster recovery capability from the ground up, including DR architecture, replication strategies, failover/failback design, and recovery runbooks

Strong understanding of RTO/RPO concepts and experience defining and governing recovery objectives by service tier

Experience planning, coordinating, and executing DR exercises/tests on a recurring basis, including tabletop exercises and full failover testing

Experience developing SOPs and test protocols for backup validation and restore testing and maintaining audit-ready evidence of testing outcomes

Working knowledge of enterprise systems administration (Linux and Windows), storage systems, virtualization, and database platforms as they relate to backup and recovery design

Familiarity with lab and scientific infrastructure (e.g., instrument systems, LIMS, lab data stores) sufficient to define backup and DR requirements and serve as the technical point of contact for lab systems alongside enterprise IT infrastructure

Experience with automation and scripting (Python, Bash, PowerShell, or equivalent) to streamline backup validation, DR failover, and evidence collection

Familiarity with regulatory and business continuity frameworks relevant to a regulated environment (e.g., GxP, SOX, data integrity requirements, business continuity/DR standards) and their translation into technical controls

Working knowledge of change management frameworks (ITIL or similar) and ITSM platforms such as ServiceNow for tracking DR and backup remediation activities

Experience partnering with Cybersecurity/risk teams on enterprise resiliency objectives, audits, and control evidence

Advanced analytical, problem-solving, and technical decision-making skills, with the ability to evaluate complex issues, identify viable solutions, and recommend an appropriate path forward

Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex technical concepts, risks, metrics, and recommendations for technical, business, and leadership audiences

Strong cross-functional collaboration and influencing skills, with demonstrated ability to lead initiatives across teams without direct authority.

Excellent project and program management skills, including the ability to manage multiple priorities, dependencies, and deadlines with a high degree of accuracy and effectiveness

Ability to evaluate risk, criticality, business impact, and technical dependencies to prioritize work and recommend resiliency investments

Ability to operate independently with limited supervision, determine appropriate methods and approaches, and serve as a go-to resource within area of expertise

Ability to mentor and provide technical guidance to less-experienced colleagues

#LI-CL1

Neurocrine Biosciences is an EEO/Disability/Vets employer.

We are committed to building a workplace of belonging, respect, and empowerment , and we recognize there are a variety of ways to meet our requirements. We are looking for the best candidate for the job and encourage you to apply even if your experience or qualifications don’t line up to exactly what we have outlined in the job description.

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The annual base salary we reasonably expect to pay is $132,700.00-$182,000.00. Individual pay decisions depend on various factors, such as primary work location, complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. In addition, this position offers an annual bonus with a target of 30% of the earned base salary and eligibility to participate in our equity based long term incentive program. Benefits offered include a retirement savings plan (with company match), paid vacation, holiday and personal days, paid caregiver/parental and medical leave, and health benefits to include medical, prescription drug, dental and vision coverage in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans.