Junior Cloud Specialist

OTAVA Headquarters
Indianapolis, IN 46225, USA

The Junior Cloud Specialist is a hands-on technical role within our NOC / Continuity team. This role focuses on day-to-day cloud and systems hygiene, routine maintenance, patch auditing, backup verification, and documentation, leading to an exceptional customer experience with OTAVA.

Working closely with senior systems and cloud engineers, the Junior Cloud Specialist follows established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and runbooks to execute recurring administrative tasks across virtualized platforms, Windows, and Linux environments.

• Bring a collaborative, client-first mindset every day
• Act as a professional representative of the OTAVA brand and its partners
• Perform routine audits and searches across patch management and auditing tools to verify system compliance and agent health
• Assist in scheduled maintenance and update cycles for Windows Server and Linux environments (patch deployment, service verification, post-maintenance health checks, etc.)
• Assist with basic virtual machine operations within VMware vSphere environments (e.g., VM provisioning, snapshot cleanup and hygiene, resource adjustments)
• Conduct daily checks and validations on automated backup and replication jobs (e.g., Veeam, Zerto, Actifio).
• Identify and report failed or incomplete backup sessions; follow SOPs for standard retries and basic remediation or elevate to senior engineers
• Perform proactive infrastructure monitoring, using centralized monitoring platforms
• Acknowledge and investigate warning indicators, capacity alerts, or service degradations before they impact customer operations
• Create, update, and maintain clear technical runbooks, checklists, and step-by-step SOPs
• Document standard operational workflows, common issue workarounds, and maintenance results
• Identify opportunities for workflow simplification and assist with basic automation tasks (Power Shell, Bash, or automation agents)
• Support operational requests and maintenance tasks tracked in ticketing systems
• Assist with escalation triage or task assignments following established escalation metrics, ensuring proper ticket updates and work logging
• Perform other duties as required to help the Otava operations team achieve its objectives

• Basic administrative familiarity with Windows Server (services, Event Viewer, basic roles) and/or Linux (CLI navigation, file permissions, basic system utilities, package management)
• Foundational understanding of virtualization principles (hypervisors, virtual machines, resource pools, VMware vCenter / vSphere basics)
• Understanding of basic networking principles (IP addressing, subnets, DNS, DHCP, gateways, common network ports and protocols
• Familiarity with data protection concepts (snapshots vs. backups, retention, replication, and basic recovery objectives like RTO/RPO)

• Exceptional attention to detail with a disciplined approach to following checklists, change control guidelines, and established SOPs
• Methodical troubleshooting ability, eager to investigate root causes and find efficiency improvements
• Clear, professional written and verbal communication in English for internal documentation, cross-team handoffs, task coordination, etc.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively, prioritize work based on business and customer impact, and perform effectively in a fast-paced environment

• CompTIA Cloud+, Network+, or Security+
• VMware Certified Technical Associate (VCTA) / VMware Certified Professional (VCP)
• Microsoft Certified Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) or Windows Server fundamentals

Attractive compensation package

• base ($35 - $38K)
• plus bonus
• 401(k) match
• medical
• dental
• vision
• l…