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Data Recovery Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Customer Care Representative

Novato, CA · On-site

$18.75 - $25.50/hr

Outbound call follow-up * Working directly with data recovery engineers to report engineers' findings * Answering questions about the technical process of data recovery and associated pricing If you ...

Overview Lead Data Engineers at Excella play a key role in designing and building modern data ... Identify and mitigate risks to data while ensuring data recovery plans. * Build and maintain data ...

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Data Recovery Engineer information

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$44.5K

$129.7K

$177.5K

How much do data recovery engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 12, 2026, the average yearly pay for data recovery engineer in the United States is $129,716.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $114,500.00 and $137,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Data Recovery Engineer vs Data Storage Technician?

AspectData Recovery EngineerData Storage Technician
CredentialsCertifications like CDFA, CompTIA Storage+Certifications like CompTIA Storage+ or vendor-specific
Work EnvironmentData recovery labs, IT departments, forensic labsData centers, server rooms, IT support environments
Industry UsageIT, cybersecurity, forensic analysisIT, enterprise storage management
Search/Comparison IntentUnderstanding roles related to data recovery and repairManaging and maintaining data storage systems

While both roles involve working with data systems, Data Recovery Engineers focus on retrieving lost or damaged data from storage devices, often requiring forensic skills. Data Storage Technicians manage and maintain storage hardware and systems. The roles overlap in certifications and work environments but differ in primary responsibilities.

What are some common challenges a data recovery engineer faces during the recovery process?

Data Recovery Engineers often encounter challenges such as dealing with physically damaged storage devices, working with proprietary or outdated file systems, and ensuring data integrity throughout the recovery process. They must use specialized tools in cleanroom environments to prevent further damage to sensitive hardware. Additionally, engineers frequently collaborate with clients and IT teams to understand data priorities and provide clear communication about what data can realistically be recovered. Staying updated with evolving storage technologies and encryption methods is also crucial for success in this role.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a data recovery engineer?

To thrive as a Data Recovery Engineer, you need a strong background in computer science, data storage systems, and file system architecture, often supported by a degree in IT or related certifications. Familiarity with data recovery software, hardware imaging tools, and disk forensics platforms is typically required. Critical thinking, attention to detail, and strong problem-solving abilities are valuable soft skills for success in this role. These skills and qualities are crucial for accurately diagnosing data loss issues and ensuring the safe and effective recovery of critical information for clients.

How do you become a data recovery engineer?

To become a data recovery engineer, you typically need a background in computer science, information technology, or a related field, along with knowledge of file systems, storage devices, and data recovery tools. Gaining experience through certifications such as Certified Data Recovery Professional (CDRP) and hands-on practice with hardware and software recovery techniques is also important.

What does a data recovery engineer do?

A Data Recovery Engineer specializes in retrieving lost, corrupted, or inaccessible data from various storage devices such as hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, and servers. They use advanced tools and techniques to recover data after accidental deletion, hardware failure, software corruption, or cyberattacks. These professionals may also provide advice on best practices for data backup and protection to prevent future data loss. Their work is essential for businesses and individuals who need to recover important files quickly and securely.
More about Data Recovery Engineer jobs
What states have the most Data Recovery Engineer jobs? States with the most job openings for Data Recovery Engineer jobs include:
Infographic showing various Data Recovery Engineer job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 84% Full Time, 11% Part Time, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 86% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 10% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $129,716 per year, or $62.4 per hour.

Backup and Recovery Engineer - Journeyman

ASM Research

San Antonio, TX • On-site

Full-time

Re-posted 7 days ago


ASM Research rating

8.6

Company rating: 8.6 out of 10

Based on 14 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

32nd of 223 rated it services


Job description

The Backup and Recovery Engineer - Journeyman oversees enterprise backup and recovery operations to ensure data protection and business continuity in a federal or enterprise IT environment. The role implements and manages backup solutions, validates data recoverability, and supports disaster recovery and continuity of operations planning across critical systems. The engineer monitors backup performance, resolves failures, optimizes storage and retention strategies, and collaborates with infrastructure and database teams to maintain comprehensive coverage.
Key Responsibilities
  • Implement and administer enterprise backup solutions (e.g., Veeam, Commvault, NetBackup) to protect servers, applications, databases, and file systems across the client environment.
  • Monitor backup jobs daily, investigate failures, and drive timely remediation to ensure successful completion across all in-scope systems and platforms.
  • Perform regular restore testing and validation to confirm data integrity, recoverability, and adherence to recovery time and recovery point objectives.
  • Develop, maintain, and support disaster recovery and continuity of operations plans, including participation in recovery exercises and documentation of procedures.
  • Manage backup storage, data retention policies, and offsite media handling (including tape rotation and offsite vaulting when applicable) to align with enterprise and regulatory requirements.
  • Collaborate with system administrators and database administrators to ensure full data protection coverage for all critical workloads and new deployments.
  • Automate backup scheduling, reporting, and alerting to reduce operational overhead and improve visibility into backup health and capacity.
  • Conduct capacity planning for backup infrastructure and storage growth, recommending optimization and scaling strategies as business needs evolve.

Required Qualifications
  • Requires a Bachelor's degree (or equivalent experience) in IT, Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, Software Engineering, or related field.
  • At least 4 years of hands-on experience implementing and managing backup and recovery solutions in an enterprise IT environment, typically 3-6 years of backup/recovery or storage engineering experience.
  • Demonstrated experience administering one or more enterprise backup platforms (e.g., Veeam, Commvault, NetBackup) and performing routine restores and disaster recovery exercises.
  • Strong knowledge of backup storage concepts, retention policies, offsite media handling, and capacity planning for backup infrastructure.
  • Must meet DoD 8140 requirements and hold an active Secret clearance.
  • Must be a US Citizen and able to work effectively in a federal IT environment with standard security and compliance practices.

Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience designing and operating cloud backup and disaster recovery solutions (e.g., backups for workloads in major commercial cloud platforms).
  • Familiarity with ransomware protection, immutable backup strategies, and secure backup architectures that reduce cyber risk.
  • Vendor certifications in backup technologies or storage platforms (e.g., vendor-specific backup administrator, storage professional, or cloud backup certifications).
  • Experience integrating backup and recovery processes with broader IT service management frameworks (e.g., change management, incident/problem management).

Compensation Ranges
Compensation ranges for ASM Research positions vary depending on multiple factors; including but not limited to, location, skill set, level of education, certifications, client requirements, contract-specific affordability, government clearance and investigation level, and years of experience. The compensation displayed for this role is a general guideline based on these factors and is unique to each role. Monetary compensation is one component of ASM's overall compensation and benefits package for employees.
EEO Requirements
It is the policy of ASM that an individual's race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation or national origin are not and will not be considered in any personnel or management decisions. We affirm our commitment to these fundamental policies.
All recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting for all job classifications is done without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, or age. All decisions on employment are made to abide by the principle of equal employment.
Physical Requirements
The physical requirements described in "Knowledge, Skills and Abilities" above are representative of those which must be met by an employee to successfully perform the primary functions of this job. (For example, "light office duties' or "lifting up to 50 pounds" or "some travel" required.) Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with qualifying disabilities, who are otherwise qualified, to perform the primary functions.
Disclaimer
The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.

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