Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for a Job Processor

🎯 Role Definition

At its core, the Job Processor role is the engine room of our data and IT operations. This individual serves as the first line of defense for the health and stability of our automated systems. They are entrusted with the critical responsibility of overseeing complex schedules of batch jobs, data transfer processes, and ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) pipelines. This isn't just about watching a screen; it's about proactively identifying potential issues, troubleshooting failures in real-time, and ensuring that critical business data flows accurately and on schedule across the enterprise. The Job Processor is a vital link between our technology infrastructure and our business outcomes, ensuring that nightly, weekly, and monthly processing cycles are completed without a hitch.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

IT Operations Support / NOC Technician
Junior Data Analyst or BI Analyst
Application Support Specialist

Advancement To:

Senior Job Processor / Lead Operations Analyst
Data Engineer or ETL Developer
DevOps or Site Reliability Engineer (SRE)

Lateral Moves:

Systems Administrator
Database Administrator (DBA)
Quality Assurance (QA) Analyst

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Actively monitor the execution and completion of thousands of scheduled batch jobs across multiple platforms (e.g., Mainframe, Linux/Unix, Windows) using enterprise scheduling tools like Control-M, Autosys, or an equivalent.
Perform in-depth, real-time analysis and troubleshooting of job failures, utilizing logs, system performance data, and documented procedures to identify the root cause of processing errors.
Execute defined recovery and restart procedures for failed or aborted jobs, ensuring minimal impact on downstream processes and adherence to Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
Manage and respond to a high volume of alerts and notifications from automated monitoring systems, prioritizing issues based on business impact and urgency.
Meticulously document all incidents, including the symptoms, investigation steps, root cause, and resolution, within a ticketing system like ServiceNow or Jira.
Escalate complex technical issues that cannot be resolved at the initial level to appropriate support teams, such as application developers, database administrators, or system engineers, providing clear and concise hand-off information.
Perform manual submission of ad-hoc job requests from business users and application teams, ensuring all prerequisite checks and approvals are completed.
Maintain and update the job scheduling environment by implementing changes, such as adding new jobs, modifying dependencies, and adjusting schedules as per change request protocols.
Conduct daily operational readiness checks on critical systems and processing environments to ensure they are prepared for the upcoming batch cycle.
Participate in shift turnover meetings to effectively communicate the status of the processing environment, ongoing issues, and any pending tasks to the next shift.
Execute and verify data file transfers (e.g., SFTP/FTP) between internal systems and external partners, troubleshooting connectivity and data integrity issues as they arise.
Develop and maintain comprehensive operational documentation, runbooks, and knowledge base articles to ensure procedures are current, accurate, and accessible.
Monitor system resources (CPU, memory, disk space) in relation to batch processing and take proactive measures to prevent performance degradation.
Ensure strict adherence to company policies and procedures, particularly concerning change management, incident management, and data security protocols.
Perform post-mortem analysis on significant production incidents to identify underlying causes and recommend preventative measures to avoid future occurrences.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis by running queries and generating reports to assist business and technical teams.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap by providing operational insights on process stability, performance, and opportunities for improvement.
Collaborate with business units to translate their data processing needs and timelines into clear, actionable technical requirements for the scheduling team.
Participate in sprint planning sessions, daily stand-ups, and other agile ceremonies as part of the broader data engineering and operations team.
Assist in the testing and validation of new jobs and process flows before their promotion into the production environment.
Write and maintain basic scripts (e.g., in PowerShell, Bash, or Python) to automate repetitive manual tasks and improve operational efficiency.
Contribute to disaster recovery planning and participate in annual DR testing exercises to validate system and process resiliency.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Job Scheduling Software: Deep proficiency in at least one enterprise-level job scheduling tool such as Control-M, Autosys, CA Workload Automation, or Tivoli Workload Scheduler.
Operating Systems: Strong working knowledge of command-line operations in Linux/Unix environments and familiarity with Windows Server administration.
Scripting Languages: Foundational ability to read, understand, and ideally write simple scripts in languages like Bash, PowerShell, or Python for automation and analysis.
SQL & Databases: Competency in writing and executing basic to intermediate SQL queries to investigate data-related job failures and verify data integrity in relational databases (e.g., Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL).
Monitoring Tools: Experience using infrastructure and application monitoring tools such as Datadog, Splunk, Nagios, or Dynatrace to diagnose issues.
ETL Concepts: Solid understanding of the Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) process and the dependencies within data warehousing workflows.
Ticketing Systems: Proficient use of ITSM tools like ServiceNow, Jira, or Remedy for incident and change management.
File Transfer Protocols: Hands-on experience with secure file transfer protocols like SFTP, FTP, and MFT (Managed File Transfer) solutions.

Soft Skills

Analytical Problem-Solving: The ability to logically and methodically break down complex technical problems to find the root cause under pressure.
Attention to Detail: Meticulousness and precision are paramount when managing complex job schedules and documenting incidents where small errors can have large consequences.
Communication: Clear, concise, and professional communication skills (both written and verbal) to effectively report issues, escalate to other teams, and document procedures.
Sense of Urgency: The capacity to prioritize tasks effectively and act swiftly in a fast-paced, time-sensitive operational environment.
Adaptability: Ability to handle unexpected events, changes in priority, and a dynamic workload, especially during incident response situations.
Teamwork & Collaboration: A collaborative mindset to work effectively with team members on shift and with other technology and business teams across the organization.
Process-Oriented: A strong appreciation for following established procedures and a proactive desire to improve them for greater efficiency and stability.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Associate's degree or equivalent professional certification (e.g., CompTIA A+, Network+) combined with relevant work experience.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's degree in a technology-related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Computer Science
Information Technology
Management Information Systems

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2-5 years of experience in an IT operations, production support, or data center environment.

Preferred: Direct experience in a 24/7/365 operations role with hands-on responsibility for a large-scale batch processing environment.