MS SQL Database Administrator

Job Summary:

Job Description:

This role supports mission‑critical systems operating 24x7. While most work occurs during standard business hours, the DBA must be available for off‑hours support as required, including evenings, weekends, and holidays, to respond to production incidents.

You’ll work closely with infrastructure, application, and security teams to support business-critical systems and evolving requirements.

What You’ll Do:

SQL Server Architecture & Administration

• Design, implement, and manage Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise Edition environments supporting mission‑critical workloads
• Install, configure, upgrade, and patch SQL Server instances across production and non‑production environments
• Standardize SQL Server builds, configurations, and operational best practices

High Availability, Disaster Recovery & Redundancy

• Architect, implement, and support SQL Server Always On Availability Groups and Failover Cluster Instances (FCI)
• Design and maintain redundant SQL Server architectures across multiple data centers
• Define, document, and meet RPO/RTO objectives
• Perform and document disaster recovery tests and failover exercises

Backup, Recovery & Maintenance

• Design and manage comprehensive backup and recovery strategies (full, differential, and transaction log backups)
• Implement and maintain automated maintenance jobs for backups, integrity checks, index maintenance, and cleanup
• Regularly validate backups through restore testing

Security, Encryption & Compliance

• Implement and manage Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) and encryption in transit (TLS)
• Enforce least‑privilege access through roles, permissions, and authentication controls
• Configure auditing and logging to support compliance initiatives such as SOC 2, PCI DSS, CJIS, or ISO 27001

Performance Monitoring & Optimization

• Monitor and tune SQL Server performance using DMVs, Query Store, execution plans, and indexing strategies
• Proactively identify performance issues, capacity constraints, and operational risks
• Partner with application teams to optimize queries, schema design, and workload patterns

On‑Call & Incident Response

• Respond to database-related incidents outside standard business hours, including nights, weekends, and holidays
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues impacting availability, performance, data integrity, or security
• Support emergency restores, failovers, and disaster recovery events

Operations & Collaboration

• Participate in incident response, root cause analysis, and post‑incident reviews
• Document database architectures, standards, procedures, and operational runbooks
• Collaborate with infrastructure, security, and application teams on upgrades, migrations, and new initiatives
• Provide guidance and mentoring to junior DBAs or engineers as needed

What You Bring to the Role:

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field.
• Microsoft SQL Server certifications are a plus.

Experience:

• 7+ years of hands‑on Microsoft SQL Server DBA experience in enterprise environments
• Strong experience with SQL Server Enterprise Edition features and licensing considerations
• Proven experience designing and supporting HA/DR solutions, including Always On Availability Groups
• Experience supporting multi–data center SQL Server environments
• Deep experience with SQL Server backup, restore, and maintenance automation
• Experience implementing database encryption, security controls, and auditing
• Experience working in 24x7 production environments, including participation in on‑call rotations

Skills:

Microsoft SQL Server

• SQL Server installation, configuration, patching, and upgrades
• Enterprise Edition features and operational best practices
• SQL Agent jobs, maintenance plans, and automation

High Availability & Disaster Recovery

• Always On Availability Groups
• Failover Cluster Instances
• Backup‑based disaster recovery strategies
• Cross‑data center redundancy and failover

Security & Compliance

• Transparent Data Encryption (TDE)
• Encryption in transit (TLS)
• Role‑based access control and auditing
• Compliance support (SOC 2, PCI, CJIS, ISO 27001)

Performance & Operations

• Query tuning, indexing strategies, Query Store
• Monitoring and alerting
• Incident response and root cause analysis
• Change management and documentation

Work Environment:

This position supports a 24x7 production environment. While the role is primarily remote‑first with standard business hours, off‑hours and on‑call support are required as part of normal responsibilities. Occasional travel to offices or data center sites may be required based on project needs.

Worker Type:

Number of Openings Available: