The Senior Microsoft SQL Server and Azure Database Administrator will lead the administration, performance optimization, reliability, and security of enterprise database platforms across on-premises infrastructure and Microsoft Azure. The role requires advanced SQL Server expertise, deep performance diagnostics capabilities, and experience supporting business-critical databases in production environments. The successful candidate will drive database modernization, high availability, disaster recovery, operational automation, and incident resolution while maintaining performance, security, and compliance standards.
Key Responsibilities
- Administer and support Microsoft SQL Server across on-premises environments, Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, and SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines.
- Lead performance diagnostics and tuning using Query Store, execution plans, Dynamic Management Views, Extended Events, wait statistics, PerfMon, SQL Profiler, and Azure monitoring tools.
- Optimize complex T-SQL queries, stored procedures, indexes, statistics, partitioning, memory usage, TempDB, parallelism, locking, blocking, deadlocks, CPU utilization, storage I/O, and transaction logs.
- Detect query-plan regressions and workload bottlenecks, establish performance baselines and capacity forecasts, and validate measurable improvements.
- Govern Azure SQL automatic tuning and Database Advisor recommendations with production safeguards and rollback readiness.
- Design and support high-availability and disaster-recovery solutions using Always On availability groups, failover groups, clustering, replication, log shipping, backup, restore, and point-in-time recovery.
- Plan and execute database migrations, upgrades, patching, consolidation, modernization, and cloud adoption with minimal disruption.
- Manage Azure SQL service tiers, elastic pools, scaling, geo-replication, private connectivity, firewall rules, and cost-performance optimization.
- Implement least-privilege access, Microsoft Entra authentication, managed identities, encryption, auditing, vulnerability remediation, secrets management, and compliance controls.
- Automate database provisioning, configuration, health checks, maintenance, backup validation, and reporting using PowerShell, T-SQL, Azure CLI, and infrastructure-as-code practices.
- Own P1/P2 incidents, outages, root-cause analysis, corrective actions, vendor escalations, and stakeholder communications.
- Maintain database standards, runbooks, recovery procedures, dashboards, and knowledge articles while mentoring support teams and supporting change and release readiness.
Required Skills & Qualifications
- 8–14 years of relevant database administration experience, with strong Level 3 Microsoft SQL Server and Azure DBA expertise.
- Advanced hands-on experience with Microsoft SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, and SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines.
- Deep knowledge of Query Store, performance monitoring, execution-plan analysis, T-SQL optimization, indexing, blocking, deadlocks, and capacity management.
- Proven experience with high availability, replication, clustering, backup and recovery, database migrations, upgrades, and patching.
- Automation capabilities using PowerShell, T-SQL, Azure CLI, and infrastructure-as-code practices.
- Experience managing production incidents, outages, root-cause analysis, and database change management.
- Graduate degree or equivalent education.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with Azure SQL automatic tuning, Database Advisor, elastic pools, geo-replication, and cost optimization.
- Knowledge of Microsoft Entra authentication, managed identities, encryption, auditing, vulnerability remediation, and compliance evidence.
- Experience mentoring support teams, improving operational runbooks, and reducing recurring incidents through preventive engineering and automation.
- Experience with major outage management, stakeholder communications, and vendor escalations.
Apply directly at: https://www.n2psystems.com/jobs/REQ-43707
