Sr SQL Administrator

The Senior SQL Administrator is responsible for the administration, performance, availability, security, recoverability, and integrity of enterprise database platforms across on-premises and cloud-based environments. This position designs, implements, monitors, optimizes, and supports highly available database platforms used by businesses, manufacturing, quality, reporting, integration, and infrastructure systems.

Serving as a database subject matter expert, the Sr. SQL Database Administrator partners with Infrastructure, Applications, Security, Quality, and business teams to maintain stable, secure, scalable, and compliant database services across on-premises and cloud environments.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

Database Operations, Availability & Performance:

• Manage the day-to-day operations of enterprise database platforms, including configuration, maintenance, patching, backups, restores, performance, security, and capacity. 

• Administer, maintain, and optimize Microsoft SQL Server environments across on-premises, virtualized, and cloud-hosted platforms.

• Monitor database health, performance, job execution, storage utilization, blocking, deadlocks, replication, availability groups, and backup success.

• Perform database performance tuning, including query analysis, indexing strategy, execution plan review, statistics maintenance, wait analysis, and resource optimization.

• Implement and support high availability and disaster recovery solutions, including SQL Server Always On Availability Groups, clustering, log shipping, replication, backups, and restore testing.

• Plan and execute database maintenance activities, including index maintenance, integrity checks, patching, upgrades, and lifecycle management.

• Support database capacity planning, storage forecasting, performance baselining, and scalability planning for business-critical systems.

• Provide after hours on-call support on a rotation schedule with other staff members.

Security, Access Control & Data Integrity:

• Maintain database security controls, including authentication, authorization, least-privilege access, role-based permissions, encryption, auditing, and privileged access review. 

• Partner with Security and Infrastructure teams to support secure database connectivity, certificate use, service accounts, firewall rules, vulnerability remediation, and patch compliance. 

• Protect the integrity of enterprise data through routine DBCC checks, backup validation, restore testing, change review, and controlled release practices. 

• Review and support database changes, schema updates, stored procedures, SQL Agent jobs, integrations, and application releases to reduce operational risk.

• Maintain database inventory, configuration standards, operational documentation, recovery procedures, and support runbooks.

Troubleshooting, Automation & Continuous Improvement:

• Lead troubleshooting and root-cause analysis for complex database incidents, performance degradation, failed jobs, restore issues, connectivity problems, and application-impacting database events.

• Develop and maintain automation for database maintenance, monitoring, alerting, reporting, backup validation, user access review, and operational support activities. 

• Create tools, dashboards, procedures, and documentation to support IT, Applications Development, Client Support, Quality, and business teams.

• Recommend database design, configuration, indexing, monitoring, security, and resiliency improvements to strengthen performance, reliability, security, and scalability. 

• Stay current with developments in database administration, SQL Server, Azure SQL, backup and recovery practices, automation, security, and enterprise compliance technologies.

Compliance, Governance & Collaboration:

• Follow established change management, release management, incident management, security, and governance practices for database platforms.

• Adhere to the Company's Quality Management System (QMS) as well as domestic and global quality system regulations, standards, and procedures. 

• Understand relevant security, privacy, and compliance principles and adhere to the regulations, standards, and procedures that are applicable to the Company. 

• Ensure other members of the department to follow the QMS, regulations, standards, and procedures. 

• Ensure database administration activities are documented, controlled, auditable, and aligned with applicable IT and quality system requirements. 

• Collaborate with IT, application owners, business partners, vendors, and support teams to maintain reliable database operations and resolve issues effectively.

• Communicate technical and complex database information clearly, both verbally and in writing.

• Perform other work-related duties as assigned.

Position Qualifications - Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Data Management, or a related field with 8+ years of enterprise-level database administration and/or database engineering experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• 5+ years of experience supporting high availability, disaster recovery, backup, restore, and database recovery strategies for business-critical systems.

• Strong experience with SQL Server performance tuning, indexing, query optimization, execution plans, wait statistics, SQL Agent jobs, and database maintenance plans.

• Experience administering SQL Server Always On Availability Groups, failover clustering, log shipping, replication, or equivalent high availability technologies.

• Experience with database security practices, including least privilege access, role-based permissions, encryption, auditing, service accounts, and privileged access controls.

• Experience with PowerShell, T-SQL scripting, automation, monitoring, alerting, and operational reporting.

• Experience with enterprise backup platforms, restore validation, database integrity checks, and disaster recovery testing.

• Working knowledge of Windows Server, Active Directory, DNS, networking fundamentals, storage, virtualization, and cloud infrastructure as they relate to database services.

• Ability to plan, organize, and document complex database administration activities and configure systems in alignment with institutional policies and procedures.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities, handle concurrent projects, respond effectively to urgent or complex operational issues, and communicate clearly with technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• High degree of accuracy, attention to detail, data stewardship, documentation discipline, and organizational skills.

Position Qualifications - Preferred

• Experience supporting Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, or SQL Server hosted in Microsoft Azure is preferred.

• Experience supporting integrations with ERP, MES, LIMS, QMS, reporting, data warehouse, or enterprise application platforms is preferred.

• Experience with SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS), SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS), Power BI gateways, or related reporting and integration technologies is preferred.

• Microsoft SQL Server, Azure Database Administrator Associate, or equivalent database certification is preferred.

Working Conditions

• General office environment

• Willingness and ability to work on site.

• Requires some lifting and moving of up to 10 pounds

• Must be able to move between buildings and floors.

• Must be able to remain stationary and use a computer or other standard office equipment, such as a printer or copy machine, for an extensive period of time each day.

• Must be able to read, prepare emails, and produce documents and spreadsheets.

• Must be able to move within the office and access file cabinets or supplies, as needed.

• Must be able to communicate and exchange accurate information with employees at all levels on a daily basis.

Annual Base Salary Range:  $140,000 - $200,000/ year

We offer a competitive compensation package plus a benefits and equity program, when applicable.  

Individual total compensation will vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies, and work location.