Senior Azure SQL Database Administrator

Role : Senior Azure SQL Database Administrator

Location : Remote (EST or CST support)

Job Type : C2C or W2

We are seeking experienced Database Administrators with strong expertise in Microsoft Azure SQL Database and SQL Server.

The ideal candidates should have hands-on experience managing SQL Server and databases on VMs, leading migrations to Azure SQL Managed Instances, and working with Azure Cosmos DB.

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced Senior Database Administrator to lead the design, implementation, and management of enterprise data platforms across hybrid environments, including on-premises and cloud-based systems. This role is responsible for administering and optimizing databases such as SQL Server on Virtual Machines (on-prem & Azure IaaS), Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, Snowflake, and Azure Cosmos DB.

The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in database architecture, performance tuning, and high availability across distributed systems. This position involves managing mission-critical workloads, ensuring data security and compliance, and implementing scalable solutions for both OLTP and analytical environments. The Senior DBA will play a key role in database upgrades, migrations, disaster recovery, automation, performance tuning, and incident/change management, aligning with ITIL best practices and enterprise governance standards.

This role requires strong hands-on experience in hybrid infrastructure, including on-premises SQL Server environments and cloud-native services, with a focus on reliability, automation, and cost optimization. The candidate will work closely with application teams, cloud engineers, data engineers, security teams, and business stakeholders to support database operations across development, nonproduction, and production environments.

Essential Job Functions

• Administer and support SQL Server databases across onpremises and Azure IaaS (VM) environments, including installation, configuration, patching, and upgrades (2017 2022).
• Manage Azure SQL PaaS offerings, including Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance, ensuring high availability, security, and performance.
• Design, implement, and maintain High Availability and Disaster Recovery (HA/DR) solutions such as:
• Always On Availability Groups
• Failover Clustering
• Log Shipping
• Azure SQL Failover Groups
• Perform database upgrades and migrations, including:

• SQL Server version upgrades
• Onprem to Azure SQL (IaaS & PaaS) migrations
• Crossplatform data migrations as required

• Monitor database performance and proactively identify and resolve bottlenecks (CPU, memory, I/O).
• Implement and enforce security best practices, including rolebased access control, encryption (TDE),
• Execute and validate backup, restore, pointintime recovery, and disaster recovery drills across platforms.
• Monitor and tune database performance using execution plans, indexing strategies, statistics management, and platform metrics.
• Collaborate with developers, architects, and infrastructure teams for database design and integration.
• Automate routine DBA tasks using scripts (PowerShell, T-SQL, Python, etc.).
• Support cloud database platforms (Azure SQL, AWS RDS, Snowflake, etc.).
• Participate in incident, problem, change, and release management processes, ensuring SLA adherence and proper documentation.
• Maintain accurate database documentation, runbooks, and operational standards.
• Support oncall rotations and production support activities as required.
• Administer Snowflake data warehouse environments, including user management, performance optimization, data loading, and cost monitoring.
• Support Azure Cosmos DB, including account configuration, throughput management, monitoring, and availability.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Information Technology, or related field.
• 8 10+ years of experience as a Database Administrator.
• Strong experience with SQL Server (2017 2022+) and Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance
• Expertise in performance tuning, indexing, and query optimization.
• Experience with HA/DR solutions (Always On, clustering, log shipping, replication).
• Knowledge of backup/recovery strategies and disaster recovery planning.
• Experience with cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud Platform).
• Strong understanding of database security and encryption techniques.
• Proficiency in scripting and automation.
• Working knowledge of Snowflake architecture, administration, and cost management.
• Experience managing or supporting Azure Cosmos DB (Core SQL API preferred).
• Experience operating in ITILaligned environments for incident, change, and problem management.
• Exposure to DevOps / CICD practices for database deployments is a plus.