Senior Database Administrator (Microsoft SQL Server - Primary)Infrastructure and Operations Job Purpose The Senior Database Administrator (DBA) serves primarily as a Microsoft SQL Server administrator, with working knowledge and hands-on support capabilities for Oracle database environments. This role provides advanced technical leadership to support business-critical applications through proactive maintenance, automation, performance optimization, and disaster recovery readiness, while protecting data integrity and minimizing operational risk.
Core Responsibilities Note: This list is not all-inclusive.
- Operate with a high degree of independence in managing Microsoft SQL Server environments, while sharing collective responsibility for platform health, standards, and outcomes as part of a collaborative DBA team.
- Administer, monitor, and optimize Microsoft SQL Server environments, with working support for Oracle database platforms, to ensure high availability, performance, and reliability.
- Perform, automate, and continually improve database maintenance and monitoring activities, including backups, restores, patching, upgrades, capacity planning, and health checks.
- Diagnose and resolve complex database performance, availability, and data integrity issues, and provide architectural guidance to support long-term scalability and reliability.
- Design, implement, and maintain disaster recovery and business continuity solutions, including regular testing and validation.
- Implement and enforce database security controls and compliance standards in coordination with Security and GRC teams.
- Partner with application development, infrastructure, and business teams to support database-dependent systems throughout their lifecycle.
- Support database platform lifecycle initiatives, including upgrades, modernization efforts, and decommissioning of legacy systems.
- Contribute to operational reporting and metrics, including backup success, restore testing, availability trends, and incident analysis.
- Participate in on-call rotations and incident response for mission-critical database systems.
- Document standards, procedures, and configurations and support knowledge sharing and peer development within the DBA team.
Behavioral Competencies Note: These are in addition to MGE's Core Competencies
- Technical/Professional Expertise - Applies deep SQL Server expertise and practical working knowledge of Oracle to solve complex problems and ensure platform reliability.
- Collaborative Problem Solving - Works effectively with fellow DBAs, application teams, infrastructure, and security partners to resolve issues and improve system outcomes.
- Independent Execution - Handles complex tasks with minimal oversight while maintaining alignment with team standards and shared platform responsibilities.
- Manages Complexity - Evaluates interconnected systems, prioritizes effectively, and approaches problems with structured analysis.
- Ensures Accountability - Follows through on commitments related to availability, security, and recoverability; contributes to team-wide reliability.
- Continuous Improvement - Identifies opportunities to automate, streamline, modernize, and reduce manual operational work.
- Knowledge Sharing - Documents solutions and shares insights to strengthen team capability and support collective success.
Skills - Advanced Microsoft SQL Server administration and performance tuning
- Working knowledge of Oracle database administration and troubleshooting
- Database security, auditing, and compliance controls
- Backup, recovery, and disaster recovery planning
- Automation and scripting (e.g., PowerShell, T-SQL, PL/SQL, or similar)
- Monitoring and alerting tools for enterprise databases
- Troubleshooting complex, multi-tier application environments
Education - Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent experience
- Relevant database certifications (Microsoft, Oracle) preferred
Experience - 7+ years of progressive experience administering enterprise-scale Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle database environments
- Demonstrated experience supporting business-critical systems with high availability and security requirements
- Experience implementing automation and process improvements in a production database environment
