Job DescriptionWe are seeking a highly experienced
Senior Microsoft SQL Server Database Administrator (DBA) to lead the design, implementation, and support of enterprise database environments supporting mission-critical university systems. This role has a strong emphasis on
High Availability (HA), Always On Availability Groups, and cluster management supporting applications essential to university operations.
This position plays a subject expert role, partnering with system administrators, developers, and vendors to ensure database platforms are secure, scalable, resilient, and optimized for performance.
ResponsibilitiesSQL Server DBA Leadership- Lead strategic planning, architecture, and lifecycle management of Microsoft SQL Server environments.
- Design, implement, and maintain high availability solutions, including:
- Always On Availability Groups
- Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC)
- Disaster recovery architectures across multi-datacenter environments
- Manage SQL Server installations, upgrades, patching, and migrations.
- Monitor, tune, and optimize database performance for high-throughput applications.
- Implement and maintain database security, encryption, and compliance standards.
- Develop automation for routine DBA tasks, monitoring, and alerting.
Enterprise Database & Application Support- Lead cross-functional projects with DBAs, developers, and application teams to deploy and upgrade critical systems.
- Support University-wide and departmental shared database services impacting high-availability applications.
- Provide database expertise for application performance tuning, especially for data warehousing and reporting systems.
- Collaborate with vendors and internal stakeholders to enhance application and database functionality.
Application Systems Administration- Lead implementation, integration, and patching of complex vendor applications in multi-server and multi-datacenter environments.
- Design and support secure application integrations using modern authentication and networking standards.
- Work with vendors to improve application features and system performance.
- Mentor system administrators and application teams on best practices.
QualificationsRequired Qualifications- Education: Bachelor's degree in computer science or related field, or equivalent experience.
- Experience:
- 5+ years of hands-on experience administering Microsoft SQL Server in enterprise environments with Bachelors' degree
- Or 9 years of experience with associate's degree
- Or 13 years of experience with a high school diploma
- Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:
- Expertise in high availability and disaster recovery design
- Strong leadership and project coordination skills
- Excellent troubleshooting and problem-solving abilities
- Effective communication with technical and non-technical stakeholders
- Ability to mentor and guide cross-functional team
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment-based visa status.
Preferred Qualifications- Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:
- Experience in higher education or large enterprise environments.
- Knowledge of data warehousing and reporting platforms.
- Familiarity with cloud-based SQL solutions (Azure SQL, hybrid architectures).
- Experience with monitoring tools (SolarWinds).
- Microsoft certifications (Azure DBA, SQL Server certifications).
Work Location- Location: Knoxville, TN
- Hybrid
Compensation and Benefits- UT market range: MR16
- Anticipated hiring range: $90,000 to $100,000
- Find more information on the UT Market Range structure here
- Find more information on UT Benefits here
Application InstructionsTo express interest, please submit an application with the noted below attachments:
