Job Title: SQL Server Database Administrator - High Availability & Performance
Job Location: New York, NY (Hybrid; 3 days onsite, 2 remote)
Duration: 12+ months
Pay range: $70+/hr (W2), depending on experience
Job DescriptionPosition OverviewOur Fortune 500 client located in New York, NY is seeking an experienced Senior SQL Server Database Administrator to administer, optimize, secure, and support enterprise Microsoft SQL Server environments powering mission-critical business applications.
This is a hands-on database engineering and administration role requiring deep expertise in SQL Server 2016/2019/2022, performance tuning, Always On Availability Groups, failover clustering, backup/recovery, T-SQL, PowerShell, SSIS, SSRS, and Windows Server. The successful candidate will be responsible for maintaining database availability and performance while troubleshooting complex production issues, supporting application deployments, and contributing to database modernization and infrastructure initiatives.
The ideal candidate combines strong production DBA experience with automation and development capabilities and can work effectively across database, application, infrastructure, development, and business teams.
Key ResponsibilitiesSQL Server Administration & Operations- Administer, maintain, monitor, and support enterprise Microsoft SQL Server 2016/2019/2022 environments.
- Monitor database availability, health, capacity, storage utilization, and overall performance.
- Install, configure, patch, upgrade, and maintain SQL Server environments.
- Support mission-critical production databases and enterprise applications.
- Troubleshoot complex database incidents, performance degradation, blocking, deadlocks, and data-related issues.
- Maintain database security, permissions, auditing, and operational standards.
High Availability, Backup & Disaster Recovery- Administer and support SQL Server Always On Availability Groups and Failover Clustering.
- Develop and maintain database backup, restore, and recovery strategies.
- Perform database restorations and disaster recovery testing.
- Monitor and maintain database replication and high-availability configurations.
- Support business continuity and recovery requirements for critical database platforms.
Performance Tuning & Optimization- Analyze and resolve database performance issues across production environments.
- Perform index optimization, query tuning, execution-plan analysis, and database performance troubleshooting.
- Develop and optimize T-SQL queries, stored procedures, scripts, and other database objects.
- Monitor database growth and capacity trends and proactively address potential performance or availability issues.
- Recommend database configuration and architecture improvements based on application and business requirements.
Development, Integration & Automation- Develop database solutions and automation using T-SQL, PowerShell, and Python.
- Support SSIS and SSRS solutions and associated database integrations.
- Support Power BI integrations with SQL Server environments.
- Utilize Azure DevOps to support database development, deployment, change-management, and automation activities.
- Partner with application and development teams on database changes, releases, troubleshooting, and production deployments.
Database Modernization & Infrastructure- Participate in database migration, upgrade, and modernization initiatives.
- Support database integrations with Windows Server, storage, infrastructure, and application environments.
- Evaluate and support opportunities involving Azure SQL and other modern database technologies.
- Maintain technical documentation, operational procedures, recovery plans, and database standards.
Required Qualifications- Strong hands-on experience administering Microsoft SQL Server 2016, 2019, and/or 2022 in enterprise production environments.
- Advanced experience with SQL Server performance tuning, indexing, query optimization, and troubleshooting.
- Hands-on experience with SQL Server Always On Availability Groups and Failover Clustering.
- Strong knowledge of backup, restore, recovery, disaster recovery, and high-availability strategies.
- Strong T-SQL development experience, including queries, stored procedures, and database objects.
- Experience with SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).
- Experience with SQL Server security, permissions, auditing, monitoring, and capacity planning.
- Hands-on experience with PowerShell scripting and Python programming.
- Experience supporting SSIS, SSRS, and Power BI integrations.
- Experience with Azure DevOps.
- Working knowledge of Windows Server administration.
- Experience supporting mission-critical enterprise databases and applications.
- Strong analytical, troubleshooting, documentation, communication, and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with infrastructure, application, development, and business teams.
Preferred Qualifications- Experience with Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance.
- Experience with Azure Data Factory.
- Strong understanding of data warehousing concepts.
- Experience supporting database migration and modernization initiatives.
- Familiarity with Infrastructure as Code (IaC).
- Exposure to Kubernetes and containerized environments.
- Experience integrating SQL Server with enterprise storage and infrastructure platforms.
