Azure SQL Server Professional

Job Summary:

We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Azure SQL Server DBA to manage, optimize, and ensure the health and performance of our critical database systems. With 810 years of hands-on experience as a SQL Server DBA, this individual will play a key role in tuning, monitoring, and maintaining database environments in Azure. The ideal candidate will be proficient in performance optimization, cost management, and database hygiene, and will have a strong focus on ensuring high availability, scalability, and security in enterprise-grade environments. This role is critical in supporting our organizations data-driven initiatives and ensuring our database systems align with business objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Database Performance Tuning and Optimization

• Analyze and optimize SQL queries, stored procedures, and indexes to improve database performance and execution times.
• Conduct execution plan analysis and resolve performance bottlenecks, deadlocks, and concurrency issues.
• Implement and maintain efficient indexing strategies to ensure quick data retrieval and responsiveness.

2. Monitoring and Maintenance

• Set up and maintain database monitoring solutions using Azure Monitor, SQL Profiler, Query Store, and other tools to identify and resolve issues proactively.
• Oversee regular maintenance tasks, such as backups, restores, index maintenance, and integrity checks, to ensure database hygiene.
• Monitor database health, performance, and capacity to ensure uptime and scalability.

3. Cost Management and Optimization

• Evaluate database resource usage and optimize workloads to reduce Azure SQL costs, including resizing databases, consolidating workloads, and optimizing queries.
• Implement strategies to control database provisioning costs and scale resources efficiently based on workload patterns.

4. High Availability and Disaster Recovery (HA/DR)

• Design, implement, and maintain HA/DR solutions, such as Always On Availability Groups, geo-replication, and failover clusters, to meet uptime and recovery SLAs.
• Develop and test backup and recovery procedures to ensure business continuity.
• Collaborate with engineering teams to minimize downtime during upgrades, migrations, or maintenance activities.

5. Security and Compliance

• Implement database security best practices, including role-based access control (RBAC), Transparent Data Encryption (TDE), and data masking.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory standards such as GDPR, SOX, and other relevant frameworks.
• Monitor and audit database activity to identify and resolve unauthorized access or security vulnerabilities.

6. Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement

• Work closely with engineering, product, and business teams to gather requirements and provide database solutions aligned with application needs.
• Support application developers by providing guidance on data modeling, query optimization, and schema design.
• Serve as the subject matter expert for database technologies, providing insights and recommendations for improvements.

7. Database Hygiene and Best Practices

• Enforce database hygiene through routine tasks like maintenance plan execution, query optimization, and efficient storage management.
• Document best practices, procedures, and configurations to ensure consistency and scalability across environments.

Qualifications:

Education:

• Bachelors degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.

Experience:

• 810 years of experience as a SQL Server DBA, with a focus on Azure SQL Database and SQL Server Managed Instances.
• Proven expertise in tuning and optimizing queries, stored procedures, and indexing for performance.
• Strong experience with Azure database services, including monitoring, cost optimization, and scaling.
• Hands-on experience designing and implementing HA/DR solutions for critical business applications.

Technical Skills:

• SQL Server Expertise: Advanced proficiency in managing and optimizing Azure SQL Database and SQL Server (2012/2014/2016/2019).
• Performance Tuning: Strong knowledge of execution plans, query optimization, and index strategies.
• Azure Tools: Proficient with Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Azure Automation, and Application Insights.
• Scripting: Hands-on experience with T-SQL, PowerShell, and automation scripts.
• Monitoring & Troubleshooting: Expertise with tools such as SQL Profiler, Query Store, and Extended Events.
• Security: Familiarity with TDE, RBAC, and auditing features.
• HA/DR: Knowledge of Always On Availability Groups, geo-replication, and log shipping.

Soft Skills:

• Problem Solving: Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills to address database challenges.
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Organization: Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver high-quality results in a fast-paced environment.
• Attention to Detail: Focused on maintaining database health, security, and compliance.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in financial services or other highly regulated industries.
• Familiarity with modern DevOps practices, such as CI/CD pipelines for database changes.
• Certifications such as:
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate.
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (preferred but not required).