Senior SQL Database Administrator

Detailed Description From Employer:

Job Title: Senior SQL Database Administrator IV Location: Remote/Washington, DC

Summary:
Responsible to perform planning, development, implementation, maintenance and support client centralized organization for total support of the database environment. This includes executing national production applications on the Client' large, complex and widely distributed Microsoft NT operating system environment and Local Area Network (LAN) infrastructure throughout the United States.
This position will be responsible to develop standards and procedures, both operational and functional. Interact with other client organizations and individuals, such as developers and end users, in order to understand applications and resolve problems. This individual will be expected to work independently or semi-independently with a minimum of guidance or direction.
Supports different shifts to enable 24x7 support; may be required to carry a pager and be on call and be required to work varied schedules required by large, diverse and complex client production environment. Travel may be required.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Development and maintenance of project plans in accordance with Client s standards will be required. Weekly status reporting will be required. Perform other duties in support of the organizations mission as directed by FCSC/DSS management.
Excellent communications skills, both oral and written are required. Excellent people skills, an enthusiastic can-do attitude, willingness to do what it takes to get the job done, travel and flexibility are all required attributes of successful candidates for this position. Interaction with other client organizations and individuals, such as developers and end users, will be necessary in order to understand applications and resolve problems.

Position Requirements: SQL Database Administrator Core SQL Server DBA Responsibilities
Minimum 8-10 years of experience as a SQL Server DBA in production environments
Proficiency in SQL Server 2016/2019/2022 (T-SQL, SSMS, Agent Jobs, Maintenance Plans)
Experience with backup and restore strategies, including full, differential, and transaction log backups
Strong understanding of database recovery models and point-in-time recovery
Ability to create and maintain database documentation and operational runbooks

Disaster Recovery & High Availability:
Hands-on experience with Always On Availability Groups and/or SQL Server Failover Clustering
Knowledge of Log Shipping and Database Mirroring
Familiarity with backup encryption and offsite retention strategies
Participated in and supported DR drills and contingency planning

SQL Monitoring & Performance Tuning:
Skilled in performance troubleshooting using SQL Profiler, Extended Events, and DMVs
Ability to identify and resolve deadlocks, blocking, and slow-running queries
Experience tuning indexes, reviewing execution plans, and maintaining stats
Familiar with SQL monitoring tools (e.g., Redgate, SolarWinds DPA, Sentry One)

Architecture & Design:
Understanding of normalized and denormalized schema design
Experience with table partitioning, filegroups, and database file I/O planning
Participated in storage capacity planning and database lifecycle management
Supports scalability and performance through smart database design decisions

DevOps for SQL Server:
Familiar with CI/CD pipelines involving SQL deployments (e.g., Azure DevOps, GitLab, Octopus Deploy)
Experience with version control for database objects (e.g., Git + SQL Source Control)
Support for automated database deployments and schema changes
Familiarity with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) concepts using PowerShell or ARM templates

Legacy SharePoint DBA Support:
Experience maintaining backend SQL databases for legacy SharePoint environments (2010/2013/2016)
Familiar with SharePoint content databases, service application databases, and search indexing structures
Able to support site migrations, database integrity checks, and performance tuning for SharePoint SQL backends
Collaborated with SharePoint Admins on patching and upgrade activities

.NET Application Support on SQL Server:
Supported ASP.NET and .NET Core web applications with SQL Server backends
Familiar with connection pooling, application-level query performance, and ORM frameworks like Entity Framework
Ability to trace SQL calls from web apps and optimize database access patterns
Worked with application developers to improve data access performance and scalability

General Requirements:
Strong documentation skills and adherence to ITSM/ITIL change control practices
Basic PowerShell scripting experience for SQL and system task automation
Effective communicator across DB, application, and infrastructure teams
Willingness to support an on-call rotation and occasional after-hours work
Works on high-visibility, or mission critical aspects of a given program, and performs all functional duties independently;
Oversees the efforts of direct reporting resources and/or be responsible for the efforts of all staff assigned to a specific job.

Preferred Qualifications:
Exposure to cloud-based database solutions (e.g., Azure SQL, AWS RDS)
Experience with hybrid cloud/on-prem SQL architecture
Microsoft certifications such as Azure Database Administrator Associate or MCSE: Data Management and Analytics

Education:
Bachelor s Degree in Computer Science or associated discipline preferred and a minimum of 10 years of DBA experience.

Additional Provisions:
Pass both a client mandated clearance process to include drug screening, criminal history check and credit check.
Once a candidate s resume is approved and interview passed, the agency is responsible for providing drug screening. Failure to submit the drug screening results will delay the security clearance process.
If a candidate is given an interim clearance, continuation of employment is then based on the candidate receiving a sensitive clearance.
This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance. U.S.
Candidate must have lived in the US for the past 5 years.
Cannot have more than 6 months travel outside the United States within the last five years. Military Service excluded. (Exception does not include military family members.)
All overtime must be pre-approved in writing by the client manager or his/her designated representative.
Agency will not be reimbursed for overtime charges without previous written authorization. Authorized overtime will be reimbursed at straight time.