Overview of Role

We are seeking a highly skilled SQL Server Database Administrator (DBA) responsible for ensuring the availability, performance, security, and scalability of critical database systems. This role demands deep expertise in High Availability (HA) technologies—especially Always On Availability Groups, data archiving strategies, and table partitioning for large-scale OLTP/OLAP workloads and database development.

Availability to join: ASAP

Working shift: 1 PM IST to 10 PM IST (preferred)

Duration: Contract To Hire (6 Months), potential to convert/extend

Responsibilities

• Design, configure, maintain, and troubleshoot SQL Server Always On Availability Groups for mission-critical environments.
• Manage Failover Clustering (WSFC), quorum configuration, and multi-subnet deployments.
• Monitor and optimize replication lag, failover readiness, and AG health states.
• Develop, maintain, and test DR strategies, including geo-replication and failover runbooks.
• Implement backup/restore strategies using Full, Differential, Log backups, copy-only backups, and automated validation.
• Develop and optimize T-SQL code, stored procedures, functions, views, triggers, and scripts.
• Review SQL code for performance, security, and standards compliance.
• Tune workloads using execution plan analysis, indexing strategies, statistics maintenance, and parameter sniffing mitigation.
• Collaborate with development teams to design efficient schema, indexing, and query strategies.
• Design and implement database archiving frameworks for large and older datasets.
• Build automated archiving and purge jobs—while ensuring referential integrity and application continuity.
• Define data retention policies aligned with compliance and business requirements.
• Migrate historical data to secondary storage systems.
• Implement and manage table partitioning for large-scale transactional data.
• Create and maintain partition functions, schemes, sliding windows, and partition switch strategies.
• Optimize data loading, maintenance jobs (index rebuilds, compression), and storage utilization.
• Monitor and troubleshoot CPU, memory, IO, tempdb, locking/blocking, and wait statistics.
• Optimize high-volume transaction environments and resolve performance bottlenecks.
• Configure and maintain SQL Server monitoring solutions (DMVs, Extended Events, PerfMon, third-party tools).
• Perform routine maintenance—indexing, statistics updates, integrity checks, growth management, and filegroup management.
• Administer SQL Server instances across DEV, QA, UAT, and PROD environments.
• Ensure security best practices—roles, permissions, encryption, auditing, and compliance.
• Support release deployments and schema changes using version control pipelines.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on SQL Server DBA experience (2016 / 2019 / 2022).
• Expert-level knowledge of Always On Availability Groups and Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC).
• Strong T-SQL development and query tuning skills.
• Proven experience designing and managing table partitioning for high-volume data.
• Hands-on experience with database archiving, purge strategies, and data retention frameworks.
• Proficient in backup/recovery planning, DR testing, and point-in-time restore procedures.
• Experience with SQL Server security—TDE, RBAC, row-level security, and auditing.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines for schema migrations (Flyway, Liquibase, SSDT).
• Comfortable with Windows Server and SQL Server OS-level configuration.
• A Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related or equivalent work experience required.

Preferred:

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate.
• Experience with Azure SQL Managed Instance or Amazon RDS for SQL Server.
• Familiarity with monitoring tools such as SolarWinds DPA, Datadog, or SentryOne.
• PowerShell scripting for DBA automation and scheduled tasks.
• Exposure to data warehouse environments (SSAS, SSRS, SSIS).
• Prior experience in a Managed Services or multi-client production environment is a plus.