SQL Server Database Administrator

Job Title: SQL Server Database Administrator

Location: Houston ,TX 77002 ( Hybrid )

Duration: 12+ months

Interview Face to Face required

Role Overview

The SQL Server Track Lead will provide both technical and operational leadership for enterprise-scale SQL Server environments supporting 24x7 production operations. This is a critical role requiring a seasoned professional with deep SQL Server administration expertise, strong leadership, and mentoring capability. The Track Lead will ensure the reliability and performance of production systems while coordinating effectively between onsite and offshore teams to maintain stability, efficiency, and compliance.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership and Ownership

• Lead SQL Server administration for production, development, and staging environments, ensuring 24x7 availability and reliability.
• Take ownership of operational stability across all systems, including configuration, monitoring, and incident management.
• Architect and manage Always-On Availability Groups, failover clustering, and disaster recovery (DR) solutions.
• Oversee SQL Server upgrades, patching, and migrations with minimal downtime.
• Implement and maintain enterprise-level backup and recovery strategies.
• Proactively monitor database performance.
• Enforce database standards, best practices, and compliance with security and audit requirements.
• Collaborate with infrastructure and application teams to ensure end-to-end database health and scalability.

Team Leadership and Mentoring

• Provide hands-on technical leadership and mentorship to both offshore and onsite SQL Server DBAs.
• Guide team members in troubleshooting, incident resolution, and proactive problem management.
• Foster a culture of ownership, accountability, and collaboration within the SQL Server operations team.
• Conduct regular knowledge-sharing sessions and technical reviews to strengthen team capability.
• Act as the primary escalation point for complex SQL Server issues, driving timely and permanent resolutions.

Operational and Strategic Responsibilities

• Oversee daily operations including incident, problem, and change management.
• Ensure seamless coordination and coverage across global time zones for uninterrupted 24x7 operations.
• Partner with onshore leadership for capacity planning, roadmap initiatives, and long-term architectural improvements.
• Participate in DR testing, capacity planning, and system optimization initiatives.
• Drive automation initiatives to reduce manual intervention and improve operational efficiency.
• Prepare reports and dashboards on database performance, uptime, and compliance metrics.

Required Skills and Experience

• 10+ years of SQL Server database administration experience, with at least 3 years in a technical leadership or track-lead role.
• Proven experience in managing large-scale, 24x7 SQL Server environments with multiple production systems.
• Strong expertise in Always-On Availability Groups, clustering, and replication.
• Deep knowledge of database backup, recovery, and high-availability strategies.
• Advanced proficiency in SQL Server performance tuning and query optimization.
• Skilled in Windows Server administration and PowerShell scripting.
• Solid understanding of database security, user management, and auditing.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills across global teams.
• Experience mentoring DBAs and driving process maturity in enterprise operations.

Preferred Skills

• Familiarity with monitoring tools.
• Exposure to ITIL practices, ServiceNow, and KPI-driven delivery models.