Senior SQL Server DBA/Data Engineer

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly skilled Senior SQL Server DBA / Data Engineer to manage, optimize, and scale enterprise-grade database systems and data pipelines. This role combines deep DBA expertise with modern data engineering practices, ensuring high availability, performance tuning, and efficient data integration for business analytics and applications.

Key Responsibilities

Database Administration (SQL Server)

• Install, configure, and maintain Microsoft SQL Server environments (on-premises & cloud).
• Manage database performance tuning, indexing, and query optimization.
• Ensure database high availability (Always On, Clustering, Replication).
• Monitor database health, storage, and capacity planning.
• Implement backup, restore, and disaster recovery strategies.
• Perform patching, upgrades, and migration activities.
• Ensure database security, encryption, and compliance standards.

Data Engineering

• Design, build, and maintain scalable ETL/ELT data pipelines.
• Integrate data from various sources (APIs, flat files, databases).
• Develop and optimize data models for analytical workloads.
• Work with large datasets and perform data transformation and cleansing.
• Build data ingestion pipelines using tools like Azure Data Factory / SSIS / Databricks / Spark.
• Support real-time or near real-time data processing.

Performance & Optimization

• Identify bottlenecks and fine-tune SQL queries, indexes, execution plans.
• Optimize data architecture for reporting and analytics.
• Automate repetitive database and data pipeline processes.

Cloud & Modern Data Stack

• Work with Azure SQL Database, Managed Instance, Synapse Analytics.
• Implement data solutions using Azure Data Lake, Data Factory, Data Bricks.
• Support cloud migration initiatives (on-prem to Azure/AWS).

Collaboration & Support

• Collaborate with application developers, BI teams, and data analysts.
• Provide L3 support for production systems and resolve incidents.
• Maintain technical documentation and SOPs.
• Mentor junior DBAs / data engineers.

Required Skills & Qualifications

Technical Skills

• Strong expertise in Microsoft SQL Server (2012–2022).
• Advanced knowledge of:
• T-SQL development
• Stored procedures, triggers, functions
• Indexing strategies & query tuning
• Experience with:
• SSIS, SSRS, SSAS
• Azure Data Factory / Synapse
• Database monitoring tools

Data Engineering Skills

• Hands-on experience with ETL frameworks.
• Familiarity with Python / PySpark / Spark SQL.
• Experience working with data warehouses, data lakes, star/snowflake schemas.
• Strong understanding of data governance and quality.

Cloud & DevOps

• Experience in Azure (preferred) or AWS/Google Cloud Platform.
• Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines for database deployments.
• Familiarity with tools like Azure DevOps, Git, Terraform (optional).

Soft Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving ability.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, production-critical environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certifications:
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate
• Azure Data Engineer Associate
• Experience in large-scale enterprise environments.
• Exposure to Big Data / streaming tools (Kafka, Event Hub).

KPIs / Success Metrics

• Database uptime (>99.9%)
• Query performance improvements
• Data pipeline reliability and latency reduction
• Incident resolution time
• System scalability and optimization