Senior Database Engineer

Location: Remote; occasional travel to Jacksonville, Miami, or Northern California

Position Summary

We are seeking a Senior DBA/Database Engineer with strong hands-on experience in SQL Server performance engineering, database optimization, and scalability. This is an engineering-focused role requiring someone who can diagnose performance issues and implement the technical solution, not just administer or monitor databases.

The ideal candidate has a strong foundation in SQL/database optimization and has progressed into senior DBA/database engineering responsibilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Diagnose and resolve SQL Server performance issues involving CPU, memory, I/O, blocking, deadlocks, locks/latches, tempdb, and transaction logs.
• Analyze execution plans, wait statistics, DMVs, Query Store, Extended Events, and PerfMon to identify root causes and bottlenecks.
• Perform advanced T-SQL, stored procedure, query, indexing, and statistics optimization.
• Resolve parameter sniffing, plan regressions, memory grants, spills, and non-SARGable queries.
• Design and optimize partitioning, HA/DR, Always On Availability Groups, and SQL Server Replication.
• Support large-scale, high-concurrency OLTP environments and multi-TB databases.
• Review application/ORM-generated SQL and provide performance recommendations to development teams.
• Build automation using T-SQL and PowerShell/dbatools.
• Lead production troubleshooting, RCA, performance improvements, and capacity planning.
• Mentor DBAs and developers and communicate technical findings to leadership.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of hands-on SQL Server DBA/Database Engineering experience.
• 5+ years in a senior performance-focused role.
• Expert knowledge of SQL Server 2016 2022 internals.
• Advanced T-SQL, stored procedure optimization, and execution-plan analysis.
• Strong experience with Query Store, Extended Events, DMVs, and wait-statistics analysis.
• Proven experience resolving database performance bottlenecks, contention, blocking, and deadlocks.
• Hands-on experience with partitioning, Always On AGs, and replication.
• Experience with high-volume OLTP / large-scale databases.
• Financial services, banking, or payments experience preferred.
• Strong communication skills and ability to work directly with engineering and business stakeholders.

Preferred

• Azure SQL / SQL Server on Azure or AWS
• Cloud performance and cost optimization
• Database DevOps / CI/CD
• PostgreSQL, Cosmos DB, or Snowflake
• PowerShell/dbatools
• PCI-DSS, SOX, GLBA, or similar regulated environments