Senior SQL Database Administrator

Senior SQL Server DBA / Technical LeadLocation: Tempe, AZ – OnsiteEmployment Type: Direct Hire / Full-TimeSalary: $100,000–$125,000Internal Title: Database ManagerPosition OverviewWe are seeking a highly hands-on Senior SQL Server DBA / Technical Lead to take ownership of a production Microsoft SQL Server environment in Tempe.While the internal title for this position is Database Manager, this is not a traditional management-heavy role. The organization is specifically looking for someone who is DBA-first and wants to remain deeply involved in the technical environment.Approximately 75% of the position is hands-on database administration, including SQL Server production support, performance tuning, high availability, disaster recovery, backup/recovery, SSIS, SSRS, upgrades, migrations, security, monitoring, automation, and troubleshooting.The position also provides technical leadership to a small team consisting of a Database Administrator and Report Writer / ETL Developer.This is an excellent opportunity for a Senior SQL Server DBA, Lead DBA, Senior Database Administrator, or Senior Database Engineer who wants broader ownership while remaining hands-on.ResponsibilitiesAdminister, maintain, monitor, and troubleshoot production Microsoft SQL Server environments.Support SQL Server production, development, staging, and test environments.Maintain SQL Server Always On Availability Groups, clustering, high availability, failover, and disaster recovery solutions.Manage and validate database backups, restores, recovery processes, retention, RTO/RPO, and DR testing.Troubleshoot SQL Server performance issues involving execution plans, indexes, statistics, wait stats, blocking, locking, deadlocks, CPU, memory, storage, and I/O.Perform advanced T-SQL troubleshooting and query performance tuning.Maintain SQL Server jobs, alerts, maintenance processes, SQL Server Agent, and Database Mail.Support SSIS packages, ETL processes, data integrations, scheduled jobs, and data loads.Support and troubleshoot SSRS / SQL Server Reporting Services reports and reporting infrastructure.Partner with developers and business users to troubleshoot database, query, reporting, and application performance issues.Perform SQL Server upgrades, migrations, patching, consolidation, and database refreshes.Support Always On, transactional replication, log shipping, clustering, and other HA/DR technologies as applicable.Administer SQL Server security including logins, roles, permissions, least privilege, authentication, encryption, auditing, and access controls.Support database security and compliance requirements within a regulated environment.Automate database administration activities using PowerShell, T-SQL, dbatools, or related scripting technologies.Maintain database monitoring and alerting using tools such as Datadog, Redgate, SentryOne, Idera, Grafana, or similar platforms.Participate in production incident response, root cause analysis, remediation, and on-call support.Maintain technical documentation, database standards, operational procedures, and runbooks.Provide technical guidance and mentorship to a small database/reporting team.Review database, reporting, and ETL work and help establish technical priorities and standards.Assist with database capacity planning, infrastructure planning, and SQL Server licensing/vendor coordination.Required Qualifications7+ years of hands-on Microsoft SQL Server database administration experience in production environments.Strong recent experience as a Senior SQL Server DBA, Lead DBA, Senior Database Administrator, Database Engineer, or similar hands-on database professional.Strong experience with SQL Server Always On Availability Groups / AlwaysOn, clustering, HA, and disaster recovery.Strong backup, restore, recovery, and DR testing experience.Advanced T-SQL and SQL Server performance tuning skills.Experience troubleshooting execution plans, indexes, statistics, locking/blocking, wait statistics, and database performance issues.Hands-on experience with SSIS / ETL.Working experience with SSRS / SQL Server Reporting Services.Experience with SQL Server upgrades, migrations, patching, and production maintenance.Experience with SQL Server Agent, database jobs, monitoring, alerts, and maintenance processes.Experience administering database security, permissions, access controls, and auditing.Working knowledge of Windows Server, virtualization, storage, and infrastructure concepts supporting SQL Server.Experience with PowerShell or database administration automation.Ability to participate in an on-call rotation and occasional after-hours production maintenance.Strong troubleshooting, documentation, and communication skills.