Database Administrator

Database Administrator

Are you a SQL Server DBA who can take an environment that has grown quickly and put the right structure under it?

We're hiring a Database Administrator to join an established recovery-audit firm that helps large corporations find and recover overpayments in their accounts payable. The role looks after a large on-premises SQL Server estate, with databases of 30 to 40 terabytes on Pure Storage FlashArray, and brings order to how it is permissioned, monitored, backed up and tuned.

The company has grown fast and is investing heavily in AI, and the position is expected to recommend and lead improvements to the environment, not only handle the day-to-day requests.

Who You Are

• A DBA who looks at an environment as a whole and can explain what should change and why
• Someone who sets up access, permissions and standards deliberately rather than case by case
• Comfortable being the escalation point when a database issue comes up, and steady while working it through
• Someone who uses AI tools in their own work and is curious about what they can do for a database team
• Easygoing and approachable, with a consistent focus on getting the work done

Work Type

• Location: Remote (Toronto)
• Vacancy Type: This role reflects an existing vacancy

Requirements

What You'll Do

• Install, configure, patch and upgrade SQL Server instances in a primarily on-premises environment, keeping downtime to a minimum

• Implement and maintain high availability and disaster recovery with Always On availability groups, failover clustering and replication

• Tune performance through indexing, query optimization, partitioning and compression, including on databases of 30 to 40 terabytes

• Manage SQL Server Agent jobs, transaction logs and tempdb, and automate routine work with PowerShell or Python

• Use Pure Storage FlashArray snapshots, volumes and mounts to copy and promote databases from development to production

• Design and enforce database security, permissions, naming conventions and standards

• Build and test backup and recovery procedures, and set up database monitoring

• Handle database tickets (moves, archives, permission requests) and the monthly deployment, alongside an offshore DBA

• Assess how AI tools such as Claude and Copilot connecting to the environment affect its databases and applications

• Work with the infrastructure-as-a-service provider, data engineering and development on promotions to production

• What We're Looking For

• 5+ years of experience as a SQL Server Database Administrator

• Deep Microsoft SQL Server expertise across installation, configuration, patching, SQL Server Agent, tempdb and transaction log management

• Hands-on experience with high availability and disaster recovery, including Always On availability groups, failover clustering and replication

• Advanced performance tuning, including indexing, query optimization, partitioning and compression on very large databases

• Scripting and automation with PowerShell or Python

• Working knowledge of Pure Storage FlashArray, including snapshots and creating and mounting volumes

• Experience designing permission and access models, security policies and database standards

• A track record of assessing a database environment and leading the changes that improve it

• Clear communication with infrastructure, data engineering and development teams

Nice to have:

• Experience with Azure SQL Database or Azure SQL Managed Instance

• PostgreSQL experience, particularly on AWS

• Microsoft SQL Server or Azure database certifications

• Experience with Redgate tools

• Experience with Azure DevOps deployments

• What Makes This Role Exciting

• Room to Improve: The hiring manager wants someone who will recommend changes to the environment and see them through, from permissions to backups and monitoring

• Scale: Databases of 30 to 40 terabytes, where partitioning, compression and indexing decisions make a visible difference

• Growth into PostgreSQL and AWS: A new product is being built on AWS with PostgreSQL, and the role is expected to pick up those skills within six months to a year

• Team: An easygoing group that works closely across infrastructure, data engineering and development, with colleagues in the Toronto area who meet up occasionally

Benefits

• Base Salary: $100,000 – $130,000
• Paid Time Off: Competitive vacation and personal days to maintain a healthy work-life balance
• Health Benefits: Competitive Vacation with Comprehensive Health Benefits