SQL Sr. Database Engineer (Hybrid)

About Us

Data Analysis Incorporated (DAI) is the controlling entity of the O'Neil family of businesses. DAI and its subsidiaries operate in diverse industries worldwide, including global equity markets, health care, financial services, digital news, and insurance. Our global footprint allows our teams to be responsive to customer needs in a timely and efficient manner. We are dedicated to using technology and innovation to bring change and growth to our businesses. We believe in a dynamic workplace, creating engaging, informative products and services that help our customers succeed. Integrity is an essential characteristic for our firms and our associates; if this describes you, please apply!


Summary

The Senior Database Engineer is responsible for designing, optimizing, and maintaining high-performance database systems that support critical business applications. This role requires deep expertise in Microsoft SQL Server architecture, performance tuning, indexing strategy, production operations, high availability, disaster recovery, and secure data platform design.
The engineer will work closely with development, infrastructure, security, and operations teams to design scalable database solutions, troubleshoot performance bottlenecks, and ensure reliable data platform operations. This role also supports modernization initiatives involving database platform improvements, architecture optimization, service-aligned database design, and appropriate use of relational, managed, object storage, or NoSQL data platforms.
This position requires hands-on experience managing production database environments, implementing high availability and disaster recovery solutions, supporting secure and compliant data platforms, and contributing to cost-conscious modernization strategies.

Key Responsibilities

SQL Server Architecture & Performance Optimization

• Design, develop, and optimize complex T-SQL queries, stored procedures, indexes, and database objects to support application performance and scalability.
• Analyze SQL Server execution plans and tune queries using advanced performance diagnostics tools and methodologies.
• Investigate and resolve performance issues using SQL Server DMVs, wait statistics, Query Store, execution plans, and enterprise monitoring tools.
• Design and maintain indexing strategies for high-volume production workloads, including clustered, nonclustered, filtered, covering, and columnstore indexes where appropriate.
• Identify missing, unused, duplicate, or inefficient indexes, and balance indexing improvements against write overhead, storage growth, fragmentation, statistics maintenance, and production risk.
• Diagnose and resolve database bottlenecks including CPU contention, I/O latency, memory pressure, blocking, deadlocks, transaction conflicts, and query inefficiencies.
• Provide guidance to development teams on schema design, query patterns, indexing strategy, workload isolation, and database performance best practices.

High Availability & Disaster Recovery

• Design, implement, and maintain SQL Server high availability solutions, including Always On Availability Groups, clustering, replication, and log shipping where appropriate.
• Manage failover configurations and ensure database resilience during outages.
• Develop and maintain enterprise backup and restore strategies for large and high-transaction databases.
• Design and test disaster recovery procedures aligned with business RPO and RTO requirements.
• Conduct regular recovery validation and failover testing to ensure operational readiness.
• Support HA/DR architecture decisions across on-premises, hybrid, and managed database environments, including regional resiliency, availability zone design, recovery sequencing, and cost optimization.

Security & Compliance

• Implement and maintain database security practices including encryption, access controls, audit logging, and separation of duties.
• Manage and support encryption technologies such as Transparent Data Encryption, Always Encrypted, column-level encryption, and storage-level encryption where appropriate.
• Support security and compliance initiatives involving data classification and regulatory requirements such as PCI, SOC 2, HIPAA, and related audit controls.
• Partner with security and infrastructure teams to ensure database platforms meet enterprise security, compliance, and operational standards.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Database Management

• Deploy database schema changes safely using structured release and change management processes.
• Support database version control and deployment frameworks such as Flyway, SSDT, GitLab, or similar tools.
• Monitor and maintain production databases using native SQL Server tools and enterprise observability platforms.
• Provide technical guidance to engineering teams on database design, query optimization, and performance best practices.
• Investigate and resolve production database incidents, identify root cause patterns, and implement preventive improvements.

Database Upgrades & Platform Evolution

• Plan and execute SQL Server upgrades and migrations, including transitions from legacy SQL Server versions to modern supported releases.
• Identify upgrade blockers, compatibility risks, deprecated features, and remediation strategies.
• Support modernization initiatives involving database platform improvements, architecture optimization, and reduction of legacy technical debt.
• Evaluate opportunities to move away from monolithic database patterns toward more service-aligned, scalable, and maintainable data architectures.
• Help assess when data should remain in relational platforms versus when alternative storage patterns, such as object storage, document databases, or NoSQL platforms, may be more appropriate.
• Partner with infrastructure and application teams on database migration planning, workload placement, platform right-sizing, resiliency, and cost optimization.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on experience managing and optimizing Microsoft SQL Server environments.
• Strong expertise in T-SQL development, performance tuning, indexing, execution plan analysis, and database architecture.
• Experience designing and maintaining SQL Server indexing strategies for high-volume production workloads.
• Experience diagnosing database performance issues using DMVs, wait statistics, Query Store, execution plans, and monitoring tools.
• Experience implementing high availability solutions such as SQL Server Always On Availability Groups.
• Experience designing and maintaining enterprise backup and disaster recovery strategies.
• Strong troubleshooting skills in high-transaction production environments.
• Experience supporting database security, access control, encryption, audit logging, and compliance practices.
• Experience working with development, infrastructure, security, and operations teams in production environments.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with PostgreSQL or other relational database platforms.
• Experience with SQL Server Integration Services, ETL processes, or data movement workflows.
• Experience supporting hybrid, cloud-hosted, or managed database platforms.
• Understanding of managed database services, platform resiliency, regional failover, availability zone design, and cost optimization concepts.
• Experience with database monitoring and observability tools such as SolarWinds DPA, Datadog, Grafana, Splunk, or similar platforms.
• Knowledge of database automation, scripting, or infrastructure-as-code practices.
• Familiarity with database CI/CD tools such as Flyway, SSDT, GitLab, or similar deployment frameworks.
• Experience supporting modernization efforts involving monolithic application decomposition, service-aligned database design, object storage, NoSQL platforms, or data lifecycle improvements.

What Success Looks Like in This Role
The ideal candidate:

• Can independently own production SQL Server environments.
• Has deep understanding of query execution, indexing, wait stats, memory configuration, storage behavior, and performance diagnostics.
• Can troubleshoot complex database issues such as deadlocks, blocking, CPU spikes, I/O pressure, storage latency, and inefficient query patterns.
• Understands high availability architecture, backup strategies, restore validation, and disaster recovery planning.
• Can contribute to modernization discussions without introducing unnecessary complexity or operational risk.
• Maintains strong security and compliance standards for enterprise database platforms.

Working Conditions

Must be able to perform essential job duties. Work is performed primarily in an office environment. Typically requires the ability to sit for extended periods (66%+ each work day), the ability to hear the telephone, the ability to enter data on a computer, and may also require the ability to lift to 10 pounds.


Equal Opportunity Employer

Data Analysis Inc is an equal opportunity employer. All aspects of employment, including the decision to hire, promote, discipline, or discharge, will be based on merit, competence, performance, and business needs. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic information, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law.