Senior DBA- Techno Functional Role

Job Title Senior DBA- Techno Functional Role Job Location Remote [Continental USA] Important Notice This role is not able to offer visa transfer or sponsorship now or in the future. We are seeking an experienced and technically strong DBA Lead to provide strategic and operational leadership to the Database Administration team at Cognizant. The ideal candidate brings deep hands‑on expertise in Microsoft SQL Server administration, combined with proven people management, stakeholder engagement, and service delivery capabilities. This is a Techno Functional role that requires an individual who can operate confidently at both a technical and leadership level — driving best practices, managing vendor and contractor performance, and ensuring high‑quality DBA services across a complex enterprise environment. Salary and Other Compensation The annual salary for this position is between $99,000 to $113,000 depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate. This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant’s applicable plans. In this role, you will Leadership & Team Management Provide day‑to‑day leadership for the DBA team, identifying work priorities, managing workloads, and ensuring timely task execution. Foster a healthy, collaborative, and team‑oriented work environment built on trust, accountability, and mutual respect. Clarify performance expectations and help team members achieve success through coaching, mentoring, and timely feedback. Recognize accomplishments and apply appropriate disciplinary action when required, in line with applicable HR policies. Ensure team adherence to standard DBA practices, policies, and Cognizant delivery frameworks. Facilitate timely communication of organizational messages, issues, and decisions to all team members. Client & Stakeholder Engagement Develop and maintain cordial, effective partnerships with business area stakeholders and other IS employee‑partners. Ensure business area satisfaction through regular interaction, proactive communication, and expectation management. Develop a shared understanding of service level expectations with business areas; regularly review service delivery performance and work collaboratively to close any gaps. Collaborate effectively with other IS teams and resources to deliver integrated, end‑to‑end solutions. Vendor & Contractor Management Supervise vendor and contractor performance, ensuring delivery is competent and aligned with contractual terms and conditions. Monitor contractor service billings for accuracy; review statements of work regularly and elevate discrepancies as needed. Ensure appropriate internal and external resources are in place to meet delivery expectations at all times. Oversee timely implementation of vendor‑supplied patches and new releases in line with change management processes. Service Delivery & Operational Excellence Ensure Cognizant best practices are followed for the delivery, implementation, and maintenance of all DBA infrastructure and services. Apply critical thinking and project management discipline in day‑to‑day execution and resource and workload planning. Ensure timely correction of bugs, vendor‑supplied patches, and new releases related to DBA infrastructure. Ensure appropriate training and knowledge transfer takes place within the team to maintain and grow delivery capability. Monitor team performance against SLAs and work cross‑functionally to address service gaps in a cost‑effective and timely manner. What you’ll need to succeed (required skills) Approximately 10 years of related experience, including management and operation of enterprise DBA services and DBA infrastructure. Demonstrated experience managing, coaching, and mentoring a team of database administrators. Proven track record managing vendor relationships, contractor performance, and service billings. Experience working in complex enterprise environments with strict SLA and change management requirements. Good working knowledge of ITSM processes, specifically Incident Management and Change Management. Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to engage both technical teams and non‑technical business stakeholders. Proven ability to work independently while managing multiple priorities in a fast‑paced enterprise support environment. Technical Skills SQL Server Administration (Core) SQL Server health checks, session monitoring, and error log analysis. Login, user, and permissions management. Database objects, Dynamic Management Views (DMVs), and alert monitoring and resolution. Database Backup & Restore Full, differential, and transaction log backup strategies. Restore procedures including point‑in‑time recovery and backup validation. SQL Server Agent Jobs Job creation, scheduling, failure diagnosis, and notification configuration. T‑SQL and PowerShell Scripting Writing and optimizing T‑SQL scripts for administration and data tasks. PowerShell automation for routine DBA workflows. Database Encryption Transparent Data Encryption (TDE), certificate management, and key rotation. SQL Server Patching CU/SP assessment, non‑production testing, and coordinated production rollout. SQL Server Upgrade & Migration In‑place and side‑by‑side version upgrades, compatibility testing, and migration validation. Performance Tuning & Optimization Blocking and deadlock resolution, query tuning, execution plan analysis. Index strategy design and fragmentation management. High Availability Solutions Log Shipping, Database Mirroring, and Always On Availability Groups (AG). Failover procedures, health monitoring, and listener configuration. SQL Server Replication Transactional, Snapshot, and Merge replication — setup, monitoring, and troubleshooting. Linked Servers, SPN & Kerberos Delegation Linked server configuration, SPN registration, and constrained delegation troubleshooting. Microsoft Azure SQL & Azure IaaS (preferred) Azure SQL Database, SQL on Azure VMs, and Azure SQL Managed Instance. Azure Monitor, Azure Backup, and Azure Advisor for database workloads. Preferred Skills Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate. Microsoft Certified: SQL Server — MCSA / MCSE Data Management & Analytics. ITIL Foundation Certification. Benefits Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance. Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off. 401(k) plan and contributions. Long‑term/Short‑term Disability. Paid Parental Leave. Employee Stock Purchase Plan. Work model Based on this role’s business requirements, this is a remote position in USA. We will always be clear about role expectations. Equal Opportunity Cognizant is an equal opportunity employer. Your application and candidacy will not be considered based on race, color, sex, religion, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Cognizant is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law. #J-18808-Ljbffr Cognizant