Senior SQL Server Database Administrator

Job Title: Senior SQL Server Database Administrator

12-month contract | Calgary, AB – Primarily Remote with occasional onsite meetings | Hourly Rate: $70-80/hour | Must hold a valid Canadian Work Visa

Our client, a large Canadian organization operating in the natural resources and industrial sector, is seeking an experienced Senior SQL Server Database Administrator for a 12-month contract. The role is based in Calgary and will be primarily remote, with occasional onsite attendance required for meetings and other business needs.

This opportunity is being created to support an upcoming retirement within the Enterprise DBA team.

This is a hands-on senior technical role supporting a large enterprise Microsoft SQL Server environment with some Azure. The Senior DBA will be responsible for production database administration, troubleshooting, performance optimization, high availability and disaster recovery, security, upgrades, migrations, automation, and ongoing platform improvements.

The successful candidate should be a seasoned SQL Server professional who can step into an established environment, independently diagnose complex issues, take ownership through resolution, and provide senior-level guidance to the broader team. The position also includes participation in the team's after-hours on-call rotation once sufficiently familiar with the environment.

Responsibilities:

• Provide senior-level administration and operational support for enterprise Microsoft SQL Server environments
• Quickly develop a strong understanding of the existing SQL Server estate, critical applications, operational procedures, monitoring, backup and recovery processes, and escalation paths
• Work closely with the existing DBA team to facilitate effective knowledge transfer ahead of an upcoming team transition
• Monitor and optimize database health, performance, availability, capacity, and reliability
• Diagnose complex SQL Server performance and production issues using appropriate diagnostic tools and techniques
• Administer and support high availability and disaster recovery technologies, including Always On Availability Groups, Windows Server Failover Clustering, replication, log shipping, and backup/recovery solutions
• Administer SQL Server backup and recovery using Commvault, including backup configuration, troubleshooting, restores, and recovery validation
• Lead SQL Server installations, patching, cumulative updates, upgrades, migrations, configuration changes, and modernization initiatives
• Support SQL Server security, access management, vulnerability remediation, audit requirements, and least-privilege practices
• Partner with application, infrastructure, security, and other technical teams on deployments, incidents, changes, troubleshooting, and production readiness
• Develop and enhance T-SQL and PowerShell automation to improve the efficiency and consistency of database operations

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• Support enterprise database monitoring and proactively identify potential performance or availability issues
• Participate in formal incident, problem, request, and change management processes
• Produce and maintain technical documentation, troubleshooting guides, operational procedures, and runbooks
• Identify opportunities to improve the reliability, security, performance, supportability, and maintainability of the SQL Server environment
• Provide technical guidance, mentoring, and knowledge transfer to other DBA team members
• Participate in the team's after-hours/on-call support rotation for business-critical database environments

Qualifications:

• 8+ years of hands-on SQL Server DBA experience, including significant senior-level experience within complex enterprise environments
• Deep knowledge of Microsoft SQL Server administration, ideally across SQL Server 2016 through current supported versions
• Advanced SQL Server performance troubleshooting skills, including experience with DMVs, wait statistics, execution plans, Query Store, Extended Events, and indexing analysis
• Strong experience with Always On Availability Groups and/or Windows Server Failover Clustering
• Hands-on experience supporting SQL Server replication
• Strong backup, restore, disaster recovery, and point-in-time recovery experience
• Hands-on experience with Commvault for SQL Server backup and recovery
• Experience performing SQL Server installations, patching, upgrades, migrations, and consolidation activities
• Strong T-SQL skills and experience automating DBA activities using PowerShell
• Strong understanding of SQL Server security, authentication, permissions, encryption, and least-privilege principles
• Experience with enterprise database monitoring tools such as SolarWinds, SentryOne, Redgate, or similar
• Experience working within formal ITIL-aligned incident, problem, and change management processes, ideally using ServiceNow

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• Previous experience participating in an after-hours/on-call rotation supporting business-critical database environments
• Strong documentation, troubleshooting, communication, and stakeholder-management skills

Nice to Have:

• Experience with Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance
• Experience migrating workloads between on-premises SQL Server and Azure
• VMware or similar enterprise virtualization experience
• Experience with SolarWinds, SCOM, or comparable monitoring and observability platforms
• Familiarity with vulnerability management and remediation
• Exposure to source control, DevOps, and CI/CD database deployment practices
• Experience with SQL Server estate modernization, consolidation, or large-scale migration initiatives
• Microsoft SQL Server or Azure certifications

Ideal Candidate:

The ideal candidate is a seasoned SQL Server DBA who can step into a mature enterprise environment and operate independently with a relatively short ramp-up period. You are comfortable taking ownership of unfamiliar database problems, using structured troubleshooting to determine root causes, and providing clear technical recommendations rather than simply escalating issues.

You should also be comfortable operating in a production-focused environment where availability and recovery are critical. This includes participating in after-hours support, making sound decisions during production incidents, and communicating technical risks and impacts clearly.

Just as importantly, this engagement has a significant knowledge-transfer component. The successful candidate will document what they learn, share expertise with permanent team members, and help strengthen processes and operational practices rather than becoming a single point of dependency.

NOTE: Interested candidates who meet the above qualifications are encouraged to apply directly. Due to the volume of applications, only those shortlisted will be contacted.