Senior SQL DB Technician

Location : Caribbean Islands (The Bahamas)

Candidates from multiple Caribbean locations will be considered - The Bahamas (Nassau, Freeport), Jamaica (Kingston, Montego Bay), Trinidad & Tobago (Port of Spain), Cayman Islands (George Town), Barbados (Bridgetown), Puerto Rico (San Juan), Dominican Republic Turks & Caicos Islands, Bermuda

Industry : Insurance & Financial Services (BFSI)

Services : Life Insurance, Health Insurance, Mortgages, Investments, Annuities, Mutual Funds, and Pension Solutions

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Senior SQL Server Database Administrator (DBA) to lead the administration, optimization, security, and availability of mission-critical Microsoft SQL Server databases across the organization. The successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring database reliability, performance, scalability, and data integrity while working closely with application developers, infrastructure teams, and business stakeholders.

The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in SQL Server administration, high availability solutions, performance tuning, backup and recovery strategies, security management, and database modernization initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

Database Administration & Maintenance

• Administer and maintain Microsoft SQL Server environments, including installation, configuration, upgrades, and patch management.
• Manage database capacity planning, storage allocation, and growth forecasting.
• Ensure databases remain highly available, secure, and optimized for business operations.
• Develop and maintain database standards, policies, and procedures.

Backup, Recovery & Disaster Recovery

• Design, implement, and test backup and recovery strategies.
• Manage disaster recovery plans and business continuity processes.
• Perform database restores and recovery operations when required.
• Ensure Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) are met.

Performance Monitoring & Optimization

• Monitor and analyze database performance using SQL Server monitoring tools.
• Identify and resolve bottlenecks affecting database responsiveness and application performance.
• Optimize SQL queries, stored procedures, indexing strategies, and database architecture.
• Conduct routine health checks and performance assessments.

Security & Compliance

• Implement and manage database security frameworks, including authentication, authorization, encryption, and auditing.
• Establish role-based access controls and enforce security best practices.
• Ensure compliance with company policies and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Monitor and investigate security incidents related to database environments.

High Availability & Infrastructure Support

• Configure and support SQL Server Always On Availability Groups, Failover Clustering, Replication, and Log Shipping.
• Monitor production environments to ensure maximum uptime and availability.
• Support infrastructure upgrades, migrations, and database consolidation projects.

Data Management & Integration

• Oversee data imports, exports, migrations, and transformation activities.
• Support integration initiatives involving SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) and related technologies.
• Ensure data quality, consistency, and integrity across systems.

Troubleshooting & Incident Management

• Diagnose and resolve database issues, outages, performance degradation, and data inconsistencies.
• Conduct root cause analysis and implement preventive measures.
• Provide advanced technical support for database-related incidents.

Documentation & Reporting

• Maintain comprehensive documentation of database environments, configurations, standards, and operational procedures.
• Generate operational, performance, and capacity reports for management.
• Create and maintain technical documentation for audits and compliance reviews.

Collaboration & Leadership

• Collaborate with software developers, system administrators, network engineers, and business teams.
• Provide technical leadership and mentoring to junior database administrators and IT staff.
• Participate in strategic planning for database technologies and future initiatives.
• Support special projects and perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Information Systems, or a related field.
• Equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience may be considered.

Experience

• 8+ years of experience administering Microsoft SQL Server environments.
• Proven experience supporting enterprise-scale production database systems.
• Experience with database performance tuning, troubleshooting, and optimization.
• Experience implementing backup, recovery, and disaster recovery solutions.
• Experience with high-availability and failover technologies.

Technical Skills

• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft SQL Server (2016, 2019, 2022 or later).
• Strong expertise in T-SQL development, stored procedures, functions, and query optimization.
• Experience with SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), SQL Server Agent, and Database Engine Tuning Advisor.
• Knowledge of Always On Availability Groups, Replication, Log Shipping, and Failover Clustering.
• Experience with SSIS, SSRS, and Power BI reporting environments.
• Strong understanding of indexing, execution plans, locking, blocking, and deadlock resolution.
• Familiarity with scripting and automation using PowerShell and SQL scripting.
• Knowledge of Azure SQL Database and cloud-based database services is preferred.

Soft Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively across teams.

Preferred Certifications

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate
• Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) – Data Management and Analytics
• Microsoft SQL Server Certifications
• ITIL Foundation Certification (preferred)
• Position Level: Senior Individual Contributor / Technical Lead
• Employment Type: Full-Time