Senior SQL Database Administrator

Senior SQL Database Administrator

MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company continues to invest in and lead the world container market with ships, an extensive container fleet, intermodal and dedicated staff for its customers. The Company’s evolution to its leading brand needs consistency in marketing, and therefore it is paramount to standardise data, processes and management information.

Established in 1998, MSCTechnology provides development and technology support for the MSC transportation divisions and is composed of highly accomplished technology professionals. Today, with a team of more than 1,000, MSC Technology provides the best, most interactive maritime software solutions available in the industry. With an emphasis on equal employment opportunities and a collaborative approach to growing our expertise and solving complex problems, we are a trusted strategic partner with a great journey ahead of us.

Salary range: 100,000.00 - 110,000.00 USD

The Role & Key Responsibilities

The Senior SQL Database Administrator (DBA) is responsible for the architecture, administration, performance, security, and availability of Microsoft SQL workloads in a fully Azure-based environment. This role provides technical leadership for Azure SQL platforms, ensures high availability and disaster recovery, and partners with application, DevOps, infrastructure and security teams to support mission‑critical cloud‑native solutions. The Senior SQL DBA plays a key role in driving operational excellence, automation, and continuous improvement across Azure database services.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, configure, and manage SQL Server on Azure, Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance.
• Own end‑to‑end lifecycle management of Azure SQL environments, including provisioning, scaling, patching, and retirement.
• Ensure optimal performance, availability, and reliability of production and non‑production databases.

Cloud Architecture & Optimization

• Design cloud‑native SQL architectures aligned with Azure Well‑Architected Framework principles.
• Optimize database solutions for performance, scalability, cost efficiency, and resiliency.
• Implement and manage Azure features such as elastic pools, auto‑scaling, and serverless where appropriate.
• Provide guidance on database architecture for new cloud applications and platform modernization efforts.

Performance Tuning & Monitoring

• Monitor and tune database performance using Query Store, Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, and native SQL tools.
• Analyze query execution plans, waits, blocking, and resource consumption.
• Work closely with development teams to improve schema design, indexing strategies, deployment runbook optimization, data archival/cleanup, and query performance.
• Proactively identify and mitigate performance risks before they impact customers.

High Availability & Disaster Recovery

• Design and support HA/DR solutions using Azure‑native capabilities such as shared storage failover clusters, availability groups, active geo‑replication, fail‑over groups, automated backups and point‑in‑time restore, automated seamless disaster recovery solutions.
• Define, test, and document RPO/RTO requirements.
• Conduct regular disaster recovery testing and validation.

Security & Compliance

• Implement database security best practices, including encryption at rest and in transit, auditing, and data masking.
• Integrate Azure SQL security with Azure Active Directory / Microsoft Entra authentication and managed identities.
• Enforce least‑privilege access and role‑based security models.
• Support compliance requirements and participate in security assessments and audits.

Automation & DevOps Enablement

• Automate routine DBA tasks using PowerShell, TSQL, and Azure Automation.
• Support CI/CD pipelines for database deployments and schema changes.
• Improve reliability and consistency through infrastructure as code and automation standards.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Serve as the senior escalation point for complex database and performance issues.
• Mentor junior DBAs and provide technical guidance across teams.
• Collaborate closely with application, DevOps, cloud infrastructure, and security teams.
• Contribute to architectural reviews and cloud governance initiatives and demonstrate professionalism and collaboration in a diversified geographical and cultural team.

Documentation & Standards

• Create and maintain operational runbooks, architectural diagrams, and best‑practice documentation.
• Define and enforce Azure SQL standards and operational procedures.
• Stay current with Azure SQL features, platform updates, and industry best practices.

Location

• Full Time, Hybrid Position to be filled in Warren, NJ.
• Candidate MUST be able to reliably commute daily.
• Availability for travel may be required after gaining sufficient knowledge.
• Relocation incentives or visa sponsorship NOT offered for this position.

Benefits

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Health, Dental, Vision insurance
• Employee discounts
• Flexible spending account
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years of experience administering Microsoft SQL Server‑based platforms.
• Strong hands‑on experience with SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines, Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance.
• Deep expertise in TSQL, PowerShell, performance tuning, and troubleshooting.
• Proven experience supporting highly available, mission‑critical production systems in Azure.
• Ability to self‑explore new data platform features and DBA tools for project betterment and automation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong understanding of Azure networking, security, and identity (VNets, private endpoints, Azure AD).
• Experience with database CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure as code.
• Familiarity with Azure cost management and optimization strategies.
• Microsoft certifications such as Azure Database Administrator Associate, Azure Solutions Architect.

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