Principal SQL Database Administrator (SQL DBA, AWS, Performance Tuning, Architect)

Our fast-paced and collaborative environment inspires us to create, think, and challenge each other in ways that make our solutions and our teams better. Whether you’re interested in engineering or development, marketing or sales, or something else – if this sounds like you, then we’d love to hear from you!

We are headquartered in Denver, Colorado, with offices in the US, Canada, and India.

The insurance industry runs on Vertafore We equip agencies, MGAs, and carriers with the core digital systems, specialized AI, and data-driven foundation to eliminate distribution drag across the insurance lifecycle, spanning sales, servicing, and back-office operations.

Underpinned by unmatched speed and performance power, we are the trusted backbone that’s taking the insurance industry from friction to flow with Distribution Velocity – speed, performance, and trust - to drive growth at scale.

With over 95% of the top agencies and insurers and 50% of industry compliance transactions running through Vertafore, we lead at the intersection of innovation and trust, giving insurance professionals the confidence to transform and win in the AI era.

Our reach is global, with headquarters in Denver, Colorado, and offices across the U.S., Canada, and India.

Job Description

As a Principal DBA, you will provide technical leadership and hands-on expertise across Vertafore's enterprise database ecosystem supporting large-scale, business-critical applications. This role is focused on Microsoft SQL Server Administration, SQL Development, Performance Engineering, Query Optimization, AWS Database Services, and Database Modernization.

You will partner with Engineering, Architecture, Product, DevOps, and SRE teams to drive database performance, scalability, reliability, and operational excellence. The ideal candidate combines deep expertise in SQL Server Administration, T-SQL Development, Performance Engineering, AWS database technologies, automation, and high availability solutions, with the ability to influence technical strategy and mentor engineering teams.

Core Requirements and Responsibilities:
Essential job functions include but are not limited to the following:

• Provide technical leadership for the architecture, administration, modernization, and support of SQL Server database platform across on-prem and AWS (EC2,RDS) supporting mission-critical applications.
• Partner with development teams to improve database architecture, SQL coding standards, application performance, and cloud database adoption across On-prem and AWS platforms.
• Lead database performance engineering initiatives through query tuning, Query Store, DMVs, execution plan analysis, wait statistics, indexing strategies, and workload optimization.
• Analyze, troubleshoot, and resolve complex production database issues involving performance, scalability, availability, and reliability while implementing long-term engineering solutions.
• Drive modernization efforts by optimizing database designs, T-SQL code, stored procedures, functions, views, ETL processes, and legacy database architectures.
• Participate in production support, critical incident management, root cause analysis, and on-call activities as required.
• Lead on-premises to AWS (EC2/RDS) database migrations, independently driving migration strategy, architecture decisions, risk mitigation, and performance optimization to ensure successful cloud transformation.
• Develop and enhance database automation, CI/CD pipelines, Infrastructure as Code solutions, monitoring frameworks, and operational tooling to improve deployment reliability and engineering productivity.
• Establish database engineering standards, governance, security controls, monitoring practices, and operational best practices across the organization.

Why Vertafore is the place for you: *Canada Only

• The opportunity to work in a space where modern technology meets a stable and vital industry
• Medical, vision & dental plans
• Life, AD&D
• Short Term and Long Term Disability
• Pension Plan & Employer Match
• Maternity, Paternity and Parental Leave
• Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP)
• Education Assistance
• Additional programs - Employee Referral and Internal Recognition

Why Vertafore is the place for you: *US Only

• The opportunity to work in a space where modern technology meets a stable and vital industry
• We have a Flexible First work environment! Our North America team members use our offices for collaboration, community and team-building, with members asked to sometimes come into an office and/or travel depending on job responsibilities. Other times, our teams work from home or a similar environment.
• Medical, vision & dental plans
  • PPO & high-deductible options
• Health Savings Account & Flexible Spending Accounts Options:
  • Health Care FSA
  • Dental & Vision FSA
  • Dependent Care FSA
  • Commuter FSA
• Life, AD&D (Basic & Supplemental), and Disability
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plain & Employer Match
• Supplemental Plans - Pet insurance, Hospital Indemnity, and Accident Insurance
• Parental Leave & Adoption Assistance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Education & Legal Assistance
• Additional programs - Tuition Reimbursement, Employee Referral, Internal Recognition, and Wellness
• Commuter Benefits (Denver)

The Professional Services (PS) and Customer Success (CX) bonus plans are a quarterly monetary bonus plan based upon individual and practice performance against specific business metrics. Eligibility is determined by several factors including: start date, good standing in the company, and actives status at time of payout.

The Vertafore Incentive Plan (VIP) is an annual monetary bonus for eligible employees based on both individual and company performance. Eligibility is determined by several factors including: start date, good standing in the company, and actives status at time of payout.

Commission plans are tailored to each sales role but common components include quota, MBO's and ABPMs. Salespeople receive their formal compensation plan within 30 days of hire.

Vertafore is a drug free workplace and conducts preemployment drug and background screenings.

We do not accept resumes from agencies, headhunters or other suppliers who have not signed a formal agreement with us.

We want to make sure our recruiting process is accessible for everyone. if you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact recruiting@vertafore.com

Just a note, this contact information is for accommodation requests only.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• 15+ years of experience in Microsoft SQL Server Database Administration, SQL Development, Production Support, and Performance Engineering.
• Expert knowledge of SQL Server internals, including Query Optimizer, Query Store, DMVs, Execution Plans, Indexing, Statistics, Locking, Blocking, Deadlocks, Concurrency, Memory Management, and Performance Tuning.
• Proven expertise in query tuning and optimizing complex T-SQL code, stored procedures, functions, views, triggers, and high-volume OLTP workloads.
• Strong experience with database design, data modeling, partitioning, indexing strategies, and database modernization initiatives.
• Hands-on experience managing Very Large Databases (VLDBs) with multi-terabyte (TB) data volumes, including performance optimization, capacity planning, indexing strategies, partitioning, and operational support
• Hands-on experience with AWS database technologies, including Amazon RDS for SQL Server, EC2, CloudWatch, IAM, and database migration initiatives from on-premises environments to AWS.
• Strong experience with High Availability, Disaster Recovery, Always On Availability Groups, database security, backup/recovery, and capacity planning.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines, Git, Terraform, Ansible, SSIS, ETL/ELT, and modern DevOps practices for database deployments.
• Experience with PostgreSQL administration and performance tuning is preferred.

Qualifications:

•Qualification B.E/MCA/MTech.

THE VERTAFORE STORY

Over the past 50 years, Vertafore has advanced the entire insurance distribution channel with the best software solutions in the industry. Today, we’re proud to say hundreds of thousands of Vertafore users rely on our solutions to write business faster, reduce costs, and fuel growth by increasing collaboration and streamlining processes. Vertafore leads the industry with secure, cloud-based mobile products that provide superior reporting and analytics, delivering actionable insight— right when customers need it most. We partner with other leading technology companies to deliver comprehensive solutions to improve the way our customers do business and serve their customers.

The Vertafore Way

Insurance is about relationships, and technology should make those relationships stronger. That’s why, at Vertafore, it’s our mission to transform the way the industry operates by putting people at the heart of insurance technology. By focusing on our customers, becoming better every day, and delivering results you can see, we provide the level of trust and security that insurance is all about.

• Bias to Action: We're united by an innate drive to take action and make a difference in the technology and insurance spaces.

• Win Together: We work together as one team, showing empathy and respect along the way.

• Show Up Curious: We work to challenge one another to push boundaries and think beyond the box.

• Say It, Do It: We honor every one of our commitments because integrity is important to us.

• Customer Success is Our Success: We cultivate authentic relationships and follow up by actively listening to their needs.

• We Love Insurance: We appreciate the impact insurance has on the world.

Is this role not an exact fit for you? Keep an eye on our Careers Page for other positions!

Vertafore conducts preemployment background screenings.

We do not accept resumes from agencies, headhunters, or other