SQL DBA - TL/SME

We are looking for a highly skilled and experienced SME – SQL Database Administrator (DBA) Team Lead to oversee and manage our database infrastructure, ensuring high availability, security, and performance. As a Subject Matter Expert and Team Lead, you will be responsible for leading a team of DBAs, managing day-to-day database operations, and providing strategic input on database architecture, performance tuning, and disaster recovery.

You will play a critical leadership role, guiding the team technically and operationally while collaborating with application, infrastructure, and business teams.

Key Responsibilities:

• Act as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for SQL Server and related database technologies.
• Lead, mentor, and manage a team of SQL DBAs, assigning tasks and reviewing work.
• Design, implement, and maintain SQL Server databases (on-premises and/or cloud-based).
• Perform advanced performance tuning, query optimization, and index management.
• Monitor and maintain database health, security, and integrity.
• Develop and test backup and disaster recovery strategies; ensure regular backups and restorations.
• Implement high availability (HA) and disaster recovery (DR) solutions such as clustering, log shipping, replication, and Always On availability groups.
• Collaborate with developers on schema design, stored procedures, and best practices.
• Create and maintain comprehensive documentation, SOPs, and knowledge base for database operations.
• Plan and execute database upgrades, patching, and migrations with minimal downtime.
• Ensure compliance with data security, privacy regulations, and internal standards.
• Monitor database usage and optimize capacity planning and licensing.
• Serve as a point of escalation for critical issues and lead root cause analysis.

Required Qualifications:

• 12+ years of experience, including at least 7 years in CMMI Level 5 environments, supporting large-scale accounts with responsibility for managing 1,000+ Configuration Items (CIs).
• Experience in Team Management - 10+ members.
Preferred Client domain - Banking and Telcom.

• 7+ years of hands-on experience as a SQL Server DBA, with at least 2-3 years in a leadership or SME role.
• Expert-level knowledge of Microsoft SQL Server (2012 and above), T-SQL, and SSMS.
• Experience with HA/DR solutions, SQL Server Agent, Security Configuration, and SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS).
• Strong understanding of indexes, query plans, and performance tuning techniques.
• Hands-on experience with database automation, monitoring tools (e.g., Redgate, SolarWinds, SentryOne), and SQL Server Profiler.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to lead complex database projects.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate or MCSE: Data Management and Analytics.
• Experience with Azure SQL, SQL on AWS, or hybrid cloud environments.
• Familiarity with NoSQL databases, PostgreSQL, or MySQL is a plus.
• Knowledge of PowerShell scripting or other automation tools.
• Experience in regulated industries (e.g., finance, healthcare) with compliance focus (HIPAA, GDPR, SOX).