About Kairostek

At Kairostek, we believe great technology starts with great people.

We foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous growth, empowering our team to make a meaningful impact while building solutions that shape the future. Our teams work across software engineering, artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, digital products, payments technology, and technology operations to deliver scalable and innovative solutions for global organizations.

If you are passionate about technology, problem-solving, and continuous learning, we would love to hear from you.

About the Role

We are seeking a skilled, proactive, and experienced Database Administrator (DBA) to join our IT/Data team. The DBA will be responsible for managing, maintaining, securing, and optimizing our SQL Server database environments, ensuring high availability, performance, scalability, data integrity, and operational resilience across production and non-production systems.

The role requires an individual who can operate independently in a mission-critical environment, troubleshoot complex database issues, lead database-related changes, and work closely with Application, Infrastructure, CloudOps, Development, Security, and Business teams.

The successful candidate will also contribute to database architecture, capacity planning, automation, HA/DR strategy, performance optimization, and continuous improvement of the organization's database platforms.

Key Responsibilities

Database Administration & Operations

• Manage, monitor, and maintain SQL Server databases across production, test, staging, and development environments.

• Ensure database availability, reliability, security, performance, and data integrity.

• Perform regular database health checks and proactively identify potential issues.

• Manage database configuration, instance settings, databases, logins, users, roles, permissions, and security policies.

• Perform database maintenance activities, including statistics updates, index maintenance, integrity checks, and space management.

• Manage database growth, storage utilization, capacity, and resource consumption.

• Maintain accurate database inventory, configuration records, and operational documentation.

Advanced Performance Management

• Perform advanced SQL Server performance tuning and troubleshooting.

• Analyze CPU, memory, I/O, storage latency, waits, blocking, deadlocks, and query performance.

• Identify and resolve performance bottlenecks at the query, database, instance, operating system, and infrastructure levels.

• Analyze execution plans and optimize complex T-SQL queries.

• Review indexing strategies and recommend appropriate indexes, including identifying unused, duplicate, and missing indexes.

• Establish database performance baselines and proactively monitor performance trends.

• Conduct root-cause analysis for recurring performance issues and implement permanent corrective actions.

• Work with Development teams to optimize application queries and database interactions.

Backup, Recovery & Disaster Recovery

• Design, implement, and maintain database backup and recovery strategies.

• Perform regular backup validation and restore testing.

• Develop and maintain recovery procedures and runbooks.

• Define and maintain appropriate RPO and RTO requirements.

• Participate in disaster recovery planning, testing, and execution.

• Troubleshoot backup and restore failures and ensure backup compliance.

• Ensure critical databases have appropriate recovery and resiliency mechanisms.

High Availability & Replication

• Implement, manage, and troubleshoot SQL Server high-availability solutions, including:

  • Always On Availability Groups

  • Failover Cluster Instances

  • Log Shipping

  • Transactional Replication

  • Database Mirroring where applicable

• Monitor synchronization, replication latency, failover health, and availability.

• Participate in planned and unplanned failover activities.

• Validate HA/DR configurations and conduct regular failover and recovery testing.

• Troubleshoot complex synchronization and replication issues.

Database Deployment, Migration & Change Management

• Plan and execute database deployments, migrations, upgrades, downgrades, and decommissioning activities.

• Participate in the organization's Change Management process.

• Prepare implementation plans, deployment procedures, validation steps, and rollback plans.

• Coordinate database changes with Application, Development, Infrastructure, CloudOps, Security, and Business teams.

• Review and approve database-related changes before production implementation.

• Ensure production changes follow established processes and maintenance windows.

• Perform post-deployment validation and monitoring.

• Maintain proper documentation and evidence for all production changes.

Capacity Planning & Infrastructure Optimization

• Monitor database resource utilization and identify future capacity requirements.

• Perform database and infrastructure capacity planning based on historical trends and business growth.

• Recommend appropriate CPU, memory, storage, and IOPS configurations.

• Evaluate database instance sizing and recommend scale-up, scale-down, or instance-type changes based on workload requirements.

• Identify opportunities for infrastructure cost optimization without compromising performance or availability.

• Work with CloudOps/Infrastructure teams on database infrastructure design and optimization.

Cloud Database Administration

• Administer and support database environments hosted on cloud platforms such as:

  • Microsoft Azure

  • Amazon Web Services (AWS)

• Experience with platforms such as Azure SQL, Azure Virtual Machines, AWS RDS, and EC2 is highly desirable.

• Support cloud database migrations, modernization, and infrastructure changes.

• Monitor cloud database performance, availability, storage, and resource consumption.

• Collaborate with CloudOps on cloud infrastructure, networking, security, and scalability requirements.

Database Monitoring & Automation

• Implement and maintain database monitoring, alerting, and automation.

• Configure monitoring tools such as Redgate, SolarWinds, or similar database monitoring platforms.

• Develop automated health checks and operational monitoring solutions.

• Automate repetitive DBA tasks using PowerShell, Python, T-SQL, or other scripting technologies.

• Develop automated reporting for database health, performance, capacity, backups, and availability.

• Continuously identify opportunities to reduce manual operational activities through automation.

Security & Access Management

• Implement and maintain SQL Server security best practices.

• Manage database authentication, authorization, roles, permissions, and service accounts.

• Review and control privileged database access.

• Support security audits and compliance requirements.

• Identify and remediate database security vulnerabilities.

• Work with Security teams on database security assessments and remediation activities.

• Ensure appropriate segregation of duties and least-privilege access.

Incident & Problem Management

• Provide advanced support for database-related production incidents.

• Participate in on-call rotation and provide after-hours support when required.

• Lead or participate in P1/P2 incident troubleshooting and resolution.

• Perform detailed root-cause analysis for major incidents.

• Prepare incident reports and recommend preventive and corrective actions.

• Identify recurring incidents and drive permanent solutions.

• Work closely with Application, Infrastructure, CloudOps, and Development teams during critical incidents.

Database Architecture & Technical Leadership

• Participate in database architecture and infrastructure design discussions.

• Review database designs for scalability, availability, performance, and maintainability.

• Provide technical recommendations for new applications and database platforms.

• Evaluate database technologies and recommend appropriate solutions based on business requirements.

• Review database schemas, data models, relationships, constraints, partitioning, and indexing strategies.

• Participate in architecture reviews for high-volume and mission-critical applications.

• Act as a technical subject-matter expert for database-related initiatives.

Data Lifecycle & Database Maintenance

• Design and maintain appropriate data retention and archival strategies.

• Implement database archiving and data purging processes.

• Monitor database and table growth.

• Review large and rapidly growing tables and recommend appropriate partitioning or archival strategies.

• Ensure data retention policies are implemented safely without affecting business reporting or application functionality.

Documentation & Process Improvement

• Maintain comprehensive documentation for:

  • Database architecture

  • Instance configurations

  • HA/DR configurations

  • Backup and recovery procedures

  • Deployment procedures

  • Maintenance procedures

  • Troubleshooting guides

  • Disaster recovery runbooks

• Develop and maintain DBA SOPs and operational standards.

• Continuously improve DBA processes, procedures, and operational efficiency.

• Ensure database activities are properly documented and auditable.

Collaboration & Technical Leadership

• Work closely with Development, Application Support, Infrastructure, CloudOps, Security, and Business teams.

• Provide technical guidance and mentoring to junior and mid-level DBAs.

• Conduct technical knowledge-sharing sessions and database training.

• Review database-related technical proposals and provide recommendations.

• Participate in project planning and provide database effort, risk, and dependency assessments.

• Communicate technical issues and recommendations clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.

• 5+ years of experience as a Database Administrator, preferably in SQL Server environments.

• Strong experience managing large-scale and mission-critical SQL Server environments.

• Strong knowledge of:

  • Microsoft SQL Server 2017/2019/2022

  • T-SQL scripting

  • Query optimization and performance tuning

  • Indexing strategies

  • Backup and recovery

  • High Availability and Disaster Recovery

  • Database security

  • Database monitoring

  • Capacity planning

  • Change and incident management

• Strong troubleshooting and analytical skills.

• Experience working in production environments with strict availability and performance requirements.

• Experience with Azure SQL, AWS RDS, EC2, or cloud database environments is a plus.

• Familiarity with tools such as Redgate, SolarWinds, or similar database monitoring and management utilities.

• Excellent communication, documentation, and stakeholder-management skills.
  

Nice to Have

• Experience with automation using PowerShell, Python, T-SQL, or similar technologies.

• Knowledge of SSIS, SSRS, and SSAS.

• Exposure to DevOps processes and tools such as:

  • CI/CD

  • Git

  • Jenkins

  • Liquibase

  • Infrastructure as Code

• Experience supporting large-scale, high-volume, and mission-critical systems.

• Experience with database migration and modernization projects.

• Experience with database cost optimization and cloud infrastructure right-sizing.

• Knowledge of other database platforms, such as:

  • Oracle

  • PostgreSQL

  • MySQL

  • Other relational or NoSQL database technologies

• Experience with database automation and Infrastructure as Code.

• Knowledge of observability and monitoring platforms.

• Experience with security, compliance, and database audit requirements.

What We Offer

• Competitive compensation package.

• Flexible and remote-friendly work environment.

• Professional growth and development opportunities.

• Exposure to international projects and teams.

• Collaborative and inclusive company culture.

• Opportunity to work with modern technologies and innovative solutions.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Kairostek is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applications from qualified candidates regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or background.