Sr. SQL Database Administrator

Why AIS?

When you join AIS, you’re joining a mission-driven team that’s passionate about making a difference. You’ll work on projects that matter, alongside industry-leading experts, in an environment that fosters innovation, driving client success, and empowering our team to make a lasting impact. As an employee-owned company, we value collaboration, inclusivity, continuous growth, and shared success.

• Employee Ownership: Your contributions directly impact the company’s success, and you share in its achievements.

• Continuous Learning: Access to resources, training, and mentorship to support your professional growth.

• Inclusive Culture: A workplace where diversity is celebrated, and everyone’s voice is valued.

• Mission-Driven Work: Engage in projects that make a meaningful difference for our clients and communities.

 

What are we looking for?

At AIS, we're looking for more than just skills - we're looking for driven individuals who are passionate about making a difference, eager to grow, and aligned with our core principles.

 

Working@AIS
At AIS, we are dedicated to providing our employees with diverse opportunities to grow their careers while supporting a variety of impactful projects. For this position, we are seeking a talented individual to join AIS as a Lead Data Analytics Engineer.

• Core Knowledge & Skills: Masters SQL and data architecture; builds end-to-end pipelines on cloud platforms; ensures security and compliance; leverages APIs and advanced AI/ML; plans and leads projects and team resources.

• Work & Complexity: Owns full lifecycle delivery; resolves ambiguous, enterprise-scale problems; shapes technical direction and project outcomes.

• Quality & Independence: Establishes best practices and performance metrics; oversees QA for major initiatives; operates with wide decision latitude.

• Teamwork & Communication: Leads teams implementing complex solutions; aligns with business objectives; serves as primary liaison to executives; drives structured feedback.

• Consulting & Engagement: Advises executive stakeholders on strategic data initiatives; leads consulting teams; embeds innovative, data-driven

As your initial project assignment, you will support the unique needs of our client as a Sr. SQL Database Administrator.

Overview

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior SQL Server Database Administrator to strengthen and expand our enterprise database operations. The ideal candidate will work independently, ensure database reliability, and lead the upgrade of our production environment from SQL Server 2019 to SQL Server 2022. This role requires deep technical expertise, strong problem-solving skills, and the ability to collaborate across teams to deliver secure, high-performing database solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Install, configure, and maintain SQL Server Database Engine, Reporting Services (SSRS), and Integration Services (SSIS).

• Develop and manage automated backup strategies, maintenance tasks, and monitoring jobs to ensure consistent performance.

• Configure Database Mail and implement alert systems for proactive issue notification.

• Deploy and support high availability solutions, including Always On Availability Groups, Windows Failover Clustering, and Database Mirroring.

• Contribute to database design activities such as modeling, E-R diagrams, and deployment planning.

• Implement data protection methods, including Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) and SSL for data in transit.

• Write and review SQL queries, procedures, and scripts for performance and efficiency.

• Provide on-call support for production systems when required.

• Support reporting and analytics efforts using SSRS, SSIS, and Power BI.

• Apply STIGs, perform vulnerability assessments, patch servers and databases, and maintain security compliance documentation.

• Conduct operating system patching, database patching, and auditing as part of regular maintenance.

• Diagnose and resolve performance problems using monitoring tools and tuning techniques on large SQL Server platforms.

• Collaborate with application, infrastructure, and security teams to deliver stable and reliable services.

• Assist with cloud-based projects; familiarity with Azure or AWS environments is an advantage.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field
  (or 4 additional years of experience in lieu of degree).

• 9+ years of professional experience as a SQL Server DBA.

• Strong expertise in SQL Server 2019 administration and practical experience with upgrades to SQL Server 2022.

• Proven background in high availability and disaster recovery for enterprise systems.

• Knowledge of Windows Server patching, auditing, and security controls.

• Ability to work independently, communicate clearly, and collaborate with technical and non-technical staff.

• Active Top Secret Clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Relevant Microsoft certifications (e.g., MCSE, MCSA).

• Experience with cloud services (Azure, AWS) and containerization technologies.

• Familiarity with other database systems and cross-platform integration.

At AIS, we are committed to offering competitive and fair compensation that reflects the skills, experience, and contributions of each team member. The targeted base salary range for this role is $125,000-$189,000 per year. Please note that this range is provided as a guideline and the final offer will be based on several factors, including but not limited to, skillset and competencies, level of experience, education, certifications, and location. We value transparency in our hiring process and are happy to discuss how your unique qualifications align with our compensation structure during the interview process.

Applied Information Sciences does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, religion, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis. Employment decisions are based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs.