Senior Database Administrator

Ontario, Canada
Remote
Posted Oct 14, 2026
1 position

$65–$75 / hour

Opens LinkedIn

Employment type: Contract
Experience level: Senior · 5+ years
Minimum education: Bachelor’s degree
Posting language: English
Working hours: 40 hours per week
Location requirements: Country, Ontario, Canada
Seniority: Mid-Senior level
Application method: Direct apply is available

Job summary

Administer and optimize SQL Server and PostgreSQL databases hosted on Azure, including performance engineering, security, patching, automation, and operational monitoring. Own database disaster recovery and business continuity planning, validate recovery objectives, and conduct regular failover exercises.

Job details

Senior Database Administrator (SQL Server / PostgreSQL / Azure) Location: Remote Employment Type: Initial 6-month contract with the opportunity to transition to permanent employment Workplace Type: Remote Seniority Level: Mid-Senior level Job Description Our client, a leading healthcare technology company, is seeking a Senior Database Administrator to maintain the quality, security, reliability, and performance of its database environments and those supporting its clients and partners. This role covers the full database lifecycle across Microsoft SQL Server and PostgreSQL environments hosted on Azure. You will be responsible for day-to-day database operations, performance engineering, security and vulnerability remediation, automation, and database disaster recovery and business continuity planning. The successful candidate will bring deep SQL Server expertise, strong Azure managed-database experience, and a proven ability to administer and optimize very large databases supporting high-throughput, business-critical workloads. Key Responsibilities Manage the complete database lifecycle, including capacity planning, provisioning, schema design, migrations, security hardening, patching, backup, and recovery Administer Microsoft SQL Server and PostgreSQL environments hosted on Azure Partner with cloud performance engineers during load, stress, soak, and spike testing to identify and resolve database bottlenecks Help database environments achieve throughput targets of 500+ transactions per second within defined latency thresholds Analyze database and application telemetry using Azure Monitor, Application Insights, Log Analytics, Prometheus, and Grafana Diagnose and resolve long-running queries, blocking chains, deadlocks, autovacuum lag, replication lag, I/O saturation, and schema anti-patterns Perform execution-plan analysis, query optimization, and index design and tuning Implement query-regression controls and database smoke tests within Azure DevOps CI/CD pipelines Apply database-engine patches and remediate known vulnerabilities and security misconfigurations Enforce database encryption at rest and in transit, secure endpoints, and appropriate access privileges Support database controls and evidence requirements for SOC 2, HIPAA, PHIPA, and ISO 27001 compliance Automate routine DBA work and infrastructure provisioning using Terraform, Python, and Bash Develop self-healing operational runbooks and automated database-health checks Own the database disaster recovery and business continuity strategy Define, document, test, and validate recovery time and recovery point objectives Design and test multi-region Azure replication, PostgreSQL streaming or logical replication, and geo-redundant backup strategies Plan and conduct quarterly failover and recovery exercises Accurately track project work and billable hours using the organization’s project-management system Comply with all privacy, security, confidentiality, and information-handling requirements Required Qualifications Post-secondary degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related discipline 5–10 years of experience in database administration, database architecture, information technology, or a related field Deep knowledge of SQL Server internals, including the query optimizer, storage engine, buffer pool, transactions, locking, and concurrency Strong hands-on experience with Azure SQL Database, including Business Critical and Hyperscale service tiers Experience administering Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server Strong command of T-SQL Proven experience with query-performance tuning, execution-plan analysis, remediation, and index design Experience diagnosing database performance and reliability issues using DMVs, DMFs, system catalog views, and database or instance configuration settings Working knowledge of Query Store, Plan Guides, Extended Events, and Parameter Sensitive Plan optimization Experience troubleshooting parameter sniffing, inaccurate cardinality estimation, inefficient join strategies, and index scan-versus-seek issues Experience administering very large databases in the tens-of-terabytes range Strong understanding of the performance, availability, and health metrics required to operate SQL Server and PostgreSQL environments effectively Hands-on experience with Azure Monitor, Application Insights, Log Analytics, Prometheus, and Grafana Experience creating and testing database disaster recovery and business continuity plans with documented RTO and RPO validation Experience with database security, hardening, patching, and vulnerability remediation Strong troubleshooting, documentation, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills Preferred Qualifications Experience supporting high-throughput database environments processing 500+ transactions per second Familiarity with Kafka and the effect of queue-driven, high-volume write patterns on database performance Experience integrating database-performance and regression testing into Azure DevOps pipelines Experience automating database administration and infrastructure provisioning using Terraform, Python, and Bash Experience building self-healing operational runbooks Knowledge of PostgreSQL streaming and logical replication Experience with multi-region Azure database architectures and geo-redundant backups Experience supporting regulated healthcare or other highly controlled data environments Familiarity with SOC 2, HIPAA, PHIPA, or ISO 27001 controls and audit requirements Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Own and maintain the database DR/BCP strategy Establish and validate recovery time and recovery point objectives Design and test multi-region replication and recovery configurations Conduct quarterly failover exercises and document the results Maintain secure, compliant, and recoverable database backups Identify recovery gaps and drive remediation through completion Work Environment Remote work environment (must be in Ontario) Initial six-month contract with the opportunity to transition into permanent employment Close collaboration with cloud performance, engineering, security, operations, and client-delivery teams Work involving business-critical healthcare data and regulated environments Daily or weekly reporting of project activities and billable hours is required Why Join? Take ownership of database performance, reliability, security, and recovery strategy Work with large-scale SQL Server and PostgreSQL environments on Azure Solve complex performance challenges involving high-throughput and very large databases Build automation and operational practices that improve reliability across multiple environments Contribute to technology supporting healthcare organizations, clients, and partners

What you’ll do

Requirements

Requires a post-secondary degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related discipline and 5–10 years of relevant experience. Candidates need deep SQL Server expertise, hands-on Azure SQL Database and Azure Database for PostgreSQL experience, strong performance-tuning and security skills, and experience with large databases and disaster recovery.