Database & Systems Administrator
Position Overview
We are seeking a well-rounded Database & Systems Administrator to support a large, highly integrated enterprise technology environment. This role combines Microsoft SQL Server administration, Windows systems administration, enterprise application support, cloud operations, monitoring, patching, deployments, and production troubleshooting.
Approximately 25% of the position will focus on SQL database administration. The remainder will involve Windows server operations, enterprise software installation and administration, application support, infrastructure monitoring, cloud services, and production deployments.
The ideal candidate has hands-on experience supporting SQL Server, Windows Server, and enterprise applications across development, testing, staging, and production environments. This individual should be a disciplined self-starter with strong troubleshooting, documentation, and change-management skills.
Work Environment
- Hybrid position based in Austin, Texas
- Three days onsite with the option to work remotely two days per week
- Normal onsite collaboration days are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
- Expected daily start time between 6:00 and 8:00 a.m.
- Occasional after-hours deployments, maintenance, and production support
- Potential participation in a rotating on-call schedule
- Candidates must be local to Austin or willing to relocate
Key Responsibilities
SQL Server Administration
- Administer, monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot Microsoft SQL Server environments.
- Support Microsoft SQL Server versions 2016 through 2022.
- Write, execute, troubleshoot, and optimize T-SQL queries and scripts.
- Use SQL Server Management Studio to perform data cleanup, user administration, troubleshooting, and routine database maintenance.
- Monitor database backups and assist with database restores, recovery testing, and validation.
- Support database performance, security, capacity, availability, and operational health.
- Use SQL Server Profiler, Extended Events, or similar tools to investigate database performance issues.
- Develop, maintain, and troubleshoot ETL processes using SQL Server Integration Services.
- Create and support operational reports using SQL Server Reporting Services.
- Support SQL Server Analysis Services cubes and analytical solutions.
- Configure and troubleshoot connectivity between database, application, and web servers.
- Assist with database high-availability, clustering, Always On, and disaster-recovery activities.
Windows Systems Administration
- Install, configure, administer, patch, monitor, and troubleshoot Windows Server environments.
- Support Windows Server 2016 through 2022 across development, testing, staging, and production.
- Perform recurring server patching, vulnerability remediation, health checks, and post-maintenance validation.
- Install, configure, upgrade, and maintain enterprise software applications.
- Administer Microsoft Active Directory accounts, groups, permissions, service accounts, and application integrations.
- Configure and maintain IIS websites, application pools, SSL certificates, services, and related web-server components.
- Assist with virtual server infrastructure, including VMware or comparable virtualization platforms.
- Support server availability, capacity planning, lifecycle management, backup operations, and disaster recovery.
- Develop and maintain PowerShell or other automation scripts for repeatable administrative tasks.
- Maintain accurate server, application, and configuration records.
Enterprise Application Administration
- Administer and support enterprise applications operating across multiple integrated systems.
- Build and maintain development, testing, staging, pre-production, and production application environments.
- Coordinate software installations, upgrades, releases, patches, hotfixes, and application migrations.
- Troubleshoot incidents involving applications, databases, servers, integrations, access, performance, and connectivity.
- Restart services, recycle IIS application pools, and perform other routine operational activities.
- Provide Tier II and Tier III technical support for business-critical systems and applications.
- Gather and document application infrastructure requirements, including memory, storage, database sizing, connectivity, firewall, and security needs.
- Maintain application configurations, secure service connections, certificates, URLs, database connections, and traffic-routing components.
- Collaborate with database, infrastructure, security, network, application, and business teams.
Cloud, DevOps and Automation
- Support applications and infrastructure hosted in Microsoft Azure.
- Assist with application migrations involving cloud platforms, URLs, traffic management, databases, and integrated services.
- Use Azure DevOps or similar platforms to coordinate deployments, releases, technical changes, and work activities.
- Support automation using PowerShell, Ansible, or comparable technologies.
- Assist with containerized or cloud-native application platforms where applicable.
- Maintain secure application credentials and configuration paths using CyberArk, Vault, or similar secrets-management technologies.
- Support AWS-hosted infrastructure or applications as needed.
Monitoring and Production Support
- Monitor application, database, server, and network health using enterprise monitoring and logging platforms.
- Configure alerts and monitors for servers, services, application components, databases, and network IP addresses.
- Create operational dashboards, technical reports, and executive-level system metrics.
- Respond to monitoring alerts and production incidents, performing initial diagnosis and escalation when appropriate.
- Troubleshoot complex issues in an enterprise environment containing more than 1,000 servers and 300 SQL Server instances.
- Participate in production deployments, after-hours maintenance, and on-call support.
- Perform post-deployment validation and confirm application and infrastructure stability.
Security, Compliance and Change Management
- Follow established incident-management, problem-management, release-management, and change-management processes.
- Create change requests, implementation plans, deployment worksheets, validation steps, and rollback procedures.
- Work within a highly regulated production environment governed by SOX, SOC 2, NIST, FIPS, or similar security and compliance standards.
- Support vulnerability management, security baselines, access controls, disaster recovery, and audit requirements.
- Maintain SSL certificates and secure communications between application and web-server components.
- Document application and infrastructure designs for technical and security reviews.
- Participate in security reviews and explain system architecture, data flows, integrations, and controls.
Documentation and Collaboration
- Create and maintain architecture diagrams, infrastructure diagrams, data workflows, knowledge-base articles, operating procedures, and troubleshooting guides.
- Document deployments, system configurations, recurring procedures, known issues, and resolutions.
- Communicate technical information clearly to technology teams, business stakeholders, management, and security reviewers.
- Work independently on assigned responsibilities while collaborating closely with cross-functional teams.
- Manage multiple tickets, projects, deployments, operational assignments, and ad hoc requests.
- Continuously learn new systems, technologies, and business processes.
Required Qualifications
- Three or more years of experience in database administration, systems administration, application administration, infrastructure support, or production support.
- At least two years of hands-on experience supporting Microsoft SQL Server.
- Experience supporting Microsoft SQL Server 2016 or newer.
- Experience using Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio.
- Working knowledge of T-SQL, including writing, executing, and troubleshooting queries and scripts.
- Experience with at least one SQL Server component: SSIS, SSRS, or SSAS.
- Experience supporting Microsoft Windows Server 2016 or newer.
- Experience with server installation, software administration, operating-system patching, and troubleshooting.
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Active Directory.
- Exposure to VMware or another enterprise virtualization platform.
- Familiarity with Microsoft Azure and cloud-hosted applications or infrastructure.
- Experience with Azure DevOps or a comparable release and deployment platform.
- Familiarity with PowerShell or another scripting and automation language.
- Experience supporting enterprise applications in a complex production environment.
- Understanding of DNS, DHCP, TCP/IP, ports, firewalls, and application connectivity.
- Experience following formal change-management and production-deployment processes.
- Awareness of security and compliance requirements within a regulated environment.
- Strong troubleshooting, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Demonstrated ability to create and maintain detailed technical documentation.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and sources of work.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative technical team.
- Self-motivated, disciplined, dependable, and willing to learn.
- Willingness to participate in occasional after-hours deployments and production support.
Preferred (Nice to have):
- Ticketing Systems – Service Now, etc.
- Microsoft Visual Studio Code development/familiarity.
- Systems monitoring software – Dynatrace, Prometheus/Grafana, Idera, Quest Spotlight, etc.
- IIS administration
- Some LAN/WAN networking knowledge and experience
- Microsoft Active Directory knowledge and experience
- Windows clustering/Always On configurations and maintenance – 2+ years preferred.
- Familiarity with a financial environment, loan accounting, loan origination, etc.
- Linux OS.
- Docker/Kubernetes Swarms/Containers.
What Success Looks Like
The successful candidate will be comfortable moving between SQL Server, Windows infrastructure, enterprise applications, cloud services, and production support. This individual will maintain stable and secure environments, perform well-controlled deployments, resolve complex technical issues, and produce thorough documentation.
Success in this position requires technical versatility, strong troubleshooting skills, disciplined change management, attention to security and compliance, and the initiative to learn unfamiliar systems and processes.
#TECHIND