Database Administrator (DBA)

Database Administrator – Job Description Summary

Role: Database Administrator (DBA)
Work Location: Onsite (Ontario Public Service environment)
Work Schedule: Monday–Friday, 7.25 hours/day (8:00 AM–5:00 PM excluding lunch)
Contract Duration: Until October 5, 2027 (with possible extension)

Position Overview

The Database Administrator is responsible for the design, implementation, administration, optimization, security, and operational support of enterprise-scale database environments. The role focuses heavily on Azure cloud database technologies, data warehouse/lakehouse platforms, database performance tuning, high availability, disaster recovery, and DataOps practices within a regulated public-sector environment.

The successful candidate will provide technical leadership in database architecture, cloud modernization initiatives, data integration, performance optimization, security compliance, and operational support for mission-critical systems.

Key Responsibilities

Database Administration & Engineering

• Design, implement, maintain, and optimize enterprise database systems.
  
• Create logical and physical database models for transactional and analytical workloads.
  
• Install, configure, migrate, upgrade, and modernize database platforms.
  
• Develop and optimize data pipelines from source systems to end users.
  
• Perform database performance tuning, capacity planning, growth forecasting, and lifecycle management.
  
• Implement backup, recovery, and disaster recovery strategies.
  
• Support database security, monitoring, auditing, and compliance requirements.
  

Cloud Database Administration

• Administer Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, and SQL Server on Azure VMs.
  
• Manage Azure cloud data services including:
  
• Azure Storage
  
• Azure Data Lake
  
• Azure Data Factory
  
• Azure Key Vault
  
• Azure Data Warehouse
  
• Databricks Lakehouse
  
• Support structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data ingestion and integration.
  
• Design scalable and cost-effective cloud database architectures.
  

Performance & Optimization

• Perform advanced troubleshooting and performance tuning:
  
• Query optimization
  
• Index tuning
  
• Query Store analysis
  
• Wait statistics analysis
  
• IO performance analysis
  
• TempDB optimization
  
• Azure automatic tuning features
  
• Azure throttling mitigation
  
• Monitor database health and optimize system performance.
  

Security & Compliance

• Implement Azure AD authentication and RBAC.
  
• Manage database encryption and security controls including TDE.
  
• Enforce network security, firewall configurations, and access management.
  
• Conduct vulnerability assessments and remediation activities.
  
• Ensure compliance with PHIPPA and public-sector security standards.
  

Operations & Governance

• Support Incident, Change, and Configuration Management processes.
  
• Apply DataOps principles for monitoring, alerting, and operational excellence.
  
• Collaborate with infrastructure, security, application, and data teams.
  
• Provide technical leadership, mentoring, and operational guidance.
  

Required Technical Skills

Database Technologies

• Azure SQL Database
  
• Azure SQL Managed Instance
  
• SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines
  
• SQL Server Administration
  
• Relational Database Systems
  
• Distributed Database Systems
  
• Database Design & Modeling
  

Azure Cloud Services

• Azure Storage
  
• Azure Data Lake
  
• Azure Data Factory
  
• Azure Key Vault
  
• Azure Databricks Lakehouse
  
• Azure Data Warehouse
  

Performance Tuning

• Query optimization
  
• Indexing strategies
  
• Query Store
  
• Wait statistics analysis
  
• IO optimization
  
• TempDB optimization
  
• Capacity planning
  
• Performance monitoring
  

Security

• Azure AD Integration
  
• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
  
• Transparent Data Encryption (TDE)
  
• Network security
  
• Firewall management
  
• Vulnerability remediation
  

Data Management

• Data Warehousing
  
• Data Lakehouse Architecture
  
• Data Integration
  
• DataOps
  
• Data Governance
  
• Data Security
  

Oracle DBA (Desirable Skills)

• Oracle 12c/19c Administration
  
• Oracle RAC
  
• Oracle Data Guard
  
• Oracle E-Business Suite R12.2
  
• Oracle RMAN
  
• ASM
  
• OEM Grid Control
  
• WebLogic Administration
  
• Oracle Advanced Compression
  
• Partitioning
  
• Online Patching
  
• Oracle Cloning
  
• Oracle Security and Data Masking
  
• Oracle Linux / Red Hat Enterprise Linux
  
• UNIX/Linux Shell Scripting
  

General Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
  
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
  
• Stakeholder management and consulting experience.
  
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
  
• Leadership and mentoring capabilities.
  
• Strong teamwork and collaboration skills.
  
• Experience working in governed and regulated environments.
  

Public Sector Experience

Candidates should demonstrate:

• Experience working within government or regulated public-sector organizations.
  
• Knowledge of Ontario Public Service (OPS) standards and governance practices.
  
• Experience supporting legacy systems and formal governance frameworks.
  
• Knowledge of PHIPPA and public-sector compliance requirements.
  
• Experience with audit controls, data classification, and regulatory standards.
  

Mandatory Qualifications

✔ 7–10+ years of Database Administration experience
✔ Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, SQL Server on Azure VMs
✔ Azure Storage, Data Lake, Data Warehouse, Databricks Lakehouse, Key Vault
✔ Database design, implementation, operations, and optimization
✔ Advanced performance tuning and troubleshooting expertise
✔ High Availability (HA) and Disaster Recovery (DR) experience
✔ Cloud database administration (Azure PaaS/IaaS)
✔ DataOps and operational support experience
✔ Public-sector or regulated-environment experience preferred

Ideal Candidate: Senior Azure Database Administrator / Cloud DBA with strong Azure SQL, Data Lakehouse, DataOps, performance tuning, security, and public-sector experience.