Sr. Database Administrator-REMOTE

Job Type: Full-Time
Hours: Days/After hours as needed
Salary: $85-$110 yearly DOE CAD
Benefits available after 60 Days for full-time employees

About AnswerNet

AnswerNet is a leading provider of customer engagement and contact center solutions across the United States and Canada. With over 31 contact centers and 10,000+ satisfied clients, we handle more than 125 million interactions each year. Our services include telephone answering, appointment setting, customer support, sales, lead qualification, third-party verification, market research, and more.

Summary

The Senior Database Administrator is a hands-on, highly technical role responsible for the day-to-day management, maintenance, and reliability of our production and non-production database environments. The successful candidate will ensure maximum performance, stability, and security across a diverse set of database technologies hosted primarily on AWS and Azure cloud platforms. This role requires 24/7 availability for emergencies.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Database Operations and Reliability:
• Availability & Recovery (HA/DR): Design, implement, and manage robust High Availability (HA) and Disaster Recovery (DR) solutions (e.g., Replication, Always On Failover Clusters, Log Shipping) to ensure minimal downtime and data loss.
• Performance Tuning: Proactively monitor database performance, identify bottlenecks, and execute expert-level query, index, and server-level tuning to optimize application responsiveness and resource utilization.
• Monitoring & Alerting: Implement and maintain comprehensive monitoring and alerting systems to proactively detect and resolve performance degradation, capacity issues, and system failures.
• Maintenance & Patching: Plan, test, and execute regular database patching, version upgrades, and maintenance tasks (backups, integrity checks) during scheduled maintenance windows.
Technical Expertise and Environment:
• Multi-Platform Management: Serve as a subject matter expert for SQL Server and MySQL database environments, with familiarity in managing MongoDB clusters.
• Cloud Proficiency: Manage, deploy, and administer databases on cloud platforms, specifically utilizing services within AWS (e.g., RDS, EC2-hosted instances) and Azure (e.g., Azure SQL Database, VMs).
• Security & Compliance: Implement and enforce security best practices, including user access management, encryption, auditing, and compliance with industry standards.
• Storage & Capacity: Manage database storage needs, plan for capacity scaling, and optimize resource allocation in the cloud to control costs.
Collaboration and Automation:
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with Software Engineering, DevOps, Infrastructure, and Security teams to provide database design input, troubleshoot application-related database issues, and integrate security policies.
• Automation: Develop and maintain scripts (PowerShell, Python, or Shell) to automate routine operational tasks, reporting, and deployment processes.
• IaC Integration (Preferred): Work with Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) tools (e.g., Terraform, Ansible) to deploy and configure database infrastructure in an automated, repeatable manner.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS (KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES)

● Experience: 5+ years of hands-on experience as an Operational or Production DBA.
● Core Database Expertise: Deep knowledge of SQL Server and MySQL architecture, internals, and advanced features (HA/DR, replication, security).
● Cloud Operations: Proven experience administering databases hosted on either AWS or Azure (experience with both is highly preferred).
● Availability: Demonstrated commitment to participating in a 24/7 on-call rotation and responding to critical incidents outside of regular business hours.
● Technical Skills: Expert proficiency in T-SQL and/or PL/SQL and strong scripting capabilities (PowerShell, Python, or Bash).
● Soft Skills: Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills to clearly articulate technical issues to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

● Experience managing databases via Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) tools like Terraform or Ansible.
● Familiarity with NoSQL databases, specifically operational experience with MongoDB.
● Relevant industry certifications (e.g., AWS Certified Database – Specialty, Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate).
● Experience in optimizing database deployments for microservices architectures.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

● Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
● Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.