Principal Database Administrator

Aderant

About The Position

Aderant is seeking a Principal Database Administrator to serve as the technical authority for SQL Server architecture, high availability, and disaster recovery across its Sierra cloud operations environment. This is a senior, hands-on role responsible for design decisions that support the resilience of a multi-tenant database platform, strengthening the DBA team's technical depth through collaboration and knowledge transfer, and acting as the escalation point for complex database challenges. The role also involves direct technical engagement with client-side DBA and IT teams. The position helps shape database operations strategy for a global software company operating at cloud scale. It spans SQL Server architecture and administration, incident response, database performance, security and stability, automation, documentation, and collaboration with a global operations team.

Requirements

At least 7 years of hands-on experience as a SQL Server DBA using SQL Server 2016 or later, with demonstrated ownership at a principal or lead level.
Deep expertise in SQL Server Always On Availability Groups and Distributed Availability Groups, including design, configuration, and troubleshooting.
Strong database design and administration skills.
Proficiency in T-SQL, SSMS, and SQL Server Agent.
Proven disaster recovery and backup architecture experience, including recovery-chain integrity across full, differential, and log backup strategies.
Advanced database troubleshooting, tuning, and performance triage experience.
Experience with transactional replication and Change Data Capture (CDC).
Experience with MSSQL on cloud platforms; AWS and Azure are preferred.
Experience using PowerShell, and ideally Ansible, for DBA automation at scale.
A solid understanding of version control systems such as git for managing operational scripts.
Demonstrated ability to mentor and upskill other engineers.
Excellent oral and written communication skills, including direct client- or firm-facing technical engagement.
Ability to convey technical content clearly to audiences with varying levels of technical depth.
Ability to balance multiple deliverables with prioritization and responsiveness in a fast-moving environment.

Nice To Haves

Experience with SQL Server Reporting Services.
Experience with SQL Server Integration Services.
Experience with Agile software development, including Scrum.
Microsoft certifications in SQL, DBA, or related areas.

Responsibilities

Serve as the DBA team's technical authority for SQL Server operations, high availability, disaster recovery, and replication architecture across the Sierra platform.
Act as the escalation point for complex or high-severity SQL Server incidents, leading root-cause analysis and remediation for issues such as connectivity loss, memory pressure, blocking or deadlocks, and storage exhaustion.
Make independent architectural tradeoff decisions, including edition-aware maintenance strategy and recovery-chain integrity, and proactively identify systemic risks.
Design, configure, and maintain SQL Server Always On Availability Groups and Distributed Availability Groups across the Sierra tenant fleet, including DR read-node validation and cross-region replica topology.
Own transactional replication and Change Data Capture (CDC) lifecycle management, including coordinated teardown and reinstatement around client upgrade and go-live events.
Serve as the direct technical point of contact with client-side DBA and IT teams on complex data integration, migration, and cutover activities.
Monitor and tune database performance, including queries, indexes, and resource usage, across a multi-tenant environment.
Ensure database security, integrity, stability, and system availability across the tenant fleet.
Build and maintain automation using PowerShell and Ansible for routine and complex database maintenance tasks.
Create and maintain architecture-level documentation, standards, and procedures for the DBA team.
Collaborate on service delivery within a global operations team.
Mentor and upskill other engineers.