Sr Database Administrator

The State Bar of California•Los Angeles, CA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Office of Information Technology (IT) is responsible for enabling State Bar’s internal and external stakeholders by the management, implementation, and maintenance of an organization's technology to support of State Bar’s mission and goals. The office’s primary goals are to build and maintain functional capabilities, to support innovation and to ensure that all systems are running smoothly, efficiently, and securely to support the needs of the organization and its stakeholders. The Senior IT Database Administrator (DBA) manages and modernizes the organization's mission-critical data platforms, ensuring performance, security, and data integrity, and business continuity across custom and enterprise applications. As part of the Hybrid Cloud and Data Modernization initiatives, the Senior DBA will manage SQL Server databases in Azure and on-prem, applying cloud engineering principles to their design and hosting. The role also performs DevOps functions, automating and streamlining database deployments and coordinating changes with application releases to prevent service disruptions. Working closely with application and infrastructure teams, the Senior DBA recommends and implements improvements that strengthen resilience, control costs, and supports infrastructure, network, and application needs as required. The ideal candidate is a hands-on Senior Database Administrator with strong SQL Server experience and a growing command of Azure. They thrive on transforming legacy systems, reducing technical risk, and taking long-term ownership of the platforms they build. With a keen interest in DevOps and automation and a problem-solving mindset, they collaborate easily with technical and business partners. Most of all, they want work that matters: supporting the systems that serve California's attorneys and the public while advancing their expertise in cloud technologies. The ideal candidate will be responsible for managing, tuning, and optimizing SQL Server environments both on-premises and in Azure, ensuring performance aligns with application requirements. They will lead the assessment, planning, and migration of legacy databases to Azure SQL Managed Instance and other supported platforms, recommending cost-effective hosting options with minimal disruption. This role includes documenting and testing backup, restore, and high-availability configurations across all SQL environments, as well as integrating databases with monitoring and security tools such as Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Defender for Cloud, and Sentinel. The candidate will automate and streamline database deployments, patching, backups, and routine maintenance, and build and maintain CI/CD pipelines to coordinate database changes with application releases. Additionally, they will partner closely with application owners and infrastructure teams to resolve compatibility issues related to newer SQL versions while supporting legacy databases throughout the transition. Under general direction, performs advanced, specialized work of professional nature, utilizing skills that require technical expertise and an understanding of complex analytical procedures and systems processes, including network operating systems, the development of complex applications; network infrastructure; database management; and web server management administration and installation, while working with a significant amount of independent authority and judgment. Incumbents’ primary responsibilities consist of acting as the lead over a team of professional information technology employees and/or providing expertise and guidance in complex information systems analysis and solutions, including the strategic, overall design of complex systems; and performs other related duties as assigned. May provide functional, technical, or lead direction over lower level technical and/or professional staff.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a field that develops skills related to essential duties, or equivalent academic achievement.
Possession of one or more approved information technology certificates and/or completion of other approved technology-related training may substitute for some or all of the required education.
Minimum of three (3) years of journey level professional information technology experience comparable to an IT Analyst II with the State Bar.

Nice To Haves

Five (5) years of full-time, progressively responsible experience in SQL Server database administration, Azure cloud database platforms, and database automation is desirable.
Microsoft SQL Server administration, performance tuning, and high availability (Always On, failover clustering, backup and restore).
Azure SQL platforms and database migration methods for on-prem, hybrid, and cloud environments.
DevOps principles and CI/CD practices as applied to database deployments.
Database security, monitoring, and internal controls.
Administer large, complex, mission-critical databases across multiple platforms.
Plan and carry out database upgrades and migrations with minimal disruption.
Automate routine database tasks using PowerShell, T-SQL, or similar tools.
Communicate and coordinate effectively with technical teams, business users, and vendors.

Responsibilities

Manages and modernizes the organization's mission-critical data platforms, ensuring performance, security, and data integrity, and business continuity across custom and enterprise applications.
Manages SQL Server databases in Azure and on-prem, applying cloud engineering principles to their design and hosting.
Performs DevOps functions, automating and streamlining database deployments and coordinating changes with application releases to prevent service disruptions.
Recommends and implements improvements that strengthen resilience, control costs, and supports infrastructure, network, and application needs.
Manages, tunes, and optimizes SQL Server environments both on-premises and in Azure, ensuring performance aligns with application requirements.
Leads the assessment, planning, and migration of legacy databases to Azure SQL Managed Instance and other supported platforms, recommending cost-effective hosting options with minimal disruption.
Documents and tests backup, restore, and high-availability configurations across all SQL environments.
Integrates databases with monitoring and security tools such as Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Defender for Cloud, and Sentinel.
Automates and streamlines database deployments, patching, backups, and routine maintenance.
Builds and maintains CI/CD pipelines to coordinate database changes with application releases.
Partners closely with application owners and infrastructure teams to resolve compatibility issues related to newer SQL versions while supporting legacy databases throughout the transition.
Serves as a technical expert within area of assignment, providing guidance and direction to other professional staff and resolving complex problems.
Participates in developing strategic plans for systems/applications development and modification within area of expertise.
Analyzes and evaluates computer network design (including the State Bar's overall network and website), operating systems and/or business requirements; consults with personnel from various departments and identifies areas for strategic network, database, web, and/or operating system improvements and upgrades; or the development of technical solutions to automate and/or improve business processes.
Designs system architecture, network infrastructure and configuration, database, web server environments, and/or web-based application solutions that meet the needs of the organization and develops plans to initiate improvements.
Prepares complex reports, correspondence, and other documents; participates on committees and task forces; attends meetings, conferences, and training sessions.
Answers questions and provides information to other departments; analyzes questions and recommends appropriate corrective action.
Coordinates with systems, network and/or database administrators to implement application or system design specifications and coordinate integration across multiple platforms and technologies; maintains effective communications with users regarding vendor activities, problems, status timelines and other details.
Trains, leads, and provides technical guidance to professional and technical staff assigned to operating systems, network infrastructure, business systems analysis and application development, database administration, web server management administration, and/or telecommunications systems.
Provides technical and functional supervision of contractors/vendors and after-hours technology support as required.
Coordinates the activities of State Bar technical personnel and contract personnel during major and minor network problems; provides problem status, oral and written, to management; focuses on preventing and resolving network and system problems related to area of assignment.
Serves as the administrator for large and highly complex databases; researches and identifies database environment requirements and specifications; determines integration requirements to ensure inter-operability across multiple platforms and technologies.
Oversees and provides guidance and expertise in the design, building, installation, configuration maintenance and administration of highly complex network infrastructures, web server environments, telecommunications systems, or server platforms and operating system components.
Communicates and coordinates with various State Bar departments and divisions on business process automation needs; identifies the appropriate staff resources for projects based on knowledge, skill, and workload and assigns projects accordingly.
Designs and creates and/or directs others in the design and creation of complex software and/or web-based applications across that cross multiple State Bar departments.
Provides recommendations related to the development and/or improvement of hardware, software, and/or web-based applications across multiple State departments; recommends and/or implements operating system adjustments to maximize application performance and resource resolution.
Follows, maintains, and implements internal controls, network and web security and other security systems for computer and telecommunication data, systems, and hardware protection.
Performs other related duties as assigned.