Senior Database Administrator

Overview

Owns the performance, availability, and reliability of Sphera's database platforms across the SaaS estate, with hands-on work on MS-SQL Server across on-premises and Azure PaaS SQL environments.

What you'll do

• Own and operate MS-SQL Server across on-premises VMs, Azure IaaS SQL VMs, and Azure PaaS SQL (Azure SQL Database, Managed Instance) for production and non-production environments, with added exposure to PostgreSQL and MySQL where needed.
• Own MS-SQL performance end to end, including query optimization, execution plan analysis, indexing strategy, fragmentation remediation, TempDB and statistics management, and resolving blocking, deadlocks, wait stats, and query store issues at scale.
• Manage MS-SQL high availability and disaster recovery, including clustering (Always on Availability Groups / Failover Cluster Instances), failover and failback, geo-replication, and backup/restore operations, validated through regular failover/DR testing.
• Lead patching, upgrades, and vulnerability remediation for MS-SQL Server instances and Azure PaaS SQL deployments.
• Provision, configure, and troubleshoot Azure PaaS SQL resources (elastic pools, SQL VMs), including DTU/vCore sizing, throttling, connectivity, and auto-failover groups, optimizing for performance and cost.
• Manage database connectivity within Azure networking, including VNets, subnets, private endpoints, route tables, NSGs, DNS, and hybrid connectivity, partnering with networking and firewall teams on secure routing.
• Lead consolidation and migration efforts as workloads move from IaaS to PaaS to serverless, including database migrations, corruption troubleshooting, and data restoration.
• Automate operational tasks using T-SQL, PowerShell, Terraform/Bicep, and Azure CLI.
• Partner with engineering teams on schema design and query performance for database changes.
• Provide Tier-3 and Tier-4 support for database incidents across cloud workloads as part of a 24x7 on-call rotation, including root-cause analysis, collaborating with DevOps, IT, SaaS Ops, Infosec, and application teams on Azure-hosted applications.
• Drive change management processes and ensure compliance with organizational standards.
• Resolve customer issues professionally and promptly, maintaining the highest standard of customer satisfaction.
• Maintain and expand technical documentation for database processes and procedures.

What you'll need

• 8 to 12 years of experience in database administration, including 5+ years supporting SaaS in the cloud, with demonstrated performance tuning, indexing, and HA/DR ownership at scale.
• Deep MS-SQL Server expertise: performance tuning, indexing, fragmentation management, Always on Availability Groups / clustering, security fundamentals, and troubleshooting.
• Azure PaaS SQL (Azure SQL Database, Managed Instance) and Azure networking (VNets, subnets, private endpoints, route tables, NSGs, peering, DNS).
• Scripting with T-SQL, PowerShell, Python/Shell, and Azure CLI.
• Working knowledge of Azure Monitor, Prometheus, Grafana, or equivalent monitoring tools.
• Soft skills: communication, collaboration in a global 24x7 team, troubleshooting mindset, and adaptability.
• ITIL exposure, customer-facing service experience, and strong cross-team communication (security, networking, application, SaaS Ops).

Nice to have

• Certifications: DP-300 (Azure Database Administrator Associate) and AZ-104 (Azure Administrator).
• Terraform/Bicep experience.
• PostgreSQL, MySQL, or Databricks exposure.
• Awareness of emerging cloud database technologies.

Details

• Location: Bangalore, India.
• 24x7 on-call rotation as part of the support team.