MS SQL & Azure Database Administrator

MS SQL & Azure Database Administrator

Key Responsibilities

• and Duties:
• Architect, implement, manage, and optimize relational database solutions across Microsoft SQL Server on-premises and Azure SQL Services.
• Install, configure, patch, upgrade, and maintain Microsoft SQL Server instances across different versions and environments.
• Manage Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, and SQL Server running on Azure Virtual Machines.
• Ensure the availability, reliability, security, and performance of database environments supporting transactional, analytical, and business-critical systems.
• Design, implement, and manage High Availability and Disaster Recovery solutions to ensure maximum database uptime and data integrity.
• Configure and support Always On Availability Groups, Log Shipping, Database Mirroring, and other HA/DR solutions.
• Develop, implement, maintain, and regularly test backup and recovery strategies, including full, differential, and transaction log backups.
• Ensure backup and recovery strategies meet defined Recovery Time Objective and Recovery Point Objective requirements.
• Proactively monitor database health, availability, performance metrics, capacity, and resource utilization.
• Use Azure Monitor, Query Store, custom dashboards, and related monitoring tools to identify and resolve database issues.
• Troubleshoot database performance issues and optimize complex SQL queries, stored procedures, functions, views, and database schemas.
• Design, implement, and maintain advanced indexing strategies to improve database and application performance.
• Implement and manage Columnstore Indexes to enhance performance for analytical and reporting workloads.
• Implement and support In-Memory OLTP and memory-optimized tables for high-volume transaction processing systems.
• Leverage Intelligent Query Processing features to improve query execution plans and database efficiency.
• Perform database capacity planning, workload analysis, and load testing to support scalability and future business growth.
• Design and enforce database security controls across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments.
• Perform database security hardening across Microsoft SQL Server on-premises, Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, and SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines.
• Apply secure configuration baselines in line with CIS Benchmarks, Microsoft security best practices, and organizational security policies.
• Maintain good knowledge of CIS Critical Security Controls and ensure database environments are aligned with applicable control requirements.
• Support ISO/IEC 27001 compliance by implementing and maintaining database-related security controls, access management, logging, monitoring, encryption, backup protection, and evidence documentation.
• Conduct regular database security reviews, configuration assessments, vulnerability checks, and remediation activities.
• Identify and address database security risks, misconfigurations, excessive privileges, weak authentication settings, insecure protocols, and outdated components.
• Ensure SQL Server and Azure SQL environments follow least privilege, secure authentication, encryption, auditing, patching, and logging best practices.
• Configure and review SQL Server Audit, Azure SQL Auditing, Microsoft Defender for SQL, vulnerability assessment, threat detection, and security alerting capabilities.
• Work closely with cybersecurity, infrastructure, compliance, and audit teams to support security governance, risk management, and regulatory compliance requirements.
• Maintain security hardening documentation, baseline configurations, audit evidence, risk treatment actions, and remediation records.
• Implement Always Encrypted to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access, including privileged users.
• Configure Row-Level Security to restrict user access to specific data rows based on roles and business rules.
• Utilize Dynamic Data Masking to protect sensitive information in query results for non-privileged users.
• Manage Transparent Data Encryption to protect database files and data at rest.
• Administer database users, roles, permissions, and access rights based on the principle of least privilege.
• Review, monitor, and maintain database access controls to ensure compliance with security and governance requirements.
• Design, develop, deploy, and manage ETL solutions using SQL Server Integration Services.
• Support data migration, data warehousing, and operational data integration workflows.
• Create, maintain, and optimize SQL Server Analysis Services multidimensional and tabular models.
• Support OLAP, business intelligence, advanced analytics, and data mining requirements.
• Develop, deploy, manage, and maintain SQL Server Reporting Services reports, subscriptions, and reporting environments.
• Implement and manage Azure Synapse Link to enable low-latency integration between operational databases and Azure Synapse Analytics.
• Support big data, machine learning, analytics, and enterprise reporting workloads through cloud data integration.
• Apply data warehousing concepts, including Star Schema and Snowflake Schema, to support analytical solutions.
• Write and optimize advanced T-SQL scripts, stored procedures, functions, and queries.
• Automate database administration, monitoring, reporting, and maintenance tasks using PowerShell or Python.
• Collaborate with application, infrastructure, cybersecurity, data, and business teams to support system performance, security, availability, and compliance.
• Ensure database platforms are aligned with business requirements, technical standards, security policies, compliance requirements, and operational best practices.
• Maintain documentation for database architecture, configurations, backup procedures, recovery processes, security controls, hardening baselines, and operational runbooks.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives related to database performance, automation, security, governance, compliance, and cloud adoption.

Required Knowledge and Capabilities

• Strong experience in Microsoft SQL Server database administration in production environments.
• Strong hands-on experience with Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, and SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines.
• Strong knowledge of SQL Server Analysis Services, including multidimensional and tabular modeling.
• Experience with MDX and DAX querying for analytical and BI solutions.
• Strong experience with SQL Server Reporting Services, including report design, deployment, management, and subscriptions.
• Strong experience with SQL Server Integration Services, including package design, deployment, scheduling, and error handling.
• Solid understanding of database security and data privacy technologies, including Always Encrypted, Row-Level Security, Dynamic Data Masking, and Transparent Data Encryption.
• Strong knowledge of database security hardening, secure configuration management, vulnerability remediation, and audit readiness.
• Good knowledge of CIS Benchmarks, CIS Critical Security Controls, Microsoft security baselines, and security best practices for SQL Server and Azure environments.
• Good understanding of ISO/IEC 27001 requirements and their application to database security, access control, logging, monitoring, encryption, backup protection, and operational governance.
• Experience with SQL Server Audit, Azure SQL Auditing, Microsoft Defender for SQL, vulnerability assessment, threat detection, and security monitoring.
• Strong performance tuning experience using Query Store, execution plans, indexing strategies, Columnstore Indexes, In-Memory OLTP, and Intelligent Query Processing.
• Strong knowledge of High Availability and Disaster Recovery solutions, including Always On Availability Groups, Log Shipping, and Database Mirroring.
• Good understanding of Azure Synapse Link, data warehousing concepts, and analytical database design.
• Advanced proficiency in T-SQL for query tuning, stored procedures, functions, and database development.
• Experience using PowerShell or Python for database automation and operational scripting.

Qualifications

• and Experience:
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum 5+ years of professional experience as a SQL Server Database Administrator in a production environment.
• Minimum 2+ years of hands-on experience managing SQL Server or relational database services in Microsoft Azure.
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate DP-300 is preferred.
• Microsoft Certified: Data Analyst Associate is preferred for BI and analytics-focused responsibilities.
• Pay: From AED10,000.00 per month

Application Question(s)

• What is your expected monthly base salary in AED? (Number)
• Do you currently live in, or are willing to relocate, to Dubai?
• How many years of hands-on Azure SQL Services experience do you have on an enterprise level?