What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director of Database Administration (SQL) position at Gotham Technology Group?
SQL Server DBA – Contract-to-Hire (Director upon conversion)
Location: New York, NY (3 days/week onsite)
Position Type: Contract-to-Hire, transitioning to Director within 6 months
About the Role
We are seeking a SQL Database Leader, for our direct client, to oversee a team of 6–7 DBAs within the IT Infrastructure Operations group. This role is a hands-on leadership position responsible for the health, performance, and reliability of the company’s SQL environment. The successful candidate will serve as the primary liaison between the DBA team and other IT managers, ensuring clear communication, alignment on priorities, and proper representation of the team in cross-functional initiatives.
This position is contract-to-hire, with a clear path to Director level within 6 months. The role requires strong organization, excellent communication, and the ability to lead a team while balancing operational excellence and strategic initiatives.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead, mentor, and manage a team of DBAs, fostering best practices and professional growth.
- Oversee day-to-day operational health, performance, and reliability of SQL Server environments.
- Develop, implement, and manage HA/DR strategies, backup/recovery plans, and capacity planning.
- Monitor database performance using tools such as OpsRamp, SQL Sentry, and Embarcadero DB/Artisan; identify and resolve issues including deadlocks and contention.
- Drive enterprise modernization and upgrade initiatives for SQL Server environments.
- Assess operational risks, escalate appropriately to senior leadership, and propose mitigation strategies.
- Collaborate with developers to ensure proper coding practices and optimal SQL performance.
- Represent the DBA team in cross-functional meetings, providing guidance and pushing back constructively when needed.
- Participate in a 24x7 on-call rotation to ensure continuous database availability.
- Manage ancillary database systems (e.g., Delphix) and support audit, compliance, or regulatory requirements.
- Leverage Azure technologies where applicable; familiarity with other DBMS platforms (Oracle, Sybase, PostgreSQL) is a plus.
Required Skills & Qualifications
- 10 years of experience in SQL Server administration and management.
- Proven experience leading and managing small DBA teams.
- Experience conducting enterprise modernization and upgrade programs.
- Strong risk assessment and escalation skills, with ability to communicate mitigation strategies to senior leadership.
- Experience in large financial services or similarly complex enterprise environments.
- Excellent organizational, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
- Hands-on experience with SQL Server performance tuning, HA/DR solutions, and backup/recovery strategies.
- Familiarity with cloud-based SQL Server platforms and other database technologies is preferred.
Top 3 Must-Have Skills
- Lead and manage a small DBA team / experience with enterprise modernization and upgrades.
- Identify, assess, and escalate operational risks to senior leadership with clear mitigation strategies.
- Experience in large financial services or similarly complex enterprise environments.