Senior Database Administrator

We are seeking a highly accomplished Senior Database Administrator for an enterprise-level contract-to-permanent opportunity. In this role, you will take on a premier database administration, cloud database engineering, and performance optimization capacity, specializing in managing, securing, and scaling enterprise databases across PostgreSQL and Microsoft SQL Server on Microsoft Azure.

As a Senior DBA, you will bridge the gap between cloud infrastructure engineering, application development squads, cybersecurity governance, and platform reliability operations. Operating in a 100% remote setting, you will manage full database lifecycles—governing capacity planning, schema design, database migrations, security hardening, high availability, and disaster recovery. This position demands a technical database authority with extensive hands-on expertise in SQL Server and PostgreSQL internals, query performance tuning, execution plan analysis, and database automation using Terraform, Python, and Bash who can ensure maximum throughput, low latency, and continuous service availability for high-volume enterprise platforms.

Location: Remote

Assignment Type: 100% Remote

Contract Duration: 6-month contract to start (with intentions to convert to Full-Time Permanent)

Advantages
100% Remote Autonomy: Complete flexibility and work-life balance with full remote work.

Direct Conversion Pathway: Initial 6-month contract structured with direct intention for full-time permanent conversion.

Modern Cloud Data Ecosystem: Direct hands-on ownership of Azure SQL Database (Business Critical/Hyperscale) and Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server.

Advanced Automation & Observability: Engineer self-healing runbooks using Terraform, Python, and Bash, alongside Prometheus and Grafana telemetry.

Responsibilities
Manage the full database lifecycle, including capacity planning, provisioning, schema design, database migration, security hardening, and backup/recovery strategies across PostgreSQL and Microsoft SQL Server on Azure.

Partner with Cloud Performance Engineers during performance testing cycles (load, stress, soak, spike) to identify and remediate database bottlenecks targeting 500+ TPS within defined latency thresholds.

Proactively monitor, detect, and resolve database bottlenecks, addressing long-running queries, blocking chains, deadlocks, autovacuum lag, replication lag, I/O saturation, and schema anti-patterns.

Analyze telemetry and performance indicators across Azure Monitor, Application Insights, Log Analytics, Prometheus, and Grafana to optimize database health.

Integrate automated query regression gates, database smoke tests, and deployment verification checks into Azure DevOps CI/CD pipelines.

Apply scheduled database engine patches, security hotfixes, and CVE remediations while enforcing data encryption at rest and in transit.

Automate routine database operational tasks and cloud infrastructure provisioning using Terraform, Python, and Bash scripts.

Own the database Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Planning (DR/BCP) strategy, defining and validating RTO and RPO targets.

Design and validate multi-region Azure replication mechanisms, including PostgreSQL streaming/logical replication, geo-redundant backups, and quarterly failover drills.

Remediate security misconfigurations, audit permissions to ensure least-privilege access, and maintain compliance with SOC 2, HIPAA, and ISO 27001 regulatory frameworks.

Comply strictly with enterprise data privacy, security, and confidentiality policies, ensuring accurate tracking and reporting of billable hours in designated systems.

Qualifications
Core Technical & Database Engineering Requirements
Professional Experience: 5 to 10+ years of professional experience in database administration, database architecture, or database engineering, supported by a post-secondary degree in Computer Science or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).

Database Engine Internals: Deep expertise in SQL Server and relational database internals, including storage engines, query optimizers, buffer pools, transaction management, and locking mechanisms.

Azure Cloud Database Services: Proven hands-on experience administering Azure managed database services, including Azure SQL Database (Business Critical and Hyperscale tiers) and Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server.

T-SQL & Advanced Query Tuning: Expert-level command of reading and writing T-SQL, with demonstrated mastery in execution plan analysis, index architecture, DMV/DMF diagnostics, and system catalogue views.

Query Optimization Diagnostics: Practical experience diagnosing complex optimization challenges, such as parameter sniffing, inaccurate cardinality estimation, suboptimal join strategies, and inefficient index access patterns.

Very Large Database (VLDB) Scale: Proven experience managing and maintaining very large databases in the tens-of-terabytes range.

High Availability & Disaster Recovery: Track record of designing and testing multi-region DR/BCP strategies with documented RTO/RPO validations and failover execution.

Preferred Technical Assets & Methodologies
Automation & Scripting: Strong capability in scripting and automating database tasks using Terraform, Python, and Bash.

Observability & Monitoring: Hands-on experience using monitoring stacks such as Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Application Insights, Prometheus, and Grafana.

Feature Mastery: Working knowledge of advanced SQL Server features, including Query Store, Plan Guides, Extended Events (XEvents), and Parameter Sensitive Plan (PSP) optimization.

Message Queues & Streaming: Familiarity with Apache Kafka and the architectural impact of high-throughput write patterns on database performance.

Regulatory Compliance: Understanding of security controls and database audit requirements for SOC 2, HIPAA, and ISO 27001 standards.

Soft Skills & Delivery Attributes
Analytical Problem Solving: Exceptional diagnostic and troubleshooting skills to isolate performance bottlenecks, deadlocks, and system degradation rapidly.

Communication & Collaboration: Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to articulate technical database challenges and optimization strategies clearly to engineering and leadership teams.

Summary
If you're interested in the "Senior Database Administrator" role based in Toronto, we encourage you to apply online at www.randstad.ca.
Only qualified candidates will be contacted for the next steps. We look forward to hearing from you!

Randstad Canada is committed to fostering a workforce reflective of all peoples of Canada. As a result, we are committed to developing and implementing strategies to increase the equity, diversity and inclusion within the workplace by examining our internal policies, practices, and systems throughout the entire lifecycle of our workforce, including its recruitment, retention and advancement for all employees. In addition to our deep commitment to respecting human rights, we are dedicated to positive actions to affect change to ensure everyone has full participation in the workforce free from any barriers, systemic or otherwise, especially equity-seeking groups who are usually underrepresented in Canada's workforce, including those who identify as women or non-binary/gender non-conforming; Indigenous or Aboriginal Peoples; persons with disabilities (visible or invisible) and; members of visible minorities, racialized groups and the LGBTQ2+ community.

Randstad Canada is committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible workplace for all its candidates and employees by supporting their accessibility and accommodation needs throughout the employment lifecycle. We ask that all job applications please identify any accommodation requirements by sending an email to [email protected] to ensure their ability to fully participate in the interview process.

This posting is for existing and upcoming vacancies.