Database Administrator

We're looking for an experienced Database Administrator to assess and stabilize database operations for a client engagement spanning MySQL and Microsoft SQL Server. This role starts with a clear-eyed look at what's actually in place — access models, backup posture, monitoring coverage, and operational ownership — and moves quickly into fixing what's fragile and documenting what's not.

The ideal candidate has run production databases under real pressure, knows the difference between a backup that exists and one that's been proven to restore, and can turn a messy current state into a prioritized, actionable plan.

What you'll do

Assess the current state

• Review database management practices, access model, and operational ownership
• Evaluate monitoring coverage, backup posture, and routine maintenance
• Identify performance concerns and the issues that need stabilizing first
• Turn the findings into a clear, prioritized picture the client can act on

Implement the improvements

• Put agreed operational hygiene practices in place across both platforms
• Recommend and apply performance tuning
• Verify backups and test recovery — confirm they work, don't assume it
• Improve monitoring and alerting so problems surface before users report them
• Triage and resolve incidents as they come up
• Document what exists, what changed, and how to run it

What you'll bring

• Solid production DBA experience with both MySQL and Microsoft SQL Server
• Backup and recovery: design, validation, and real restore testing
• Query and index tuning, execution plan analysis, wait statistics
• Monitoring and alerting setup on either platform
• Comfort with database security and access models — roles, least privilege, auditing
• Clear written documentation. Runbooks that someone else can follow
• The ability to work inside a client's constraints and escalate rather than improvise when scope is unclear