Lead SQL Server DBA (high availability configurations, clustering, and disaster recovery)

Role : Lead SQL Server DBA (high availability configurations, clustering, and disaster recovery)

Location : Boise, Idaho

Duration : 1year

Note : Please SPECIFY the CITY and STATE in which your candidate is CURRENTLY located (if not specified or if location specified is determined to be untrue at any point during the screening / interview / onboarding process - INCLUDING DURING BACKGROUND CHECK WHICH WILL CONFIRM TRUE ADDRESS - your candidate will not be considered / will be removed from consideration for the position).

Key Responsibilities

Seeking senior SQL Server DBA to lead upgrade from 2017 to 2022 and support current on-prem VM environments. Must have strong experience in high availability, clustering, and disaster recovery in virtualized infrastructure.

We are seeking a senior-level SQL Server DBA to support a critical upgrade project from SQL Server2017 to 2022 . This role is focused on managing and upgrading SQL Server environments hosted on on-premises virtual machines (VMs) . The ideal candidate will have deep experience with high availability configurations, clustering, and disaster recovery in a virtualized infrastructure.

Note : The candidate MUST have experience in leading / performing a SQL Server 2016 / 2017 to 2022 migration in a HA Always up Clustered environment with DR using replication.

• Lead the upgrade of SQL Server 2017 to 2022 in a complex, on-prem VM-based environment
• Maintain and troubleshoot Always On Availability Groups and Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC)
• Collaborate with infrastructure teams to manage VM configurations, storage, and networking
• Support both production and disaster recovery (DR) environments
• Perform performance tuning, capacity planning, and backup / restore operations
• Create and maintain detailed documentation and procedures
• Provide on-call support as needed
• Provide direction as needed for other DBA contractors on work required to be performed
• Provide knowledge transfer to internal teams

Required Qualifications

Preferred Qualifications

Cluster Name Object (CNO) requirements for pre staged SQL Computer Objects

Note : While the contractor will not directly manage AD or DNS, they will work closely with the Server Support team to facilitate necessary changes and ensure proper configuration.

Required / Desired Skills

Skill

Required / Desired

Amount

of Experience

MS SQL Server DBA experience

Required

Years

Proven experience upgrading SQL Server 2017 to 2022 on virtualized infrastructure

Required

Years

Experiencing upgrading SQL server 2017 to 2022

Required

Years

Experience maintaining and setup of High Availability and Clustering

Required

Years

Hyper-V or VMware virtualization knowledge

Required

Years

Proficient writing T-SQL and PowerShell scripts

Required

Years

Windows Server 2022 experience

Required

Years

Experience with setup and maintiance of SQL server components such as SSRS, SSIS and Analysis Services

Required

Years

Strong problem-solving and communication skills

Required

Years

Microsoft DBA Certification

Required

Years

VM backup / snapshot strategy experience

Highly desired

Years

Experience with Hybrid disaster recovery strategies

Highly desired

Years

Active directory Knowledge - Cluster Name Objects(CNO) in HA setups

Highly desired

Years

Familiarity and experience with Microsoft SQL Server licensing options / strategies

Highly desired

Years

Familiarity with VM backup and snapshot strategies

Highly desired

Years

Monitoring Tools such as Redgate, Solar Winds or Sentry One

Desired

Years

DNS configuration for SQL listeners and CNO's in HA setup

Nice to have

Years

Delegation of rights to service accounts for dynamic object creation within specific OUs

Nice to have

Years