Role Overview
Our client is an Ontario public sector organization executing a major data and cloud modernization program within a regulated digital health environment. They are seeking a Senior Database Administrator to design, operate, and optimize enterprise-scale database systems across Azure cloud platforms.
You will own physical database design, performance tuning, high-availability and disaster-recovery strategy, and the secure delivery of cloud data services — working within ITIL-aligned governance and strict public-sector compliance standards.
This is a 16-month contract with the potential for extension. The role is fully onsite — 5 days per week in downtown Toronto.
What You'll Do
Design and develop data pipelines from source to end user, and continuously optimize them.
Create physical database designs and administer the DBMS — optimization, capacity planning, installation, migration, performance tuning, backup, and recovery.
Administer Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, and SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines.
Manage cloud data services — storage, repositories, VMs, disks, key vaults, Data Lake, Data Warehouse, and Data Lakehouse platforms.
Perform advanced performance tuning — query optimization, indexing, Query Store analysis, automatic tuning, wait-stats/IO analysis, TempDB, and throttling mitigation.
Design and support high-availability (HA) and disaster-recovery (DR) strategies for mission-critical systems.
Implement Azure authentication/authorization and RBAC; manage data protection and encryption (TDE, key management).
Enforce network security and firewall rules; ensure compliance with audit, data-classification, and regulatory standards (e.g., PHIPA).
Research and implement cybersecurity vulnerability remediations in database environments.
Apply DataOps practices — monitoring, alerting, and operational tuning — within ITIL-aligned change and configuration management.
What We're Looking For
7–10+ years of Database Administration across design, implementation, operations, and optimization of enterprise-scale systems.
Strong Azure cloud database expertise (PaaS and IaaS), including Azure SQL Database, Managed Instance, and SQL Server on Azure VMs.
Hands-on with Azure data services — Data Lake, Data Warehouse, Data Lakehouse, Databricks, Azure Data Factory.
Proven HA/DR design and execution for mission-critical systems.
Advanced performance tuning — Query Store, indexing, TempDB, wait stats, throttling mitigation.
Logical and physical data modeling — normalization, partitioning, multi-tenant architectures.
Security depth — Azure AD/RBAC, TDE, key management, firewall enforcement, vulnerability remediation.
Experience in public-sector or regulated, audited data environments; PHIPA familiarity (strong asset).
Strong ITIL-aligned incident, change, and configuration management experience.
Excellent communication and collaboration across infrastructure, security, application, and data teams.
Pay: $88.00-$91.00 per hour
Work Location: In person
