Database Administrator 26-25929

Russell Tobin; Toronto; On-site; CAD 96,000 - 103,000; Full time

Job summary

Russell Tobin & Associates is seeking a Database Administrator for an on-site role in Toronto/Ottawa, Ontario. You will manage SQL Server 2019–2025, Oracle/DB2 platforms, and implement high-availability, backup, and DR strategies for critical public sector applications.

You will optimize queries, ensure security and compliance, coordinate upgrades, and participate in change control, incident management, and release activities with cross-functional teams.

Qualifications

• Strong hands-on experience administering Microsoft SQL Server, particularly SQL Server 2019, 2022, and 2025.
• Experience configuring and maintaining SQL Server Failover Clustering and Always On Availability Groups.
• Hands-on experience with at least one additional enterprise database platform, including Oracle 19c, IBM DB2 on Windows/Linux, or DB2 on z/OS.
• Strong experience with database performance tuning, including query optimization, indexing, execution plans, and troubleshooting database bottlenecks.
• Strong knowledge of database backup, recovery, high availability, and disaster recovery strategies.
• Experience with database installation, configuration, upgrades, migrations, refreshes, cloning, patching, and environment management.
• Experience with SQL Server upgrades, including migration from SQL Server 2019 to 2022 and/or SQL Server 2022 to 2025.
• Experience with database security, access controls, roles, permissions, encryption, and compliance requirements.
• Experience working with Windows Server, Linux/RHEL, and/or mainframe environments.
• Experience designing and implementing REST API integrations and related best practices.
• Experience with application monitoring, middleware/gateway technologies, and enterprise application support.
• Knowledge of ITIL-based incident, change, and release management processes.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, problem-solving, communication, and documentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day operational support, administration, monitoring, maintenance, and troubleshooting for enterprise database environments supporting critical applications.
• Administer, configure, patch, upgrade, and maintain SQL Server, Oracle, and/or IBM DB2 database platforms.
• Configure and maintain SQL Server Failover Clustering and Always On Availability Groups, including monitoring, failover, and troubleshooting.
• Monitor database health, availability, performance, capacity, storage utilization, and system reliability.
• Perform database performance tuning by analyzing queries, indexes, execution plans, server resources, and application-related bottlenecks.
• Implement and maintain database backup, recovery, high-availability, and disaster recovery solutions.
• Perform database installations, migrations, refreshes, cloning, upgrades, patching, and environment setup activities.
• Support SQL Server platform upgrades, including SQL Server 2019 to 2022 and SQL Server 2022 to 2025.
• Manage database security, user access, roles, permissions, encryption, and operational compliance requirements.
• Support production, development, testing, and disaster recovery environments, including highly available and mission-critical systems.
• Troubleshoot and resolve database incidents, service requests, data integrity issues, configuration issues, and recovery-related problems.
• Support application monitoring and middleware/gateway installation, configuration, tuning, and administration.
• Design and implement REST API integrations while following integration and security best practices.
• Collaborate with application developers, infrastructure teams, architects, data engineers, vendors, QA teams, and project stakeholders.
• Support application modernization, database migration, infrastructure upgrades, cloud/hybrid initiatives, and technology lifecycle management.
• Participate in change requests, release promotions, deployments, patching, technical reviews, root cause analysis, and post-incident activities.
• Assess and test technical Change Requests (CRQs) and coordinate database changes with application, infrastructure, and vendor teams.
• Follow structured methodologies and ITIL practices for incident, change, problem, and release management.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation, operational procedures, runbooks, architecture documentation, and knowledge articles.
• Provide knowledge transfer sessions, technical guidance, reports, and status updates to project and operational teams.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to understand business and technical requirements and provide database solutions aligned with enterprise and Ministry objectives.
• Contribute to risk and issue management and promote database administration, security, performance, and operational best practices.

Skills

SQL Server

Always On Availability Groups

Query optimization

Backup and disaster recovery

Security and encryption

REST API integrations

Windows Server

Linux/RHEL

ITIL processes

Documentation

Tools

SQL Server 2019/2022/2025

Oracle 19c

IBM DB2 on Windows/Linux

DB2 on z/OS

Job description

Russell Tobin & Associates is hiring on behalf of one of its esteemed clients.

Job ID: 26-25929

Job Title: Database Administrator

Location: Toronto, ON/Ottawa, ON(Onsite)

Duration: 250 business days with possible extension

Client: Public Sector

Pay Rate: CAD $70/hr - $75/hr

Must have:

• Strong hands-on experience administering Microsoft SQL Server, particularly SQL Server 2019, 2022, and 2025.
• Experience configuring and maintaining SQL Server Failover Clustering and Always On Availability Groups.
• Hands-on experience with at least one additional enterprise database platform, including Oracle 19c, IBM DB2 on Windows/Linux, or DB2 on z/OS.
• Strong experience with database performance tuning, including query optimization, indexing, execution plans, and troubleshooting database bottlenecks.
• Strong knowledge of database backup, recovery, high availability, and disaster recovery strategies.
• Experience with database installation, configuration, upgrades, migrations, refreshes, cloning, patching, and environment management.
• Experience with SQL Server upgrades, including migration from SQL Server 2019 to 2022 and/or SQL Server 2022 to 2025.
• Experience with database security, access controls, roles, permissions, encryption, and compliance requirements.
• Experience working with Windows Server, Linux/RHEL, and/or mainframe environments.
• Experience designing and implementing REST API integrations and related best practices.
• Experience with application monitoring, middleware/gateway technologies, and enterprise application support.
• Knowledge of ITIL-based incident, change, and release management processes.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, problem-solving, communication, and documentation skills.

Role and Responsibilities:

• Provide day-to-day operational support, administration, monitoring, maintenance, and troubleshooting for enterprise database environments supporting critical applications.
• Administer, configure, patch, upgrade, and maintain SQL Server, Oracle, and/or IBM DB2 database platforms.
• Configure and maintain SQL Server Failover Clustering and Always On Availability Groups, including monitoring, failover, and troubleshooting.
• Monitor database health, availability, performance, capacity, storage utilization, and system reliability.
• Perform database performance tuning by analyzing queries, indexes, execution plans, server resources, and application-related bottlenecks.
• Implement and maintain database backup, recovery, high-availability, and disaster recovery solutions.
• Perform database installations, migrations, refreshes, cloning, upgrades, patching, and environment setup activities.
• Support SQL Server platform upgrades, including SQL Server 2019 to 2022 and SQL Server 2022 to 2025.
• Manage database security, user access, roles, permissions, encryption, and operational compliance requirements.
• Support production, development, testing, and disaster recovery environments, including highly available and mission-critical systems.
• Troubleshoot and resolve database incidents, service requests, data integrity issues, configuration issues, and recovery-related problems.
• Support application monitoring and middleware/gateway installation, configuration, tuning, and administration.
• Design and implement REST API integrations while following integration and security best practices.
• Collaborate with application developers, infrastructure teams, architects, data engineers, vendors, QA teams, and project stakeholders.
• Support application modernization, database migration, infrastructure upgrades, cloud/hybrid initiatives, and technology lifecycle management.
• Participate in change requests, release promotions, deployments, patching, technical reviews, root cause analysis, and post-incident activities.
• Assess and test technical Change Requests (CRQs) and coordinate database changes with application, infrastructure, and vendor teams.
• Follow structured methodologies and ITIL practices for incident, change, problem, and release management.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation, operational procedures, runbooks, architecture documentation, and knowledge articles.
• Provide knowledge transfer sessions, technical guidance, reports, and status updates to project and operational teams.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to understand business and technical requirements and provide database solutions aligned with enterprise and Ministry objectives.
• Contribute to risk and issue management and promote database administration, security, performance, and operational best practices.