Database Engineer – AI

Sonata Software (SonataOne); San Antonio (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Sonata Software (SonataOne) is seeking a Senior Database Engineer with 8+ years of experience focusing on Microsoft SQL Server, Azure SQL Managed Instance, and AI/LLM integration. You will design and optimize complex SQL objects and ensure performance, security, and reliability of AI-generated database changes.

The role involves optimizing databases on Azure, validating AI-generated SQL, implementing safeguards, and collaborating with AI and backend teams to improve agent context and deployment

Qualifications

• 8+ years of hands-on database engineering experience.
• Deep expertise in Microsoft SQL Server and T-SQL.
• Experience with Azure SQL Managed Instance.
• Strong performance tuning and query optimization skills.
• Ability to validate AI-generated SQL and ensure data integrity.
• Knowledge of database security and safe execution practices.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain complex SQL objects including procedures, views, and indexes.
• Perform advanced query tuning, execution plans, and deadlock analysis.
• Analyze schemas and dependencies to assess impact of changes.
• Manage databases on Azure SQL Managed Instance and monitor performance.
• Enhance AI-powered SQL agents for improved generation and automation.
• Validate AI-generated SQL for correctness and safety.
• Implement safety controls to prevent destructive operations.
• Develop automated testing to measure agent accuracy and safety.
• Collaborate with AI/backend teams on metadata integration.
• Establish security, backup, recovery, and deployment practices.

Skills

Microsoft SQL Server

T-SQL

Azure SQL Managed Instance

SQL performance tuning

Stored procedures

Data security and compliance

AI/LLM integration awareness

CI/CD pipelines

Tools

SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)

Azure DevOps

PowerShell

Job description

Experience: 8+ Years

Technology Stack: Microsoft SQL Server, Azure SQL Managed Instance,T-SQL, AI/LLM Integration

About the role:

We are looking for a SeniorDatabase Engineer with 8+ years of experience and deep expertise in MicrosoftSQL Server, database performance tuning, stored procedures, dependencyanalysis, and Azure SQL Managed Instance. The ideal candidate will contributeto enhancing AI-powered SQL agents and ensure the correctness, performance,security, and safety of AI-generated database queries, scripts, and changes.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain complex SQL queries,stored procedures, functions, views, triggers, indexes, and databaseobjects.
• Perform advanced SQL performance tuning, executionplan analysis, indexing optimization, deadlock investigation, and databasebottleneck resolution.
• Analyze database schemas, object dependencies,relationships, and business logic to assess the impact of databasechanges.
• Manage and optimize databases on Azure SQL ManagedInstance, including performance monitoring, troubleshooting, migration,and deployment.
• Enhance AI-powered SQL agents to improve SQLgeneration, schema understanding, query optimization, and databaseworkflow automation.
• Validate AI-generated SQL for syntactic correctness,business logic accuracy, performance, data integrity, and compatibilitywith the target environment.
• Implement safety controls to prevent destructive SQLoperations, unauthorized data access, unintended data modifications, andproduction-impacting changes.
• Develop automated evaluation and testing frameworksto measure SQL agent accuracy, reliability, execution correctness, andsafety.
• Collaborate with AI and backend engineers to improveagent context retrieval, error handling, feedback mechanisms, and databasemetadata integration.
• Establish database security, auditing, backup,recovery, version control, and deployment practices aligned withenterprise standards.

Required Skills andQualifications

• 8+ years of hands-on experience in databaseengineering, with deep expertise in Microsoft SQL Server and T-SQL.
• Strong experience developing and optimizing complexstored procedures, functions, views, triggers, indexes, and queries.
• Expertise in SQL performance tuning, execution plans,query optimization, deadlock analysis, and troubleshooting.
• Strong understanding of database architecture, schemadesign, object dependencies, transactions, and data integrity.
• Hands-on experience with Azure SQL Managed Instance,including performance optimization and operational support.
• Experience reviewing and validating database scriptsand assessing the impact of database changes across dependent objects andapplications.
• Strong understanding of database security, accesscontrols, auditing, SQL injection prevention, and safe executionpractices.
• Practical exposure to AI/LLM-powered applications,text-to-SQL solutions, AI coding assistants, or AI-driven databaseautomation.
• Ability to identify hallucinated database objects,incorrect business logic, inefficient queries, and unsafe operations inAI-generated SQL.
• Experience with database testing, version control,CI/CD pipelines, and controlled database deployments.
• Mortgage knowledge is a Plus

ABOUT SONATA SOFTWARE

Sonata Software is an AI-firstmodernization engineering company that helps enterprises transform legacysystems into intelligent, scalable business platforms. Powered by itsPlatformation™ framework and Harmoni.AI platform, Sonata delivers AI-ledmodernization across cloud, data, AI, Dynamics, test automation, and managedservices. Headquartered in Bengaluru, India, Sonata has more than $1.2 billionin revenue and 6,400+ AI engineers supporting global delivery across regionsincluding the US, UK, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Australia, DACH, and theNordics. With deep partnerships across Microsoft, AWS, Salesforce, andSnowflake, Sonata helps Fortune 500 enterprises accelerate innovation, improveefficiency, and drive sustainable growth.

SonataSoftware is an Equal Opportunity Employer encouraging diversity in theworkplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employmentwithout regard to race, national origin, gender identity, age, religion, disability,sexual orientation, veteran status, marital status, or any othercharacteristics protected by law