Manager, Data Operations

Stratacareers; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 150,000 - 168,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Retirement benefits

Health and welfare benefits

Paid time off

Parental leave

Life and accident insurance

Job summary

Stratacareers is seeking a Manager of Data Operations in Chicago, Illinois. In this leadership role, you’ll lead a team to ensure the reliability, performance, and security of a mission-critical data platform using SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, and Snowflake.

Your responsibilities will include managing the team, troubleshooting complex performance issues, and driving improvements in scalability and efficiency. An estimated salary range of $150,000-168,000 is offered, along with a comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• Strong SQL Server performance tuning experience in production environments.
• Experience with Azure SQL and familiarity with Snowflake and Microsoft Fabric.
• Proficiency in SQL and scripting languages.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team responsible for data platform reliability and security.
• Optimize queries and database performance.
• Drive improvements in scalability and operational efficiency.

Skills

SQL Server performance tuning

Azure SQL

Scripting languages (PowerShell, Python)

Monitoring and observability tools

Collaborative communication skills

Tools

Query Store

Azure Monitor

Datadog

Job description

As the Manager of Data Operations, you will lead a team responsible for the reliability, performance, and security of a mission‑critical data platform spanning SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, Snowflake, and Microsoft Fabric.

This is a hands‑on leadership role. You will balance people management with deep technical engagement—guiding the team while also stepping in to solve complex performance issues, drive platform improvements, and ensure operational excellence across the environment.

You’ll partner closely with engineering, analytics, and platform teams to ensure our data systems are scalable, cost‑efficient, and ready to support advanced analytics and AI‑driven workloads.

Lead and Grow the Team

• Manage, mentor, and develop a team of data engineers and DBAs
• Set clear priorities and uphold high operational standards
• Coach on performance tuning, troubleshooting, and best practices
• Partner on hiring, workforce planning, and team development

Own Platform Reliability and Security

• Ensure availability, performance, and security across all platforms
• Lead incident response and improve operational readiness
• Strengthen monitoring, alerting, and runbooks to reduce noise and speed response
• Support backup, recovery, and disaster recovery strategies

Stay Hands‑On

• Troubleshoot complex performance issues across CPU, memory, IO, and concurrency
• Optimize queries, indexing, and execution plans at scale
• Guide database design and performance with engineering teams
• Serve as an escalation point for critical production issues

Drive Improvement and Modernization

• Identify opportunities to improve scalability, efficiency, and cost
• Support adoption of Snowflake, Microsoft Fabric, and modern data tools
• Partner to enable analytics, ML, and AI workloads
• Promote automation and standardization

What we’re looking for:

• Strong SQL Server performance tuning experience in production environments, including execution plans, indexing, locking/blocking, and wait analysis
• Experience with Azure SQL and hybrid data platforms; familiarity with Snowflake and/or Microsoft Fabric is a plus
• Proficiency in SQL and scripting languages such as PowerShell or Python
• Experience with monitoring and observability tools like Query Store, Azure Monitor, or Datadog
• A solid understanding of how infrastructure decisions impact database performance, scalability, and cost
• Experience supporting analytics, reporting, or AI‑driven data platforms
• Proven ability to lead technical teams while remaining hands‑on when needed
• Strong decision‑making skills, accountability, and a track record of improving operational practices
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills, especially during incidents, cross‑functional initiatives, and technical decision‑making discussions

What Success Looks Like:

• A secure, high‑performing, well‑monitored data platform
• A team with clear ownership and reduced operational noise
• Effective incident response with continuous improvement
• Ongoing platform enhancements—not just maintenance
• A data environment ready to scale with analytics and AI needs

Estimated Salary Range: $150,000-168,000

Actual salary will be determined based on factors including, but not limited to, skill set and level of experience. This salary range is a good faith estimate of base pay. Strata also provides discretionary variable pay programs based on role. In addition, Strata provides a comprehensive benefits package including retirement benefits, health and welfare benefits, paid time off, parental leave, life and accident insurance, and other voluntary and well‑being benefits.

Find out more about Strata benefits here.