MS SQL Server DBA - On Prem to AWS Migration

Cognizant; Baton Rouge (LA); Remote; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognizant is seeking an experienced MS SQL Server DBA L3 to support a large-scale migration of SQL Server environments from on-premises infrastructure to AWS. The ideal candidate will have strong expertise in SQL Server administration, cloud migration, performance tuning, high availability, and production support.

The role requires 8+ years of hands-on DBA experience with Always On, WSFC, and migration tools.

Qualifications

• 8+ years hands-on MS SQL Server DBA experience.
• Experience migrating SQL Server workloads to AWS or other cloud platforms.
• Strong knowledge of Always On Availability Groups and WSFC.
• Expertise in SQL Server installation, configuration, patching, backup/recovery, and performance tuning.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end migration of SQL Server databases from on-premises to AWS (EC2).
• Assess existing SQL Server environments, backups, HA/DR configurations, and migration readiness.
• Design and execute migration, cutover, validation, and rollback plans.
• Install, configure, and maintain SQL Server environments on AWS.
• Perform migrations using Backup/Restore, Log Shipping, Replication, Always On, and other methods.
• Support cutover activities and post-migration stabilization (hypercare).
• Troubleshoot performance, availability, connectivity, backup, and security issues.
• Create migration runbooks, SOPs, and validation checklists.
• Collaborate with application, cloud, infrastructure, security, and business teams during migration.

Skills

SQL Server DBA expertise

Cloud migration

HA/DR configurations

Performance tuning

Production support

Education

AWS Certifications (preferred)

Tools

AWS EC2

SQL Server

Always On

WSFC

FCI

Replication

Log Shipping

Backup/Recovery

Query Store

Job description

Cognizant is seeking an experienced MS SQL Server DBA L3 to support large-scale migration of SQL Server environments from on-premises infrastructure to AWS. The ideal candidate will have strong expertise in SQL Server administration, cloud migration, performance tuning, high availability, and production support. Applicants must be authorized to work in the US without any visa sponsorship. Cognizant will not sponsor visas now or anytime in the future.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end migration of Microsoft SQL Server databases from on-premises environments to AWS (primarily SQL Server on Amazon EC2).

• Assess existing SQL Server environments, dependencies, backups, HA/DR configurations, and migration readiness.

• Design and execute migration, cutover, validation, and rollback plans.

• Install, configure, and maintain SQL Server environments on AWS.

• Perform database migrations using Backup/Restore, Log Shipping, Replication, Always On, and other migration approaches.

• Support cutover activities and post-migration stabilization (hypercare).

• Troubleshoot database performance, availability, connectivity, backup, and security issues.

• Create migration runbooks, SOPs, validation checklists, and operational documentation.

• Collaborate with application, cloud, infrastructure, security, and business teams throughout the migration lifecycle.

Required Skills & Experience

• 8+ years of hands-on Microsoft SQL Server DBA experience.

• Strong experience with SQL Server 2008 R2, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2022.

• Proven experience migrating SQL Server workloads from on-premises to AWS or other cloud platforms.

• Strong knowledge of Amazon EC2, EBS, VPC, Security Groups, and cloud-based SQL Server operations.

• Expertise in SQL Server installation, configuration, patching, backup/recovery, performance tuning, and troubleshooting.

• Experience with High Availability and Disaster Recovery technologies including:

• Always On Availability Groups

• Windows Server Failover Clustering

• Failover Cluster Instances (FCI)

• Replication

• Log Shipping

• Database Mirroring

• Strong experience with Query Store, execution plans, indexing, deadlock analysis, TempDB optimization, and performance tuning.

• Experience supporting SQL Server security, authentication, service accounts, certificates, and encryption.

• Experience migrating SQL Server dependencies including Linked Servers, SQL Agent Jobs, SSIS, SSRS, and SSAS.

Preferred Qualifications

• AWS certifications are a plus.

• Experience with large-scale migration programs and migration factory models.

• Strong communication, stakeholder management, and documentation skills.

The role is open to remote candidates located in the US. The salary range for this role is between $110,000 to $140,000 depending on skills and qualifications of the candidate. Applications will be accepted till 10/10/2026.

Cognizant is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.