SQL Database Administrator

Cognizant; Des Moines (IA); Hybrid; USD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance

Paid holidays plus PTO

401(k) plan and contributions

Long-term/Short-term Disability

Paid Parental Leave

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Job summary

Cognizant is seeking a SQL Server DBA for a full-time opportunity in Des Moines, IA. The candidate will work out of the client’s office 3 days a week in a hybrid role with valid US work authorization. Cognizant will not offer visa sponsorship.

The role covers database administration, performance optimization, HA/DR, security, migration, and automation across multiple environments, with enterprise-grade platform exposure.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of SQL Server DBA experience.
• Expertise with SQL Server 2016/2019/2022.
• Strong T-SQL development and query optimization.
• Experience with HA/DR and Always On.
• PowerShell scripting and automation experience.
• Knowledge of Windows Server and infrastructure concepts.
• Cloud exposure to Azure/AWS SQL Server preferred.

Responsibilities

• Manage and support SQL Server databases across Development, Test, UAT, and Production environments.
• Perform database code, schema, and object migrations following change management.
• Execute daily health checks, backups, job monitoring, and capacity reviews.
• Install, configure, upgrade, patch, and maintain SQL Server instances.
• Design, architect, and implement scalable, secure SQL Server environments.
• Lead database migrations, cloud migrations, and automation tasks.
• Provide 24x7 production support and incident management.

Skills

SQL Server Administration

T-SQL Development

Performance Tuning

Index Optimization

Query Optimization

Database Design

Always On Availability Groups

Clustering

Replication

Log Shipping

Backup & Recovery

Tools

SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)

PowerShell

Azure SQL Database

Azure Managed Instance

AWS RDS SQL Server

Job description

Cognizant is seeking a SQL Server DBA for a full-time opportunity in Des Moines, IA. The candidate needs to work out of the client’s office 3 days a week. This is a Hybrid role. Qualified applicants must have valid US work authorization. Cognizant will not offer visa sponsorship now or anytime in the future.

Database Administration & Operations

• Manage and support SQL Server databases across Development, Test, UAT, and Production environments.
• Perform database code, schema, and object migrations in compliance with established change management procedures.
• Execute daily operational health checks, backup verification, job monitoring, database consistency checks, and capacity reviews.
• Install, configure, upgrade, patch, and maintain SQL Server instances while minimizing business disruption.
• Manage database storage, growth, capacity planning, and lifecycle management activities.

Performance Management & Optimization

• Monitor database and server performance, proactively identifying and resolving CPU, memory, I/O, storage, locking, blocking, and resource contention issues.

Perform advanced performance tuning using:

• SQL Profiler
• Query Store
• Execution Plans
• Dynamic Management Views (DMVs)
• Extended Events
• Performance Monitor (PerfMon)

• Optimize SQL queries, stored procedures, indexes, database objects, and execution plans to improve application performance and reduce response times.
• Establish performance baselines and implement proactive monitoring strategies.

Database Architecture & Engineering

• Design, architect, and implement scalable, secure, and highly available SQL Server environments.
• Collaborate with Infrastructure, Server, Storage, Network, and Application teams to develop robust database platforms.
• Review database deployments and migration requests to ensure compliance with security, performance, scalability, and infrastructure standards.
• Participate in enterprise database modernization and cloud transformation initiatives.

High Availability & Disaster Recovery

• Implement and manage SQL Server HA/DR solutions, including:

• Always On Availability Groups
• Failover Clustering
• Log Shipping
• Replication
• Disaster Recovery Planning

• Develop, maintain, and test database backup, recovery, and business continuity procedures.
• Conduct periodic restore testing and disaster recovery exercises.

Security & Compliance

• Manage database security through user provisioning, role management, permissions, and access controls.
• Ensure compliance with organizational security policies, audit requirements, and regulatory standards.
• Conduct database security reviews and remediate vulnerabilities and risks.

Migration, Upgrades & Automation

• Lead database migrations, refreshes, cloning activities, platform upgrades, cloud migrations, and consolidation initiatives.
• Automate routine DBA tasks using:

• PowerShell
• T-SQL
• SQL Server Agent Jobs
• Automation Frameworks

• Develop scripts, utilities, and monitoring solutions to improve operational efficiency and reliability.

Incident & Production Support

• Provide 24x7 support for critical production databases and applications.
• Troubleshoot database-related incidents and service disruptions.
• Perform Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and implement preventive measures.
• Work closely with application, infrastructure, and vendor teams to ensure SLA compliance and service availability.

What you'll need to succeed:

Candidates must have over 7 years of experience with the technical skills below:

• Strong administration experience with:

• Microsoft SQL Server 2016/2019/2022
• SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)

• Expertise in:

• T-SQL Development
• Performance Tuning
• Index Optimization
• Query Optimization
• Database Design

• Hands-on experience with:

• Always On Availability Groups
• Clustering
• Replication
• Log Shipping

• Experience with backup and recovery strategies and tools.
• Strong understanding of database security, compliance, and auditing.
• Experience with PowerShell scripting and automation.
• Knowledge of Windows Server administration and infrastructure concepts.

Cloud & Modern Platform Exposure (Preferred)

• Azure SQL Database
• Azure Managed Instance
• AWS RDS SQL Server
• Cloud migration tools and methodologies

Cognizant offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:

• Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance
• Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off
• 401(k) plan and contributions
• Long-term/Short-term Disability
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Disclaimer: The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.