Senior MS SQL Server Database Administrator (with PostgreSQL Experience)

Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center:  Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care, VUMC is a community of individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. Vanderbilt Health is committed to an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your uniqueness is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt’s mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

Organization:

HealthIT Per-Proc. PG

Job Summary:

We are seeking an experienced Senior MS SQL Server Database Administrator with solid PostgreSQL expertise to lead the design, implementation, maintenance, and optimization of our enterprise database environments. The ideal candidate brings deep technical knowledge, automation skills, strong performance tuning capabilities, and the ability to partner effectively with development, infrastructure, and security teams. This role will be responsible for ensuring high availability, scalability, and security of mission critical data systems.

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Key Responsibilities

Database Administration & Operations

• Administer, configure, and maintain Microsoft SQL Server environments (2019+), including standalone, clustered, and AlwaysOn Availability Group architectures.

• Manage and support PostgreSQL instances.

• Perform database installations, upgrades, patches, backups, and disaster recovery tasks.

• Monitor database performance proactively and troubleshoot issues using native and third‑party tools.

• Implement and maintain automated processes for database health checks, alerts, and maintenance tasks.

Performance Tuning & Optimization

• Conduct deep‑dive query tuning, index optimization, and storage performance analysis.

• Analyze execution plans and work closely with developers to improve SQL code efficiency.

• Optimize database schema, data partitioning, and resource utilization for maximum throughput.

Security, Compliance & Governance

• Enforce database security best practices, including encryption, role-based access control, and auditing.

• Ensure compliance with corporate governance, regulatory, and data protection standards.

• Participate in ongoing security assessments and vulnerability remediation.

Architecture & Design

• Design scalable and resilient database architectures supporting high‑volume transactional systems.

• Support data modeling, capacity planning, and environment standardization.

Collaboration & Technical Leadership

• Serve as a SME for SQL Server and PostgreSQL technologies.

• Mentor junior DBAs and engineering staff.

• Partner with development teams on schema design, stored procedure optimization, and release readiness.

• Create and maintain technical documentation, runbooks, and architecture diagrams.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands‑on experience as a SQL Server DBA.

• Bachelor's degree (required)

• Strong proficiency with:

  • SQL Server installation, configuration, clustering, AlwaysOn AGs.

  • Backup/restore strategies (native, maintenance plans, third‑party tools).

  • Query performance tuning and optimization.

  • SQL Server internals (indexes, statistics, locking, tempdb, I/O).

• 2+ years experience administering and tuning PostgreSQL.

• Proficiency in T‑SQL, PL/pgSQL, and writing performant stored procedures.

• Solid understanding of Windows Server environments.

• Experience with PowerShell, or other scripting languages for automation.

• Familiarity with monitoring tools (e.g., Foglight, SolarWinds DPA, SentryOne, Redgate).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with:

  • Replication, partitioning, and sharding strategies.

  • ETL tools and SSIS.

  • Replication, partitioning, and sharding strategies.

  • Linux environment.

  • Background supporting databases in cloud platforms (Azure SQL, AWS RDS, EC2‑hosted DBs).

  • Relevant certifications (MCSE, PostgreSQL certs).

Soft Skills

• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.

• Excellent communication and cross‑team collaboration abilities.

• Ability to work independently in complex, high‑availability environments.

• Leadership and mentoring capabilities.

TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES
• Server Installation and Upgrade (Intermediate): Has the ability to install software using vendor-supplied and company-developed procedures. Demonstrates the ability to use core utility programs in the installation and maintenance of systems. Demonstrates the ability to quickly analyze and resolve problems that may arise during a software installation. Demonstrates the ability to create and use complex utility programs to facilitate software installations.
• Database Backup and Recovery (Intermediate): Demonstrates ability to prepare complex and dependent backup procedures for important operational and production grade files and systems, including operating systems, databases, tools, applications and other critical computer-based materials. Has experience with the advanced features of various backup tools. Knowledgeable in disaster recovery operations and procedures. Demonstrates the ability to react quickly to recover and restore files and databases that have been damaged or otherwise deemed unusable.
• Database Performance Tuning (Intermediate): Demonstrates knowledge of what metrics are available, understands their meaning, and can produce sophisticated reports for multiple database systems. Possesses sufficient knowledge, training, and experience to be capable of successfully delivering Database Performance Monitoring/Tuning without requiring support and instruction from others. Performs statistical analysis with performance tuning data.
• Database Security (Intermediate): Has expertise in finding exposures in databases and in developing/installing safeguards to protect the database physically and the information on the database. Familiar with the external access safeguards to Databases. Has worked with a variety of databases and the applications that access the databases. Is familiar with the major database security vulnerabilities of Server Security, Database Connections, Table Access Control and Restricting Database Access.
• Physical Database Modeling (Intermediate): Has designed advanced physical databases. Demonstrated the ability to bring all the various pieces together to complete the process of defining a database for a business application. Takes into consideration that the objects defined during physical modeling can vary depending on the relational database software being used. Has worked with at least two relational database systems that have variations with the way data types are represented and the way data is stored. Has prepared advanced server model diagrams that show tables, columns, and relationships within a database, user feedback documentation, and database design documentation.

About the Department:

Health IT

HealthIT provides the best health information technology tools that support Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s mission of:

• Delivering distinctively personalized care

• Improving the health care of individuals and communities regionally, nationally and internationally

• Providing transformative learning programs

• Supporting compelling discoveries

Our tools, which form the digital arteries of VUMC, are either developed in-house by our innovative product teams or selected from the most cutting-edge solutions available in today’s ever-changing marketplace. Our 500 colleagues provide ongoing support over each product’s entire lifespan, ensuring that the tools are meeting the evolving needs of the Medical Center’s 24,000 colleagues.

Our solutions are driven by the incredible work and research of our colleagues throughout Vanderbilt and supported through a close partnership with VUMC Information Technology (VUMC IT). The strong collaboration among our teams means that VUMC can respond to clinical and operational issues with agility and innovation. Together, we ensure VUMC remains a leader in its pioneering use of healthcare information technology.

Underscoring our entire department are our core values of accountability, transparency and execution, delivered with a strong Partner Promise.

Position Shift: Days

Our professional administrative functions include critical supporting roles in information technology and informatics, finance, administration, legal and community affairs, human resources, communications and marketing, development, facilities, and many more.

At our growing health system, we support each other and encourage excellence among all who are part of our workforce. High-achieving employees stay at Vanderbilt Health for professional growth, appreciation of benefits, and a sense of community and purpose.

Core Accountabilities:

Organizational Impact: Independently delivers on objectives with understanding of how they impact the results of own area/team and other related teams. Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Utilizes multiple sources of data to analyze and resolve complex problems; may take a new perspective on existing solution. Breadth of Knowledge: Has advanced knowledge within a professional area and basic knowledge across related areas. Team Interaction: Acts as a "go-to" resource for colleagues with less experience; may lead small project teams.

Core Capabilities :

Supporting Colleagues: - Develops Self and Others: Invests time, energy, and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance e and gain knowledge in new areas. - Builds and Maintains Relationships: Maintains regular contact with key colleagues and stakeholders using formal and informal opportunities to expand and strengthen relationships. - Communicates Effectively: Recognizes group interactions and modifies one's own communication style to suit different situations and audiences. Delivering Excellent Services: - Serves Others with Compassion: Seeks to understand current and future needs of relevant stakeholders and customizes services to better address them. - Solves Complex Problems: Approaches problems from different angles; Identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions. - Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees' effectiveness. Ensuring High Quality: - Performs Excellent Work: Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly. - Ensures Continuous Improvement: Applies various learning experiences by looking beyond symptoms to uncover underlying causes of problems and identifies ways to resolve them. - Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks to prevent safety hazards from occurring. Managing Resources Effectively: - Demonstrates Accountability: Demonstrates a sense of ownership, focusing on and driving critical issues to closure. - Stewards Organizational Resources: Applies understanding of the departmental work to effectively manage resources for a department/area. - Makes Data Driven Decisions: Demonstrates strong understanding of the information or data to identify and elevate opportunities. Fostering Innovation: - Generates New Ideas: Proactively identifies new ideas/opportunities from multiple sources or methods to improve processes beyond conventional approaches. - Applies Technology: Demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning new technologies, tools, and procedures to address short-term challenges. - Adapts to Change: Views difficult situations and/or problems as opportunities for improvement; actively embraces change instead of emphasizing negative elements.

Position Qualifications:

Responsibilities:

Certifications:

Work Experience:

Relevant Work Experience

Experience Level:

5 years

Education:

Bachelor's (Required)

Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity.  EOE/Vets/Disabled.