Senior Database Administrator

Staff - Non Union

Job Category
M&P - AAPS

Job Profile
AAPS Salaried - Information Systems and Technology, Level E

Job Title
Senior Database Administrator

Department
OCIO | Integration Enablement Center

Compensation Range
$9,572.08 - $14,932.75 CAD Monthly

The Compensation Range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position. The midpoint of the range is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum and represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge, qualifications and experience for the position. In the normal course, employees will be hired, transferred or promoted between the minimum and midpoint of the salary range for a job.

Posting End Date
March 28, 2024

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the Posting End Date above.

Job End Date

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career. 

Job Description Summary
The Senior Database Administrator leads the analysis and design of existing or proposed systems to structure and access databases in order to translate business requirements into environment specific databases. Oversees the maintenance of production database systems.
 

This role will be hired in the UBC-IT/IEC and will be is expected to initially support the Student Completion project for a time period of up to 28 months. Upon completing the defined tasks included in that project, this role will transition to UBC-IT/IEC.  Once in the UBCIT/IEC, the role will focus on the ongoing sustainment and continuous improvement of APIs and related system.

The Database Administrator develops overall system strategies, and leads/mentors other team members on implementing the strategy.

The incumbent leads the design for information flow and content solutions for existing systems.

Organizational Status
The Senior Database Administrator – acting as a subject matter expert in MS SQL Server - receives operational and strategic direction from the Senior Manager, IEC, and will liaise closely with IEC Integrations Architects, other Database Administration teams, UBC IT leadership, and technical staff within the IEC Program Delivery portfolio and the greater UBC IT / OCIO teams, as well as external vendors and various stakeholders.
The incumbent will act as an expert on MS SQL Server systems on various committees and projects and as such will provide advice to stakeholders and staff with regard to issues and problems that may arise as well as development and strategy. Additionally, the incumbent will provide advice to business decision makers, understand the impact of technical changes on business processes and leverage common approaches and resources between departments.
May be required to be on call and provide support outside of normal working hours.

Works closely with departmental production support groups providing database operation support, and in collaboration with other IT groups across UBC in the resolution of technical problems relating to database operations and support.
Provides senior level database administration expertise for University enterprise systems  and departmental databases.
Work Performed

Specific Duties:
- Ensures production databases operate effectively and efficiently. This includes ensuring: database management system software and utilities operate correctly; database integrity is preserved; backup and recovery processes for databases are effective; adequate database capacity is provided; databases are monitored; database performance problems are resolved; ongoing database tuning is performed.
- Provides data modeling, logical database design, and physical database design services.
- Liaises at a senior design and technical level with application owners, teams and vendors; translates business requirements into database design.
- Completes the installation of and installs database system software.
- Backs up other members of the Database Administration team.
- Participate Leads in strategic and tactical planning for the Database Administration team.
- Provide support for middleware software as needed.
- Provides regular reports to the Manager, Database Administration unit on activities.

- Plans installations and upgrades of and installs, upgrades and patches the database management system and other related software. Keeps the database software versions current within database vendor, application vendor and application owner requirements.
- Provides data modeling, logical database design and physical database design services. Designs and implements new databases and maintains existing databases.
- Designs and implements optimal high availability strategies for MS SQL Server environments
- Designs and implements backup and recovery strategies for MS SQL Server environments.
- Designs, implements and manages MS SQL highly available databases and other types of replicated databases as required
- Designs and implements sound and effective database backup and recovery procedures. Provides on-going monitoring of these procedures to ensure continued effective operation and takes corrective action when required. Assists in broader disaster recovery and business continuity planning.
- Provides production database capacity; performs other database maintenance activities as required for the effective and efficient operation of production databases.
- Performs ongoing database monitoring, tuning and problem resolution; monitors key database metrics and the database system logs; resolves exceptional conditions in a timely manner.
- Designs and implements performance monitoring strategies for MS SQL Server database environments.
- Installs and works with applications such as SQL Server Management Studio and Database Engine Tuning Advisor, and  replication technology for Oracle, MySQL and MS SQL Server database platforms.
- Provides subject matter expertise knowledge and advice to colleagues on departmental MS SQL Server deployments.
- Liaises with other IT professionals across the universities campuses.

- Develops and maintains documentation of database systems for the broader use of other members of the Database Administration unit.
- Participates in strategic and tactical planning for the Database Administration unit.
- Provides support for middleware software as required.
Core Duties:-
 - Develops overall system strategies, and leads/mentors other team members on implementing the strategy.

- Designs information flow and content solutions for existing systems to structure and access databases.
- Advises on database concepts and functional capabilities and submits recommendations for solutions.
- Monitors, evaluates, and maintains systems and procedures to protect the data systems and databases from unauthorized users and recommends corrective actions to ensure data security.
- Implements data restore and recovery plans and procedures to protect and continue data system and database activities that support broader emergency or disaster recovery plans.
- Collaborates with project teams and other individuals to ensure seamless workflow with quality handoffs.
- Prepares specifications and flowcharts.
- Coordinates installation of revised or new systems.
- Participates in the establishment of policies and procedures pertaining to data management, maintenance, and utilization.
- Performs upgrades of databases and adds new structures or elements.
- Tracks and reports database performance metrics, monitors and analyzes database performance, and calibrates database management system parameters.
- Performs regular maintenance and backup including monitoring disk space and maintaining database dictionaries.
- Provides technical leadership, coaching, and mentoring to less-experienced individuals.
- Maintains appropriate professional designations and up-to-date knowledge of current information technology techniques and tools.
- Performs other related duties as required.
Consequence of Error/Judgement
Makes decisions regarding strategic solutions to business needs or decisions relating to the management of multiple project teams within a technical specialization.
Within the growing University community, all services supported by Information Technology require reliable systems in order to provide important functions such as eLearning, Student Services, Finance, HR and Research Services. This infrastructure must be available on a near 24 x 7 basis.
Supervision, decisions and actions taken by the Senior Database Administrator will have a direct impact on how efficiently and effectively the systems infrastructure will perform and function. Errors in judgment, poor planning, or failure to act decisively could have a detrimental effect on systems infrastructure. Unreliable systems infrastructure or failure to meet contractual obligations for performance and availability will damage the reputation of Information Technology and UBC. This could adversely impact the University community, including the large majority of students, faculty and staff, and could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost productivity, funding and revenue.
Supervision Received
Works with complete latitude within general policies and an administrative framework. Work is reviewed in terms of achievement of specific strategic objectives.
The Senior Database Administrator receives operational and strategic direction from the Senior Manager, IEC, and will liaise closely with IEC Integrations Architects, other Database Administration teams, UBC IT leadership, and technical staff within the IEC Program Delivery portfolio and boarder UBC technology professionals, as well as external vendors and stakeholders.
Supervision Given
Manages directly and indirectly through subordinates.
Minimum Qualifications
- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own
- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion
Preferred Qualifications
Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Minimum of eight years of related experience including at least two years of managerial experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience. 

Significant and progressive experience more responsibility as a programmer analyst and/or database analyst/administrator, using MS SQL Server Database in enterprise-scale. . In addition, senior level experience, in a Database administration role, with the Oracle and/or MySQL Database platforms would be an asset. Similarly, experience with tools that are used to administer Oracle, MySQL and SQL server such as OEM, MEM, TOAD and other third party products is an asset.

Senior level experience and knowledge of applications and the business requirements supporting them is required.
Experience must include a solid understanding of the development process, an advanced knowledge of database management with emphasis on relational databases, and good understanding of operating systems and their relationship to database management systems.
Thorough understanding and experience with MS SQL Server version 2008 and above with respect to database support and administration is required.
Thorough understanding and experience in the core aspects of database administration including product installation, upgrades, patching, database design and implementation, backup and recovery, space management, database monitoring, tuning and problem resolution is required.
Strong experience with database administration and database programming, and excellent troubleshooting skills.
Excellent knowledge and experience with MS SQL Server Administration, Transact-SQL and MS SQL Server Reporting Services (MS SSRS). Including installs, upgrades, patching, backup and recovery, high availability, replication, performance monitoring and fine tuning.
A thorough understanding of Windows operating systems in conjunction with managing enterprise scale MS SQL Server database environments.
Windows PowerShell and Unix shell script reading and writing.
How to effectively use MS Windows work tool environments to access Unix and Windows hosts and run database management tools.
Data networking and its application to enterprise scale applications.
Windows Server, IIS6+ and Active Directory Services.
Good knowledge from both an application and database administration perspective of University-wide databases.
Good knowledge on how to use Microsoft Windows and/or Unix and its utilities in conjunction with managing an enterprise scale databases such as Oracle, MySQL and MS SQL Server.
Good understanding of the available functions and best practices in the use of NetApp storage area networks is desirable, and virtualized computing architectures in conjunction with the management of Database Server enterprise-scale environments is desirable. Ability to learn quickly and adapt easily to new situations. Ability to effectively manage multiple tasks and priorities and work under pressure to meet time sensitive mission critical deadlines and situations. Ability to mentor and coach staff, and act as a resource.
Ability to work well with management and non-management staff across the department and the University.

Core Competencies

Collaboration (Advanced – A): Consistently fosters collaboration and respect among team members by addressing elements of the group process that impedes, or could impede, the group from reaching its goal. Engages the “right people,” within and beyond organizational boundaries, by matching individual capabilities and skills to the team’s goals. Works with a wide range of teams and readily shares lessons learned and credit for team accomplishments.

Communicating for Results (Advanced – A): Converses with, writes reports for, and creates/delivers presentations to all levels of colleagues and peer groups in ways that support problem solving and planning. Seeks a consensus with business partners. Debates opinions, tests understanding, and clarifies judgments. Brings conflict into the open empathetically. Explains the context of multiple interrelated situations, asks searching, probing questions, and solicits expert advice prior to taking action and making recommendations.

Problem Solving (Advanced – A): Diagnoses problems using formal problem-solving tools and techniques from multiple angles and probes underlying issues to generate multiple potential solutions. Proactively anticipates and prevents problems. Devises, facilitates buy-in, makes recommendations, and guides implementation of corrective and/or preventive actions for complex issues that cross organizational boundaries and are unclear in nature. Identifies potential consequences and risk levels. Seeks support and buy-in for problem definition, methods of resolution, and accountability.

Role Based Competencies

Accountability (Advanced – A): Sets enhanced objectives for self and others. Monitors performance trends and identifies opportunities to improve standards. Provides regular feedback and suggests alternative approaches necessary to ensure that organizational objectives and superior standards are achieved. Delegates responsibility and reallocates resources as needed to ensure that priorities are met for initiatives within area of responsibility.

Strategic Technology Planning (Advanced – A): Ensures researches and benchmarks are completed against best practices for IT spending, architecture, technologies, and processes. Defines criteria for prioritization and recommends core components of a strategic technology plan. Leads implementation of the approved strategic technology plan for significant, integrated work processes.

Thoroughness (Advanced – A): Identifies potential areas of conflicting priorities and vulnerability in achieving standards. Reviews department's progress against established goals, objectives, service level targets, and project milestones. Supports others in achieving deliverables by efficiently allocating resources and providing common organizing systems, techniques, and disciplines. Maintains a proactive work review and approval process prior to assignment completion. Solicits internal and external customer evaluation of performance and devises measures for improvement.