Job Title: Senior DBA- Techno Functional Role
Job Location: Remote [Continental USA]
** Please note, this role is not able to offer visa transfer or sponsorship now or in the future**
We are seeking an experienced and technically strong DBA Lead to provide strategic and operational leadership to the Database Administration team at Cognizant. The ideal candidate brings deep hands-on expertise in Microsoft SQL Server administration, combined with proven people management, stakeholder engagement, and service delivery capabilities. This is a Techno Functional role that requires an individual who can operate confidently at both a technical and leadership level — driving best practices, managing vendor and contractor performance, and ensuring high-quality DBA services across a complex enterprise environment.
Salary and Other Compensation:
The annual salary for this position is between $99,000 to $113,000 depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.
This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant’s applicable plans.
In this role, you will
Leadership & Team Management
• Provide day-to-day leadership for the DBA team, identifying work priorities, managing workloads, and ensuring timely task execution.
• Foster a healthy, collaborative, and team-oriented work environment built on trust, accountability, and mutual respect.
• Clarify performance expectations and help team members achieve success through coaching, mentoring, and timely feedback.
• Recognize accomplishments and apply appropriate disciplinary action when required, in line with applicable HR policies.
• Ensure team adherence to standard DBA practices, policies, and Cognizant delivery frameworks.
• Facilitate timely communication of organizational messages, issues, and decisions to all team members.
Client & Stakeholder Engagement
• Develop and maintain cordial, effective partnerships with business area stakeholders and other IS employee-partners.
• Ensure business area satisfaction through regular interaction, proactive communication, and expectation management.
• Develop a shared understanding of service level expectations with business areas; regularly review service delivery performance and work collaboratively to close any gaps.
• Collaborate effectively with other IS teams and resources to deliver integrated, end-to-end solutions.
Vendor & Contractor Management
• Supervise vendor and contractor performance, ensuring delivery is competent and aligned with contractual terms and conditions.
• Monitor contractor service billings for accuracy; review statements of work regularly and escalate discrepancies as needed.
• Ensure appropriate internal and external resources are in place to meet delivery expectations at all times.
• Oversee timely implementation of vendor-supplied patches and new releases in line with change management processes.
Service Delivery & Operational Excellence
• Ensure Cognizant best practices are followed for the delivery, implementation, and maintenance of all DBA infrastructure and services.
• Apply critical thinking and project management discipline in day-to-day execution and resource and workload planning.
• Ensure timely correction of bugs, vendor-supplied patches, and new releases related to DBA infrastructure.
• Ensure appropriate training and knowledge transfer takes place within the team to maintain and grow delivery capability.
• Monitor team performance against SLAs and work cross-functionally to address service gaps in a cost-effective and timely manner.
What you’ll need to succeed (required skills)
• Approximately 10 years of related experience, including management and operation of enterprise DBA services and DBA infrastructure.
• Demonstrated experience managing, coaching, and mentoring a team of database administrators.
• Proven track record managing vendor relationships, contractor performance, and service billings.
• Experience working in complex enterprise environments with strict SLA and change management requirements.
• Good working knowledge of ITSM processes, specifically Incident Management and Change Management.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to engage both technical teams and non-technical business stakeholders.
• Proven ability to work independently while managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced enterprise support environment.
Technical Skills
Strong hands-on expertise across the following technical areas:
• SQL Server Administration (Core) — all levels:
o SQL Server health checks, session monitoring, and error log analysis
o Login, user, and permissions management
o Database objects, Dynamic Management Views (DMVs), and alert monitoring and resolution
• Database Backup & Restore — all levels:
o Full, differential, and transaction log backup strategies
o Restore procedures including point-in-time recovery and backup validation
• SQL Server Agent Jobs — all levels:
o Job creation, scheduling, failure diagnosis, and notification configuration
• T-SQL and PowerShell Scripting — all levels:
o Writing and optimizing T-SQL scripts for administration and data tasks
o PowerShell automation for routine DBA workflows
• Database Encryption — L2/L3:
o Transparent Data Encryption (TDE), certificate management, and key rotation
• SQL Server Patching — L2/L3:
o CU/SP assessment, non-production testing, and coordinated production rollout
• SQL Server Upgrade & Migration — L2/L3:
o In-place and side-by-side version upgrades, compatibility testing, and migration validation
• Performance Tuning & Optimization — L2/L3:
o Blocking and deadlock resolution, query tuning, execution plan analysis
o Index strategy design and fragmentation management
• High Availability Solutions — L2/L3:
o Log Shipping, Database Mirroring, and Always On Availability Groups (AG)
o Failover procedures, health monitoring, and listener configuration
• SQL Server Replication — L2/L3:
o Transactional, Snapshot, and Merge replication — setup, monitoring, and troubleshooting
• Linked Servers, SPN & Kerberos Delegation — L2/L3:
o Linked server configuration, SPN registration, and constrained delegation troubleshooting
• Microsoft Azure SQL & Azure IaaS — preferred:
o Azure SQL Database, SQL on Azure VMs, and Azure SQL Managed Instance
o Azure Monitor, Azure Backup, and Azure Advisor for database workloads
Preferred Skills
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate
• Microsoft Certified: SQL Server — MCSA / MCSE Data Management & Analytics
• ITIL Foundation Certification
Benefits: 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
Please note, this role is not able to offer visa transfer or sponsorship now or in the future
Work model:
At Cognizant, we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible, and we are here to support a healthy work-life balance though our various wellbeing programs. Based on this role’s business requirements, this is a remote position in USA.
The working arrangements for this role are accurate as of the date of posting. This may change based on the project you’re engaged in, as well as business and client requirements. Rest assured; we will always be clear about role expectations.
We're excited to meet people who share our mission and can make an impact in a variety of ways. Don't hesitate to apply, even if you only meet the minimum requirements listed. Think about your transferable experiences and unique skills that make you stand out as someone who can bring new and exciting things to this role.
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.
“Cognizant is an equal opportunity employer. Your application and candidacy will not be considered based on race, color, sex, religion, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.”
A comunidade Cognizant:
Somos uma equipe de alto calibre que aprecia e apoia uns aos outros. Nosso pessoal defende um local de trabalho enérgico, colaborativo e inclusivo, onde todos possam prosperar.
- A Cognizant é uma comunidade global com mais de 300,000 funcionários em todo o mundo.
- Não sonhamos apenas com um caminho melhor – nós fazemos acontecer.
- Cuidamos de nossas pessoas, clientes, empresa, comunidades e clima fazendo o que é certo.
- Promovemos um ambiente inovador onde você pode construir o plano de carreira certo para você.
Quem somos:
Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) é uma construtora de IA e fornecedora de serviços de tecnologia, criando a ponte entre o investimento em IA e o valor para as empresas por meio do desenvolvimento de soluções de IA completas para nossos clientes. Nossa profunda experiência em setores, processos e engenharia nos permite incorporar o contexto único de cada organização em sistemas tecnológicos que potencializam a capacidade humana, geram retornos concretos e mantêm empresas globais à frente em um mundo em rápida transformação. Saiba mais em www.cognizant.com ou @cognizant.
A Cognizant é uma empregadora que investe em equidade. Sua candidatura não será pautada em raça, cor, gênero, sexualidade, credo, origem, deficiência, gravidez ou qualquer outra característica protegida pelas leis brasileiras.
Disclaimer:
As informações de compensação são precisas a partir da data desta publicação. A Cognizant se reserva o direito de modificar essas informações a qualquer momento, sujeito à lei aplicável.
Os candidatos podem ser obrigados a comparecer a entrevistas presenciais ou por videoconferência. Além disso, os candidatos podem ser obrigados a apresentar seu documento de identificação emitido pelo estado ou governo atual durante cada entrevista.
Embora nosso sistema permita a candidatura em todos os idiomas, o(s) idioma(s) e o(s) nível(is) de proficiência exigidos para o trabalho variam. No entanto, é necessário um nível básico de inglês para fins de comunicação em toda a empresa.
Se você tem uma deficiência que requer adaptações razoáveis para procurar uma vaga de emprego ou enviar uma candidatura, envie um e-mail para [email protected] com sua solicitação e informações de contato.