SQL Database Administrator

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is the third-largest school district in the United States, serving over 340,000 students in 600+ schools and employing nearly 36,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity. Six core values are embedded within these commitments - student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.

The Microsoft SQL Server Database Administrator is responsible for the design, implementation, configuration, maintenance, security and performance of critical SQL Server RDBMS systems, to ensure the availability and performance of the district's enterprise applications . This position will report to the Senior SQL Database Administrator.

The SQL Database Administrator will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Ensure the availability and performance of the databases that support the district's enterprise applications
• Proactively monitor database systems to ensure system uptime and stability
• Conduct performance tuning/troubleshooting of our SQL environments
• Responsible for maintenance and support of multiple relational databases, including patching and upgrades
• Design and implement sound DR solutions
• Participate in the production support activities on a 24x7 basis

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the SQL Database Administrator must possess the following qualifications:

Type of Education Required :

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, required. Preferably with a focus in Computer Science, Information Systems, or other related field preferred.
• Microsoft Database technical certifications strongly preferred

Type of Experience and Number of Years :

• Minimum of 5 years MS SQL Server experience as well as experience in a technical production support role, required
• 5+ years MS SQL Server Database Administration experience is preferred
• Experience managing and maintaining multiple SQL instances of Microsoft SQL Server (one or more versions: 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2019)
• Experience supporting enterprise Microsoft SQL Databases in physical and virtual data centers
• Implementation, configuration, and supporting Microsoft SQL Server clustering services
• Experience in installation, configuration, and maintenance of SSIS, SSRS, and SSAS, and working with SSRS scale out deployments
• Minimum 3 years or more experience designing, developing and supporting of very large enterprise databases using Microsoft SQL Server
• Experience with Performance Tuning through native tools and third party tools
• Experience with backups, restores and recovery models
• Knowledge of High Availability (HA) and Disaster Recovery (DR) options for SQL Server
• Experience working with Windows server, including Active Directory
• Identify long running queries and tune them
• Experience with other Enterprise relational databases such as Oracle or MySQL a plus
• MCTS, MCITP, and/or MVP certifications a plus

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities :

• Advanced expertise in database performance tuning using Microsoft SQL Server
• The ideal candidate is a self-starter, able to drive tasks to completion independently, and able to learn new skills on the job as project requirements expand
• Excellent communication, troubleshooting and debugging skills
• Ability to multi-task and context-switch effectively between different activities
• Flexible, team player, "get-it-done" personality
• Ability to organize and plan work independently
• Ability to work in a rapidly changing environment
• Strong organizational, multi-tasking, and time-management skills
• Proven ability to work independently and as a team member
• Ability to be flexible and work analytically in a problem-solving environment
• Must be a critical thinker and one who strives for continuous learning and consideration of changing information technologies and their applicability to business requirements

Residency Requirement:

As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and must maintain residency throughout their employment with the district.