SENIOR SQL SERVER DBA – VP

🎯 Essential: 7+yrs SQL Server DBA / Database Administrator + Financial Services💰 Compensation: $200,000 – $400,000 Total Compensation📍 Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE 🇦🇪 (relocation & visa supported)

A leading global hedge fund is building out its Data Production Operations capability in Abu Dhabi and is looking for a highly experienced Senior SQL Server DBA / Database Administrator to take ownership of a critical global SQL Server estate.

This is much more than a traditional DBA support role. You'll have genuine ownership of mission-critical production databases supporting global investment and trading operations, while also playing a key role in the modernisation of the firm's wider data platform.

The OpportunityYou'll join a global database and data engineering team responsible for keeping critical data platforms highly available, resilient and performant across regions and time zones.

The role will initially have a strong focus on SQL Server production support and operations, including out-of-hours coverage for US-based teams, but there is significant scope to influence how the platform evolves.

A major part of the longer-term roadmap is the migration and modernisation of a large SQL Server estate, including a significant internal platform containing thousands of tables, with the aim of moving towards Databricks and/or other modern data warehouse technologies.

You'll therefore have the opportunity to combine deep SQL Server expertise with cloud, data platform and modernisation initiatives.

• What you'll be doingTake senior ownership of a large-scale SQL Server production environment supporting business-critical applications.
• Provide expert support across SQL Server administration, performance tuning, troubleshooting, HA/DR and disaster recovery.
• Lead and resolve complex production incidents, including high-severity issues, working closely with application, infrastructure and engineering teams.
• Analyse and optimise queries, execution plans, indexing, blocking, deadlocks and database performance.
• Support and improve Always On Availability Groups, replication, backup/recovery and disaster recovery strategies.
• Identify opportunities for automation, monitoring, standardisation and operational improvement.
• Work closely with application and engineering teams to understand requirements and provide database solutions rather than simply responding to tickets.
• Contribute to major database migration and modernisation programmes, helping define how workloads move from traditional SQL Server platforms into newer data technologies.
• Partner with global colleagues across the US, UK and UAE to provide resilient 24/7 production coverage.

• What we're looking forYou'll be an experienced SQL Server DBA / Database Administrator with a strong background in complex, production-critical environments. You'll ideally bring:Significant hands-on Microsoft SQL Server experience in enterprise environments.
• Strong expertise across SQL Server performance tuning, troubleshooting and optimisation.
• Experience with Always On Availability Groups, HA/DR, replication, backup and recovery.
• Proven experience supporting 24/7 production environments and handling critical incidents.
• Experience working within financial services, investment banking, asset management, hedge funds or similarly high-performance environments is highly desirable.
• Experience supporting applications where database availability and performance have a direct business impact.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work effectively with developers, application teams, infrastructure and senior technology stakeholders.
• A mindset focused on automation, continuous improvement and engineering quality, rather than simply BAU database administration.
• Exposure to Azure, Databricks, Snowflake, modern data warehouses or cloud data platforms would be advantageous.
• Experience of large-scale database migration, cloud migration or data platform modernisation is particularly relevant.