Data Engineering Consultant

Optum is a global organization that delivers care, aided by technology to help millions of people live healthier lives. The work you do with our team will directly improve health outcomes by connecting people with the care, pharmacy benefits, data and resources they need to feel their best. Here, you will find a culture guided by inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits and career development opportunities. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health optimization on a global scale. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.    

We are seeking an experienced Senior SQL Server DBA with 7 to 10 years of hands-on experience in managing, administering, and optimizing enterprise-scale SQL Server environments. The ideal candidate should possess strong expertise in SQL Server Administration, Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, Always On Availability Groups, Performance Tuning, Disaster Recovery, SSIS, Azure Data Factory (ADF), and Cloud Technologies. Exposure to AWS database services is highly desirable.

The candidate will be responsible for ensuring the availability, performance, security, and reliability of mission-critical database systems while supporting cloud migration and modernization initiatives.

Primary Responsibilities:

• SQL Server Administration
  • Install, configure, upgrade, patch, and maintain SQL Server environments (2016/2019/2022/2025)
  • Administer large-scale production databases with high availability and disaster recovery requirements
  • Manage SQL Server security including logins, roles, permissions, encryption, and auditing
  • Perform capacity planning and database growth forecasting
• Backup, Recovery & Disaster Recovery
  • Design and implement backup and recovery strategies
  • Manage Full, Differential, Transaction Log, and Copy-Only backups
  • Perform database recovery and point-in-time restores
  • Develop and maintain Disaster Recovery (DR) plans and conduct DR testing exercises
• High Availability
  • Configure, administer, and troubleshoot:
    • SQL Server Always On Availability Groups
    • Failover Cluster Instances (FCI)
    • Replication
  • Manage failover activities and ensure business continuity
• Performance & Query Tuning
  • Analyze and troubleshoot database performance issues
  • Perform query tuning using execution plans, Query Store, DMVs, Extended Events, and Performance Monitor
  • Identify bottlenecks related to CPU, Memory, I/O, TempDB, Blocking, and Deadlocks
  • Optimize stored procedures, views, functions, and T-SQL code
• Index & Maintenance Administratio
  • Design and maintain clustered and non-clustered indexes
  • Analyze index fragmentation and implement index optimization strategies
  • Configure and maintain database maintenance plans
  • Monitor and optimize statistics updates and database health
• Azure SQL & Cloud Administration
  • Administer and support:
    • Azure SQL Database
    • Azure SQL Managed Instance
    • Azure Storage Accounts
    • Azure Monitor and Log Analytics
  • Configure Azure backups, geo-replication, failover groups, and security policies
  • Support database migration projects from on-premises SQL Server to Azure
  • Implement performance optimization and cost management in Azure SQL environments
• SSIS & Azure Data Factory
  • Develop, deploy, and support SSIS packages
  • Troubleshoot ETL workflows and data integration processes
  • Design and maintain Azure Data Factory (ADF) pipelines
  • Implement data movement and transformation solutions between on-premises and cloud platforms
• Monitoring & Automation
  • Implement proactive monitoring using SQL Server native tools and enterprise monitoring platforms
  • Automate DBA operational tasks using:
    • PowerShell
    • T-SQL
    • Azure Automation
  • Develop operational runbooks and standard operating procedures
• Comply with the terms and conditions of the employment contract, company policies and procedures, and any and all directives (such as, but not limited to, transfer and/or re-assignment to different work locations, change in teams and/or work shifts, policies in regards to flexibility of work benefits and/or work environment, alternative work arrangements, and other decisions that may arise due to the changing business environment). The Company may adopt, vary or rescind these policies and directives in its absolute discretion and without any limitation (implied or otherwise) on its ability to do so

Required Qualifications:

• Database Technologies
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2016/2019/2022
  • T-SQL Programming
  • Query Store
  • Extended Events
  • SQL Profiler
  • Database Security & Auditing
• High Availability & DR
  • Always On Availability Groups
  • Failover Clustering
  • Log Shipping
  • Replication
  • Backup and Recovery
• Performance Tuning
  • Query Optimization
  • Execution Plan Analysis
  • Index Optimization
  • Statistics Management
  • Blocking and Deadlock Analysis
  • Memory and I/O Performance Troubleshooting
• Azure Technologies
  • Azure SQL Database
  • Azure SQL Managed Instance
  • Azure Data Factory (ADF)
  • Azure Storage
  • Azure Monitor
  • Azure Entra ID Authentication
  • Azure Backup & DR
• ETL & Integration
  • SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS)
  • Azure Data Factory (ADF)
  • Data Migration Tools
• Automation & Scripting
  • PowerShell
  • T-SQL
  • Azure CLI (preferred)
• Cloud Exposure
  • AWS RDS for SQL Server
  • AWS EC2
  • AWS S3
  • AWS Backup
  • Exposure to AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) is an advantage

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field
• Microsoft Azure Certifications:
  • Azure Database Administrator Associate (DP-300)
  • Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104)
• SQL Server certifications
• Experience with cloud migration projects
• Experience working in healthcare, finance, insurance, or large enterprise environments
• Proven to manage mission-critical production databases larger than 1 TB
• Proven to support 24x7 production environments
• Proven exposure to DevOps, CI/CD, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

Key Competencies

• Solid troubleshooting and analytical skills
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management
• Ability to work independently in a production support environment
• Strong understanding of database lifecycle management
• Proactive approach toward performance, availability, and security improvements
• Additional skills: Postgres/Mongo DBA

At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and make the health system work better for everyone. We believe everyone-of every race, gender, sexuality, age, location and income-deserves the opportunity to live their healthiest life. Today, however, there are still far too many barriers to good health which are disproportionately experienced by people of color, historically marginalized groups and those with lower incomes. We are committed to mitigating our impact on the environment and enabling and delivering equitable care that addresses health disparities and improves health outcomes - an enterprise priority reflected in our mission.