Principal Database Administrator

Aderant is a global industry leading software company providing comprehensive business management solutions for law firms and other professional services organizations with a mission to help them run a better business. We are motivated by a collective desire to drive the legal industry to the forefront of innovation. With over 2,500 clients around the world, including 95 of the top AmLaw 100 firms, we are changing the outside perception of the legal sphere; where there was once resistance to modernization, we are creating a culture that embraces new ideas and technology. At Aderant, the “A” is more than just a letter. It is a representation of how we fulfill our foundational purpose, serving our clients. It embodies our core values and reminds us that to achieve success, every day must start with the “A”. We bring the “A” to life by fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and personal growth. We encourage our diverse teams to bring their whole selves to work – ideas, experience, and passion – to drive our mission forward. Our people are our strength. Aderant is seeking a Principal Database Administrator to serve as the technical authority for SQL Server architecture, high availability, and disaster recovery across our Sierra cloud operations environment. This is a senior, hands-on role: you will own the design decisions behind our multi-tenant database platform's resilience, lead the DBA team's technical depth through collaboration and knowledge transfer, and serve as the escalation point for our most complex database challenges — including direct engagement with client-side DBA and IT teams, whose SQL Server environments. This is an excellent opportunity to shape database operations strategy for a cutting-edge global software company at cloud scale. Responsibilities Serves as the DBA team's technical authority for SQL Server operations, high availability, disaster recovery and replication architecture across the Sierra platformActs as the escalation point for complex or high-severity SQL Server incidents, leading root-cause analysis and remediation (connectivity loss, memory pressure, blocking/deadlocks, storage exhaustion)Exercises independent judgment on architectural tradeoffs (e.g., edition-aware maintenance strategy, recovery-chain integrity) and proactively identifies systemic risk before it becomes an incidentDesign, configure, and maintain SQL Server Always On Availability Groups and Distributed Availability Groups across the Sierra tenant fleet, including DR read-node validation and cross-region replica topologyOwn transactional replication and Change Data Capture (CDC) lifecycle management, including coordinated teardown and reinstatement around client upgrade and go-live eventsServe as the direct technical point of contact with client-side DBA and IT teams on complex data integration, migration, and cutover activitiesMonitor and tune database performance (queries, indexes, resource usage) at scale across a multi-tenant environmentEnsure database security, integrity, stability, and system availability across the tenant fleetBuild and maintain automation (PowerShell, Ansible) for routine and complex database maintenance tasksCreate and maintain architecture-level documentation, standards, and procedures for the DBA teamCollaborate on service delivery within a global operations teamundefined Skills & Qualifications 7+ years of hands-on experience as a SQL Server DBA (2016 or later versions), with demonstrated ownership at a principal or lead levelDeep expertise in SQL Server Always On Availability Groups and Distributed Availability Groups — design, configuration, and troubleshootingStrong database design and administration skillsProficient in T-SQL, SSMS, and SQL Server AgentProven disaster recovery and backup architecture experience, including recovery-chain integrity across full/differential/log backup strategiesAdvanced database troubleshooting, tuning, and performance triage experienceExperience with transactional replication and Change Data Capture (CDC)Experience with MSSQL on cloud platforms (AWS and Azure preferably)Experience leveraging PowerShell, and ideally Ansible, for DBA automation at scaleSolid understanding of version control systems (e.g., git) for managing operational scriptsDemonstrated ability to mentor and upskill other engineersExcellent oral and written communication skills, including direct client/firm-facing technical engagementAbility to convey technical content clearly to audiences with varying levels of technical depthAbility to balance multiple deliverables with prioritization and responsiveness in a fast-moving environmentExperience with any of the following is a plus:Experience with SQL Server Reporting ServicesExperience with SQL Server Integration ServicesAgile Software Development including ScrumMicrosoft Certifications (SQL, DBA, etc.).