Global Database Administrator
Dentons, South Africa
Job Description
INTRODUCTION
The Global Database Administrator’s primary responsibility is to ensure global databases and data systems remain operational and that performance is always optimized. The candidate will also help support Dentons enterprise applications by working closely with other data and integration colleagues, alongside members of the Global Business Technology team.
The Global Database Administrator will maintain the database services used by Dentons, including a mixture of cloud and on premises solutions. The individual will be accountable for the monitoring of database performance, database optimization, and responding to queries around the data held in these systems.
The candidate should have solid experience with Microsoft SQL technologies (cloud and on-premises), using SQL language, and be capable of optimizing databases and queries to maximize system performance. Having a basic understanding of integration tools such as IntApp Integrate, Boomi, and Microsoft Azure data tools would be beneficial.
Experience working within a large global team is essential to this role. The candidate will need to interact with both global and regional teams to optimize the design and the maintenance of Firmwide data systems. The Global Database Administrator will also work closely with solution designers and integration engineers, both globally and regionally, to ensure integration requirements are met and to enable the Firm’s leadership teams to capitalize on the Firm’s key metrics.
WHY DENTONS
Dentons is designed to be different. We are driven to always be the firm of the future, to challenge the status quo, and to provide holistic business solutions to our clients in new and innovative ways. We are the lightbulb moments. The bold ideas. We are the world's largest global law firm, with 21,000+ people across 80+ countries. Driven by the diverse perspectives of our people, our clients, and our communities, we combine local knowledge with global insight.
ROLE
Reporting into the Global Director, Integration Services and working within the Global Data and Integration team, the Global Database Administrator will assume a technical leadership role across numerous initiatives to help ensure systems and services meet Firm requirements and adhere to industry best practices. The Administrator will collaborate with peers and other technology professionals to achieve these objectives.
The Global Database Administrator will also be accountable for responding to service incidents or critical outages when escalations are necessary.
Requirements
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES amp; ACCOUNTABILITIES
Key Deliverables
- Manage Microsoft SQL databases, on-premises and in the cloud (Azure SQL).
- Configure and maintain database servers and processes, optimization scripts, and overall performance monitoring.
- Monitor system’s health, ensuring high levels of performance, availability, sustainability, and security.
- Analyze, solve, and correct issues in real time.
- Perform scheduled maintenance and support release deployment activities.
- Assist developers with query tuning and schema refinement; provide suggestions to enhance performance of applications, tools, and integrations.
- Work closely with the Global Applications Management team to ensure that all production systems are well maintained, and new functionality is implemented in a way to ensure performance and availability.
- Ensure any new development implemented by Dentons transformation program teams is well understood and assume the support of these new capabilities in production.
- Refine and automate regular processes, track issues, and document changes.
- Working with a team, provide multiple time zone support for critical production systems. This role will require on-call availability in case of critical system downtime.
- Build and maintain excellent working relationships with key stakeholders.
- Act as the key contact for database related questions coming from the business for applications in scope for Dentons’ Central Technology Support (CTS) services.
- Provide regular input as to developing technology trends in data and database solutions that are used in, or of interest to the firm.
- As part of the Development and Integrations team, the Global Database Administrator will help other members of the team in terms of supporting global systems, to help cover different time zones.
Design, Strategy, and Planning
- Maintain knowledge of Dentons’ strategic business objectives to help ensure that services are engineered and supported in alignment with Dentons standards and best practices.
- Challenge the status-quo in support of Dentons platforms to establish innovative approaches to systems and service delivery. Think out of the box, and challenge others (vendors an