How to hire a lead database administrator

How to hire a lead database administrator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step lead database administrator hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a lead database administrator job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new lead database administrator
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a lead database administrator do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a lead database administrator, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a lead database administrator to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a lead database administrator that fits the bill.

   This list presents lead database administrator salaries for various positions.

   Type of Lead Database Administrator	Description	Hourly rate
   Lead Database Administrator	Database administrators (DBAs) use specialized software to store and organize data, such as financial information and customer shipping records. They make sure that data are available to users and are secure from unauthorized access.	$42-71
   SQL Developer	An SQL developer is responsible for designing database systems for storing and accessing business information. SQL developers incorporate a high-level of data management and technical knowledge to ensure the safety and security of the systems, preventing unauthorized access that may put the company's reputation in jeopardy... Show more	$33-53
   SQL Server Developer	A structured query language (SQL) server developer is a specialist who is tasked to develop and maintain systems to store, organize, and access databases. With their experience in data architect and management, SQL server developers can develop and scale SQL databases based on the needs of their organization... Show more	$34-54

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • DBA
   • PL/SQL
   • Linux
   • Database Administration
   • Microsoft SQL Server
   • Disaster Recovery
   • Oracle Sql
   • Recovery Procedures
   • Database Servers
   • Unix
   • Database Design
   • Database Performance
   • Database Backup
   • Capacity Planning

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Perform DB2 DPF configuration, installation, tuning and maintenance to manage additional database capacity requirements.
   • Manage development of data migration to include SSIS packages incorporating legacy data and data structures into the enterprise data repository.
   • Lead multiple infrastructure planning and implementation including instance strategy, technical platform selection, architecture design, backup and recovery strategy.
   • Coordinate DBA activities on server build team to ensure timely delivery of database servers build according to customer requirements.
   • Monitor and tune database and query performance using RDBMS tools.
   • Establish coding standards for the Java development team to optimize query efficiency.

   More lead database administrator duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your lead database administrator job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A lead database administrator can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, lead database administrators' average salary in nebraska is 38% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level lead database administrators 41% less than senior-level lead database administrators.
   • Certifications. A lead database administrator with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a lead database administrator's salary.

   Average lead database administrator salary

   $114,426yearly

   $55.01 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level lead database administrator salary

   $88,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average lead database administrator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$150,984	$73
   2	Hawaii	$140,276	$67
   3	Arizona	$123,642	$59
   4	District of Columbia	$120,586	$58
   5	New York	$119,299	$57
   6	Texas	$117,380	$56
   7	Delaware	$116,591	$56
   8	Massachusetts	$113,217	$54
   9	Ohio	$109,694	$53
   10	North Carolina	$107,966	$52
   11	Georgia	$107,536	$52
   12	Maryland	$105,172	$51
   13	Illinois	$105,056	$51
   14	Colorado	$103,466	$50
   15	Florida	$103,105	$50
   16	Missouri	$102,076	$49
   17	New Jersey	$101,676	$49
   18	Indiana	$98,801	$48
   19	Michigan	$98,564	$47
   20	Arkansas	$94,792	$46

   Average lead database administrator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Amazon	$146,308	$70.34	70
   2	First Republic Bank	$144,773	$69.60
   3	Lifetime	$141,354	$67.96
   4	Blue Shield of California	$139,010	$66.83
   5	Barclays	$136,999	$65.86
   6	Travelzoo	$136,714	$65.73
   7	Glassdoor	$135,526	$65.16
   8	Bank of the West	$134,925	$64.87
   9	Orbitz	$134,579	$64.70
   10	Daybreak Game	$134,371	$64.60
   11	Jo-Ann Stores	$133,642	$64.25
   12	Citi	$133,179	$64.03	2
   13	R/GA	$132,852	$63.87
   14	Kemper	$132,573	$63.74
   15	Mattel	$132,074	$63.50
   16	Great American Insurance	$131,179	$63.07	1
   17	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$130,430	$62.71	23
   18	The Walt Disney Company	$129,878	$62.44	3
   19	The Prudential Insurance Company of America, Inc.	$129,657	$62.34
   20	Smarsh	$128,389	$61.73	2

4. Writing a lead database administrator job description

   A job description for a lead database administrator role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a lead database administrator job description:

   Lead database administrator job description example

   The Platform Services group is responsible for defining, developing and operating cloud products consumed by our Application Development Partners across the firm. Our Product Portfolio includes Private and Public Cloud Platforms and a wide range of services such as databases, messaging and telemetry.
   
   As a Database Risk & Controls Lead, you will work as part of the Database Risk Remediation team in the Database Product Engineering tower within Platform Services. Database Product Engineering designs and builds database platforms and solutions utilized by line of business applications, including private and public cloud. You'll leverage your deep technology and infrastructure experience with databases to offer guidance, best practices, and support across businesses, leading risk reviews and vulnerability assessments, identifying threats, solving problems and communicating with senior leaders and other stakeholders. You will partner with Product Owners, Database Engineers, Database Administrators, Program Managers, Information Security Managers, and Internal Audit to ensure Risk is identified, appropriately documented, and fully remediated. You will also provide valuable input into Database Risk Remediation team processes and procedures in order to ensure continuous improvement of the services we provide.
   
   The Database Risk & Controls Lead works in a team environment to develop and utilize subject matter expertise of IT Risk policies and database technologies to ensure processes, products, and solutions are implemented in compliance with control requirements from the start. The Database Risk & Controls Lead performs detailed analysis of existing products, processes, procedures and controls to identify and remediate gaps in order to ensure continuous audit readiness. The role will also provide risk reporting to senior management, drive risk remediation programs, and lead training efforts to improve control requirement knowledge across the Database Product Engineering team.
   
   An ideal candidate to perform the Database Risk & Controls Lead role would have the following skills:
   Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience 5+ Years of Experience in Control Assessment, Risk Management and/or Audit of IT processes and procedures Knowledge of Databases (Public Cloud Experience a Major Plus) Self-motivated and Excellent Communicator (verbal and written) Able to Manage Projects, with a knack for details and driving others to do what's required Ability to build strong partnerships while holding those partners accountable
   Note: Flexible Working Arrangement between home and office is supported
   
   JPMorgan Chase & Co., one of the oldest financial institutions, offers innovative financial solutions to millions of consumers, small businesses and many of the world's most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients under the J.P. Morgan and Chase brands. Our history spans over 200 years and today we are a leader in investment banking, consumer and small business banking, commercial banking, financial transaction processing and asset management.
   
   We recognize that our people are our strength and the diverse talents they bring to our global workforce are directly linked to our success. We are an equal opportunity employer and place a high value on diversity and inclusion at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute, including race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital or veteran status, pregnancy or disability, or any other basis protected under applicable law. In accordance with applicable law, we make reasonable accommodations for applicants' and employees' religious practices and beliefs, as well as any mental health or physical disability needs.
   
   The health and safety of our colleagues, candidates, clients and communities has been a top priority in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. JPMorgan Chase was awarded the "WELL Health-Safety Rating" for all of our 6,200 locations globally based on our operational policies, maintenance protocols, stakeholder engagement and emergency plans to address a post-COVID-19 environment.
   
   As a part of our commitment to health and safety, we have implemented various COVID-related health and safety requirements for our workforce. Employees are expected to follow the Firm's current COVID-19 or other infectious disease health and safety requirements, including local requirements. Requirements include sharing information including your vaccine card in the firm's vaccine record tool, and may include mask wearing. Requirements may change in the future with the evolving public health landscape. JPMorgan Chase will consider accommodation requests as required by applicable law.
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veterans

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right lead database administrator for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your lead database administrator job on Zippia to find and recruit lead database administrator candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting lead database administrators requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   If your interviews with lead database administrator applicants aren't enough to make a decision, you should also consider including a test project. These are often the best, most straightforward, and least bias-prone ways of determining who will likely succeed in the role. If you don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new lead database administrator

   Once you've decided on a perfect lead database administrator candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new lead database administrator. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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