How to hire an sql database administrator

How to hire an sql database administrator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step sql 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 an sql database administrator job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new sql database administrator
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an sql database administrator do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an sql 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 an sql 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 an sql database administrator that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of sql database administrators.

   Type of SQL Database Administrator	Description	Hourly rate
   SQL 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.	$32-55
   Tableau Developer	A tableau developer is responsible for creating data visualization solutions to enhance business processes. You will perform varied duties and responsibilities that may include preparing Tableau dashboard reports, creating business intelligence reports, and working closely with developers... Show more	$34-54
   ETL Developer	An ETL developer is responsible for managing data storage systems to secure the organization's data and files for daily operations efficiency. ETL developers perform multiple system testing to ensure the system's accuracy, perform coding adjustments, and troubleshoot for any defects and inconsistencies... Show more	$34-56

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Microsoft SQL Server
   • Windows Server
   • SSRS
   • T-SQL
   • Database Backup
   • Disaster Recovery
   • DBA
   • Production Servers
   • ETL
   • PowerShell
   • Ssis Packages
   • Production Environment
   • Database Design
   • Azure

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Create PHP page for loan officers to add to their contact list for leads which interact with the MySQL database.
   • Manage replication issues during DDL changes over data in Production\development servers.
   • Lead multiple infrastructure planning and implementation including instance strategy, technical platform selection, architecture design, backup and recovery strategy.
   • Convert DTS packages used to perform import of customer account and financial data into corporate databases to SSIS packages.
   • Provide tuning of reports and ETL for high performance and interface with report developers on cube reports with SSRS and MDX.
   • Involve designing data model using star schema.

   More sql database administrator duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your sql database administrator job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An sql database administrator salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, sql database administrators' average salary in wyoming is 35% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level sql database administrators earn 41% less than senior-level sql database administrators.
   • Certifications. An sql database administrator with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an sql database administrator's salary.

   Average sql database administrator salary

   $89,648yearly

   $43.10 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level sql database administrator salary

   $68,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 19, 2026

   Average sql database administrator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$122,187	$59
   2	Washington	$115,979	$56
   3	Massachusetts	$107,253	$52
   4	District of Columbia	$105,620	$51
   5	Arizona	$105,241	$51
   6	New York	$104,813	$50
   7	Connecticut	$97,659	$47
   8	Maryland	$97,467	$47
   9	Virginia	$97,305	$47
   10	New Jersey	$96,736	$47
   11	Pennsylvania	$96,460	$46
   12	Michigan	$96,298	$46
   13	Texas	$95,056	$46
   14	North Carolina	$94,416	$45
   15	Ohio	$94,335	$45
   16	Florida	$91,238	$44
   17	Colorado	$90,595	$44
   18	Georgia	$88,462	$43
   19	Missouri	$88,245	$42
   20	Tennessee	$87,679	$42

   Average sql database administrator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	NVIDIA	$138,214	$66.45
   2	Chewy	$135,284	$65.04	1
   3	Pinnacle West Capital	$133,089	$63.99
   4	Grubhub	$129,239	$62.13
   5	Barclays	$128,410	$61.74
   6	American Tower	$127,311	$61.21
   7	LendingClub	$125,700	$60.43
   8	Open Systems Technologies	$124,894	$60.05
   9	Bed Bath & Beyond	$123,212	$59.24
   10	Expedia Group	$123,088	$59.18
   11	Gap Inc.	$121,316	$58.33
   12	Esurance	$121,035	$58.19
   13	Michael Kors	$120,733	$58.04
   14	Tradeweb	$119,828	$57.61	2
   15	Donegal Insurance Group	$119,502	$57.45
   16	T-Mobile	$119,348	$57.38
   17	SurveyMonkey	$119,254	$57.33
   18	SEI Investments	$118,164	$56.81
   19	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$117,924	$56.69	15
   20	Bio-Rad Laboratories	$117,724	$56.60	3

4. Writing an sql database administrator job description

   An sql database administrator job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of an sql database administrator job description:

   Sql database administrator job description example

   Selective is seeking a Senior SQL DBA to partner with Architects and Engineers within IT Infrastructure, supporting our business platforms and continuously improve to meet the evolving needs of our business community. The Senior SQL DBA will provide technical leadership to the DBA team to help drive the strategic initiatives at Selective Insurance. Primarily focused on SQL while providing superior levels of performance and customer service.
   Responsibilities
   
   Provide leadership in IT for the development of highly appropriate, tightly integrated, consistently available, secure, flexible, and fault-tolerant database solutions Ability to Design and implement standardized methodologies to deploy and maintain highly available database environments running Microsoft SQL Server on Windows OS Work with architecture team to prepare recommendations and supporting details for formal project proposals for database design and configurations Perform as SME escalation in support of IT operational organization during complex highly impactful outages that can cross multiple functional domains, involving chronic recurring problems, vendor product bugs and other critical database functionality Performance tune complex SQL statements Serve as a data professional as we leverage cloud solutions Participate in disaster recovery tests. Ensure all engineered solutions have sufficient design documentation available including HLD and LLD documents.
   Ensure all engineered solutions and features take operational needs into account and provide the Operations team with sufficient documentation, training and standard operating procedures that support daily operation, maintenance, upgrades and support escalations for the solution. Identify areas for enhanced efficiency through automation and streamlined workflow. Develop innovative solutions to complex business and technology problems Work with Information Security to ensure that security policies are properly engineered into the delivered solutions and features.
   Acting as an escalation focal point for our client on behalf of I&O organization. Identifying, documenting and implementing process improvements initiatives Lead, participate and coordinate in client governance model
   Present monthly operational report and KPI's to the client.
   
   Qualifications
   
   College degree in Computer Science or a related field preferred. 10 + years of relevant experience in a fast-paced, enterprise-level environment including leadership roles 10+ years' experience in database design, deployment, migration, tuning and administration Experience designing/deploying databases to the Cloud (Azure, AWS, Google) Ability to write, tune SQL queries, experience in writing procedural language artifacts: PL/SQL, T-SQL, PL/pg SQL, stored procedures Ability to create accurate database diagrams and documentation for design and planning database layout Advanced level knowledge of SQL Server (2012, 2016, 2017, 2019), Polybase, and experience with database monitoring /administration tools required Experience with DB2, DB2LUW 11.1, 11.5, Oracle 11g, 12c, 119c and IIAS a plus Experience with Idera database monitoring / administration tools a plus Strong knowledge of native database backup and recovery, experience with Cohesity database backup/restore a plus Database and Cloud certifications desirable from leading vendors Ability to work with vendors and research product offerings to determine appropriate solutions. Ability to review, evaluate and make recommendations on vendor SOW's, BOM's and proposals. Able to function in complex and challenging customer environments while maintaining the ability to influence change and negotiate mutually beneficial solutions. customer centric mindset Demonstrate good communication skills and the ability to clearly articulate technology topics within all levels of Selective, including senior management
   
   Selective is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. Selective maintains a drug-free workplace.
   
   #LI-BB1

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5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find sql database administrators for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your sql database administrator job on Zippia to find and recruit sql database administrator candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with sql database administrator candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with an sql database administrator applicant. In those cases, having candidates complete a test project can go a long way in figuring out who's the most likely to succeed in the role. If you aren't a technical person and 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 sql database administrator

   Once you've decided on a perfect sql 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 important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new sql 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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How much does it cost to hire an sql database administrator?