Database Performance Lead Specialist Engineer

Job Title : Database Performance Lead Specialist Engineer Location : Scottsdale, Arizona Experience : 12+ Years Employment Type : Contract Interview Type : In-Person or Webcam Job Description We are seeking a highly experienced Database Performance Lead Specialist Engineer to oversee performance optimization, scalability, and reliability of enterprise database environments. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in performance tuning, query optimization, database architecture, and advanced troubleshooting across large-scale, high-volume systems. This role involves collaborating with development, infrastructure, and business teams to ensure optimal database performance and stability. Key Responsibilities Lead performance optimization initiatives across multiple database platforms including SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or other enterprise DBMS. Analyze slow-running queries and optimize performance through indexing strategies, plan reviews, and refactoring. Architect highly scalable database solutions and conduct capacity planning, load testing, and performance benchmarking. Perform advanced troubleshooting and root-cause analysis for database performance issues and production outages. Implement automated monitoring, alerts, and dashboards to maintain optimal system performance and availability. Collaborate with application development teams to review database designs, stored procedures, and schema changes. Manage high-availability, disaster recovery, and replication strategies. Ensure adherence to database security, compliance standards, and backup / recovery strategies. Prepare technical documentation, performance reports, and recommendations for optimization. Guide and mentor engineering teams on best performance practices and tuning methodologies. Required Qualifications 12+ years of hands-on experience in enterprise database engineering and performance optimization. Strong expertise with performance tuning tools, execution plan analysis, and query optimization. Solid understanding of database internals, indexing strategies, memory management, locking, isolation levels, and concurrency control. Experience with large-scale distributed systems, replication, sharding, and clustering technologies. Proficient in scripting and automation using SQL, Python, Shell, or PowerShell. Proven experience working with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP for database services. Strong experience with high-availability configurations and disaster recovery solutions. Excellent problem-solving skills, analytical ability, and debugging capabilities. Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment. Preferred Skills Experience with database performance monitoring tools such as SolarWinds DPA, Dynatrace, New Relic, or similar platforms. Knowledge of NoSQL technologies such as Cassandra, Redis, DynamoDB, or Elasticsearch. Familiarity with DevOps practices, CI / CD pipelines, Kubernetes, and containerized database deployments. Certification in Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL, or cloud database technologies. Exposure to ETL, data warehousing, and big data platforms like Hadoop or Snowflake.