Direct candidates only - No Third Parties for this position. Must be interested in conversion to perm after the 6 month contract. Client does not do visa sponsorship or transfers. Sr. SQL Server DBA for a 6-month, remote CFH for our client in the central time zone. The role will drive performance optimization , manage Always On Availability Groups , handle upgrades/patching and operational support , and embed with the engineering team to enable a warm handoff. The engagement is intended to accelerate cloud modernization, stabilize production performance, and transfer knowledge to the internal team. Responsibilities: Assess and inventory existing SQL Server instances and databases for migration suitability. Design and execute migrations to Azure SQL Managed Instance or appropriate cloud targets. Tune queries, indexes, and server configuration to improve database performance. Manage and troubleshoot Always On Availability Groups and high availability configurations. Perform upgrades, patching, and apply security best practices for SQL Server environments. Implement and refine monitoring and alerting, and reduce false positives. Assist with the evaluation of current SQL Server estate, identify databases for migration to Azure SQL Managed Instance , and execute migrations where appropriate. Participate in on-call rotation and respond to production incidents as needed. Document findings, create runbooks, and provide knowledge transfer for a warm handoff to the internal team. Required Skills & Experience: In-depth SQL Server administration experience, including SQL Server 2019 or similar. Experience migrating SQL Server databases to Azure SQL Managed Instance. Hands-on expertise with Always On Availability Groups and HA/DR strategies. Strong performance tuning and troubleshooting skills for queries and server resources. Experience with upgrades, patch management, and applying security hardening. Familiarity with monitoring and diagnostic tools (for example IDERA or similar). Ability to work remotely, embed with engineering teams, and provide clear communication. Experience working with enterprise VM/ IaaS SQL Server deployments and complex environments. Plusses: Azure certifications or demonstrated Azure platform experience. Experience with data lake initiatives or broader data platform modernization. History working with Microsoft support and familiarity with Microsoft escalation processes.