Senior Systems Analyst Benefits of working at VCU All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU's robust benefits package that includes: comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave granted up front, generous tuition benefit, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more. Learn more about VCU's benefits here. Job Code 24245 Recruitment Pool All Applicants Posting Number req7362 Unit Technology Services MBU Department Computer Center Department Website Link https://ts.vcu.edu/ Location VCU Address 907 Floyd Ave, Richmond, VA 23284 USA Duties & Responsibilities Position Summary Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is seeking a skilled and experienced Database Administrator to join our Computer Center team. The successful candidate will be responsible for delivering top-notch solutions and services to ensure the advancement and success of the University community. Key Responsibilities * Performance, Security, and Availability: Ensure the performance, security, and availability of our Microsoft SQL Server databases, spanning versions 2016 to 2022. * Database Design and Maintenance: Design, implement, and maintain databases to meet business needs. * Monitoring and Maintenance: Monitor and maintain database-related technologies, including data replication, clustering, and high availability solutions. * Database Objects Management: Create and manage database objects such as tables, indexes, and constraints. * Data Integrity and Consistency: Ensure data integrity and consistency by monitoring database performance and conducting regular backups and restores using Cohesity. * Performance Optimization: Optimize database performance by analyzing query execution plans and making appropriate adjustments to database configuration and schema design. * Security Measures: Collaborate with the University Information Security team and support VCU security policies and industry best practices, including regular security assessments and vulnerability management / remediation. Implement and maintain database security measures, including user permissions and access controls. * Upgrades and Migrations: Plan for and implement database upgrades and migrations. * Troubleshooting: Troubleshoot and resolve database issues, such as performance bottlenecks, data corruption, and connectivity problems. * Disaster Recovery: Assist with crafting and contributing to the continuous development and maintenance of disaster recovery plans and procedures to ensure continuity of University operations. Support the testing and successful execution of these plans when called upon to do so. * Collaboration: Collaborate with development teams to design and implement database changes that support application requirements. Build strong professional relationships and work closely with cross-functional teams, including application developers, system owners, server operating system and data center network engineers, information security analysts, etc. to deliver integrated solutions. * Technical Support and Assistance: Provide consultative and technical support to the user community to ensure problem resolution, system / data access, and optimal system performance. Provide technical advice and expertise to customer departments. (SSRS, SSIS, and SSMS) * Technical Knowledge Expertise and Training: Maintain a current level of knowledge on topics within the computer industry, including but not limited to attending classes, seminars and vendor presentations, reading manuals and trade journals, use of the Internet, and conversing with peers. Provide training and documentation to transfer this knowledge to other team members. * Documentation: Create, maintain, and adhere to comprehensive documentation related to database design, configuration, and operations. Utilize established VCU Technology Services, Infrastructure Services, University Computer Center, and Enterprise Platform team processes and tools for project management, technology change management, incident reporting, and more as an integral part of all support activities. * Data Connections: Manage data connections to Oracle sources while utilizing Open Query commands. Qualifications Minimum Qualifications * Prefer Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted. * Minimum of 3-5 years of experience installing, configuring, and maintaining Microsoft SQL Server instances and databases. * Strong understanding of database performance tuning and optimization. Preferred Qualifications * Excellent problem-solving skills and analytical skills. * Familiarity with team communication, collaboration, and video conferencing tools (e.g., Google Workspace, Microsoft Office 365, Slack, Zoom, Cisco WebEx). * Ability to effectively perform independently and as part of a team in distributed, remote, and in-person environments, with minimal supervision. * Strong written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills. * Detail-oriented, with a commitment to quality and continuous improvement. * An understanding of and willingness to embrace the responsibilities of supporting enterprise technology platforms and infrastructure in a 24x7 environment, including responding to emergencies and supporting / implementing changes outside of regular University operating hours, as needed. * A cheerful eagerness to welcome change, explore alternatives, tactfully ask difficult questions of self and others, and otherwise challenge the status quo as a member of a team that strives to always be innovating, while maintaining an unwavering focus on the goals and best interests of the VCU community. Working at VCU Technology Services: At VCU Technology Services, we value people and empower one another through collaboration and inclusivity, trusted partnerships, and unequaled innovation to provide a secure, accessible, reliable, adaptable, and modern IT environment that enables the success of VCU as a leading public research institution. We are VCU's trusted IT partner and where the University community comes for IT solutions. Benefits of Working at VCU include: * Hybrid and Flex Hours available [link] * New Employees (0-3 Years of Service) start with 28 days of paid leave per calendar year plus federal and state holidays [link] * Leave plans built to promote a healthy work/life balance with the ability to carry leave forward to a following calendar year; parental leave for childbearing, caregiving, adoption, surrogacy, or foster care; caregiver leave for dependent immediate family members, community service leave for volunteer work, community participation, etc. [link] * Tuition Benefit for continuing education and professional development, up to six credit hours per academic semester link * Health Care Plan & FSA option through PayFlex [link] * Tax-deferred annuity retirement savings program with Cash Match Plan [link] * Professional development opportunities encouraged and offered for employees as part of annual career development, e.g. certifications, seminars, courses, annual conferences, mentorship, etc. The university and the region VCU is a public research university unlike any other, dedicated to serving the needs of students and patients. Inclusion is our heartbeat and it drives us to tackle difficult challenges others can't or won't. We're home to creativity, teaching, discovery and healing. Our location in the heart of downtown Richmond, Virginia, means the nonstop energy of our city ignites our innovation and provides unlimited opportunities for our students. About Virginia Commonwealth University We are the university for Virginia. We know that the unique backgrounds and life experiences of the VCU community are what drive the university forward. Together, we're forging a future that is built by us. Here, artists and engineers, doctors and designers come together to reimagine the human experience and tackle the problems of tomorrow. VCU dates to 1838 with the formation of the Medical Department of Hampden-Sydney College, whose mission was to educate physicians in central Virginia and which was later renamed Medical College of Virginia. In 1968, Richmond Professional Institute merged with the Medical College of Virginia to become what is now known as Virginia Commonwealth University. Located in downtown Richmond, the state capital of Virginia, VCU enrolls more than 28,000 students in more than 200 degree and certificate programs across its urban campuses: the downtown Monroe Park and MCV campuses in Richmond; the Rice Rivers Center in Charles City, Virginia; satellite locations in Fairfax, Virginia, and Abingdon, Virginia; and a campus in Doha, Qatar, for the School of the Arts. Ignited by the energy of the city, we're ready to lead industries - or disrupt them. We seek out the unexpected, the experimental, the never-been-tried. VCU is designated as a research university with very high research activity by the Carnegie Foundation, garnering more than $500 million in sponsored research from federal and other agencies in FY2024. The National Science Foundation ranked VCU among the top 50 public research universities in the country, and we are one of only 69 public universities nationwide to be designated by the Carnegie Foundation as "Community Engaged" with "Very High Research Activity." This research enterprise, and the influence of having one of the nation's top-ranked public graduate arts schools, ensures students receive unique educational experiences that equip them with a creative mindset that sets them apart. VCU's contributions in talent, innovation and entrepreneurialism, regional stewardship and local culture shape the economic impact and overall quality of life in the region. VCU as a whole generates more than $9 billion in economic activity. It is the largest employer in Richmond with more than 26,000 employees at VCU and VCU Health, and it supports approximately 58,000 jobs in Virginia. In addition, Virginia classifies VCU with a Tier III status - the highest possible status for universities and colleges - allowing VCU more flexibility in managing its operations to implement best practices and streamline processes. To learn about VCU's finances, visit about.finance.vcu.edu. VCU's unwavering commitment to diversity, inclusion, equity and student success is why INSIGHT into Diversity magazine has named us a Diversity Champion six times in a row as part of its annual Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Awards. And many students say that the best thing about VCU is its diversity. VCU's mission, under the leadership of President Michael Rao, Ph.D., is to serve as one national urban public research institution dedicated to the success and well-being of our students, patients, faculty, staff and community through: * Real-world learning that furthers civic engagement, inquiry, discovery and innovation. * Research that expands the boundaries of new knowledge and creative expression and promotes translational applications to improve the quality of human life. * Interdisciplinary collaborations and community partnerships that advance innovation, enhance cultural and economic vitality, and solve society's most complex challenges. * Health sciences that preserve and restore health for all people, seek the cause and cure of diseases through groundbreaking research and educate those who serve humanity. * Deeply ingrained core values of diversity, inclusion and equity that provide a safe, trusting and supportive environment to explore, create, learn and serve. Welcome to VCU. A world unlike any other. About Richmond, Virginia As the commonwealth's capital, Richmond, Virginia, offers a vibrant mix of history, diverse culture and real-world opportunities. Distinct neighborhoods, cozy restaurants and cafes and quaint local markets give the city an intimate feel, but theaters, galleries, music festivals, sports attractions and a steady stream of annual events bring RVA - as locals call the region - to life. Established in 1780, its rich history can be seen in the architecture, the Capitol grounds and the cobblestone streets around the city. With the historic James River and 600 acres of parks bordering it, bike trails, wineries, breweries, a flourishing arts, entertainment and restaurant scene (Food and Wine called Richmond a "culinary powerhouse") and affordable suburbs, this small city punches well above its weight in terms of attractions and buzz. In fact, Travel + Leisure named Richmond the best place to live in Virginia in 2023 and Southern Living named Richmond one of the 20 best cities to live in the South in 2024. Richmond's location in the middle of the state allows for day or weekend trips to the beach, the Blue Ridge Mountains or Virginia's many wineries. It's within a two-hour drive of Washington, D.C., and a multitude of excellent institutions of higher education. The Richmond metropolitan area is also home to several Fortune 500 companies, a broad base of financial companies, hospitals and media firms, high-tech manufacturing companies and state and local government agencies. Entrepreneurs and artists put down roots in Richmond, and Thrillist named it one of the best U.S. cities for creatives in 2022. Beyond Richmond, CNBC has named Virginia as the No. 1 state in the country to do business six times since the study began in 2007. It has accomplished this by bringing in billions in capital investment and thousands of new jobs; investing in education; expanding access to quality health care for all; making sure everyone has access to opportunity; and more. Business Facilities magazine named Virginia the 2024 State of the Year. Suffice to say, Virginia is full of growth and opportunity, making it the perfect location for a university determined to erase barriers and provide students with robust learning experiences that will make them unstoppable. Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action university providing access to education and employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, political affiliation, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or disability. FLSA University Employee Job FTE 1 Exemption Status Exempt Restricted Position No E-Class UF - University Employee FT Job Category University Employee ORP Eligible No Salary Range $95,000 - $105,000 Compensation Type Salaried Target Hire Date 6/25/2025 Contact Information for Candidates Documents Needed to Apply resume - required cover letter - optional