Database Services Manager (Senior Database Administrator) - 60025271

The South Carolina Department of Education supports all students, schools, and districts by providing high-quality data infrastructure, systems, and analytics that inform decision-making across all 79 school districts and promote equitable educational outcomes statewide.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Database Services Manager serves as the primary database platform lead within the Office of Information Technology (OIT), responsible for the administration, performance, security, and modernization of the agencys enterprise database environment. This position manages database operations staff, coordinates with external consultants and vendors, and ensures the availability and integrity of database systems that support statewide K12 education data operations across all school districts.

This is a senior technical management role that blends hands-on database platform expertise with strategic initiative leadership and direct staff supervision. The incumbent guides the agencys transition from legacy on-premises database infrastructure toward cloud-native and hybrid architectures while maintaining continuous availability of production systems that inform high-stakes educational policy, reporting, and funding decisions at both the state and federal level.

The Database Services Manager operates at the intersection of technical depth and organizational leadership expected to serve as the agencys subject matter authority on database platforms while simultaneously managing a team, directing vendor relationships, and contributing to enterprise architecture and modernization strategy. This role requires the judgment to balance operational stability with transformational change in an environment where data availability directly affects district operations and state accountability obligations.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Database Administration & Operations 40%

• Administer and maintain enterprise database systems across multiple platforms (Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, and supporting technologies), ensuring reliability, performance, and availability for mission-critical education data workloads.
• Ensure high availability, backup integrity, and disaster recovery readiness for production systems supporting statewide K12 data operations; define and test RTO/RPO targets in coordination with IT leadership and the state data center.
• Monitor database performance and capacity continuously; perform query tuning, index optimization, and resource planning to meet service level objectives across development, staging, and production environments.
• Manage patching cycles and version upgrades in alignment with the agencys vulnerability remediation program; evaluate and plan major version migrations with minimal disruption to district-facing data systems.
• Coordinate with data center operations on server provisioning, storage management, and failover infrastructure; maintain current architecture documentation for all database platforms under management.

Modernization & Strategic Initiatives 30%

• Lead database modernization projects including platform upgrades, system consolidation, and legacy system remediation; define project scope, timelines, and success criteria in collaboration with OIT leadership and IT stakeholders.
• Evaluate and implement cloud migration paths for appropriate database workloads, with particular focus on Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance; develop migration runbooks, rollback procedures, and post-migration validation frameworks.
• Modernize CI/CD and deployment pipelines to improve change management, release reliability, and environment consistency; establish source-controlled database change processes using Git-based tooling and automated testing.
• Partner with external consultants and vendors to accelerate modernization timelines and supplement internal capacity; manage statement-of-work deliverables, quality reviews, and knowledge transfer requirements for all contractor engagements.
• Evaluate emerging database technologies and cloud-native data services; prepare comparative assessments and POC results to inform enterprise architecture decisions and inform agency technology investment planning.

Security, Compliance & Governance 15%

• Implement and enforce database security controls including role-based access management, encryption at rest and in transit, audit logging, and privileged access review; ensure controls align with agency security policy and state IT standards.
• Ensure compliance with FERPA, South Carolina student data privacy statutes, and applicable federal education data regulations; serve as primary technical contact for database-related compliance inquiries from internal counsel, SCDE privacy officers, and external auditors.
• Support internal and external audit activities related to data systems, access controls, and disaster recovery; produce audit-ready documentation of control design and operating effectiveness.
• Maintain comprehensive documentation of database architecture, data flow processes, operational procedures, and data classification standards; ensure documentation is current, accessible, and sufficient to support business continuity.

Staff Management & Knowledge Leadership 15%

• Directly supervise database administration staff; conduct performance management, support professional development planning, assign workload priorities, and build team capacity across operational and modernization responsibilities.
• Develop and maintain system documentation, operational runbooks, and knowledge transfer materials sufficient to reduce single points of failure and support staff development at all levels of the team.
• Coordinate with vendor-managed platforms and external data partners to maintain integration continuity; represent OIT in technical working sessions with district technology officers, state agency partners, and federal reporting contacts.
• Collaborate with business analysts, data architects, and OIT leadership on data requirements, project planning, capacity decisions, and cross-functional technology initiatives affecting the agencys data ecosystem.
• Manage consultant engagements and vendor relationships to supplement internal team capacity; evaluate deliverable quality, provide technical direction, and ensure contractor work aligns with agency standards and long-term architecture goals.

This position is located in the Office of Information Technology.

A bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems or a related field and experience in systems development and maintenance, technical support, or the support of complex database management systems. Related experience may substitute for the bachelor's degree on a year-for-year basis.
Bachelors degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field; or equivalent combination of education and progressive professional experience as approved by the Division of State Human Resources.
Seven plus (7+) years of progressive database administration experience, including at least three (3) years in a supervisory or team lead capacity managing DBA staff or contractor resources.
Expert-level experience administering Microsoft SQL Server environments including installation, configuration, performance tuning, high availability (Always On AG, FCI), and major version upgrade planning.
Working knowledge of at least one additional database platform (Oracle, PostgreSQL, or equivalent) in a production environment.
Demonstrated experience leading database migration or modernization projects, including planning, execution, and post-migration validation.
Proficiency with CI/CD tooling and source code management (Git, GitLab, Azure DevOps, Jenkins, or equivalent) applied to database change management workflows.
Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to produce clear technical documentation and present complex topics to non-technical stakeholders.
Hands-on experience with Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, or comparable cloud database platforms; prior cloud migration project experience strongly preferred.
Familiarity with education data standards and systems (Ed-Fi, Student Information Systems, longitudinal data systems, or comparable K12 data ecosystems).
Experience with database monitoring and management platforms (SolarWinds, Idera, Redgate, or equivalent) for proactive performance management and alerting.
Linux server administration sufficient to support source control infrastructure and CI/CD pipeline components.
Experience with ETL processes, data integration pipelines, and cloud data warehousing platforms (Azure Synapse, Databricks, or equivalent).
Prior experience in state government, K12 education, or a similarly regulated data environment with FERPA or comparable student/citizen data privacy obligations.
Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate or equivalent current certification.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

As a part of a competitive compensation package, we offer comprehensive benefits that include generous paid time off, preeminent health care benefits, professional development opportunities, pension, a 401(k), and a hybrid work schedule with opportunity for remote work.

The South Carolina Department of Education offers an exceptional benefits package that includes:

• Health, Dental, Vision, Long Term Disability, and Life Insurance for Employee, Spouse, and Children.
• 15 days annual (vacation) leave per year.
• 15 days sick leave per year.
• 13 paid holidays.
• State Retirement Plan and Deferred Compensation Programs (401(k) and 457 options).

ONLY THOSE APPLICANTS CHOSEN FOR AN INTERVIEW WILL BE NOTIFIED BY LETTER THAT THE POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED.