Database Manager Jobs in Waterloo, ON (NOW HIRING)

You are as unique as your background, experience and point of view. Here, you'll be encouraged, empowered and challenged to be your best self. You'll work with dynamic colleagues - experts in their fields - who are eager to share their knowledge with you. Your leaders will inspire and help you reach your potential and soar to new heights. Every day, you'll have new and exciting opportunities to make life brighter for our Clients - who are at the heart of everything we do. Discover how you can make a difference in the lives of individuals, families and communities around the world.

Job Description:

The Opportunity

Join Sun Life's Data Management Services team as a SQL Server Infrastructure Database Administrator and lead the charge in modernizing our database infrastructure. You'll work across distributed systems supporting Canada and the US, combining hands-on technical expertise with strategic infrastructure planning-all while driving innovation in database automation and cloud integration.

About the Team

You'll be part of a dynamic, geographically distributed team (Canada and India) that powers critical database services for a wide range of applications. This role offers genuine impact: you'll influence infrastructure decisions, mentor team members, and shape how we evolve our database capabilities. Be prepared to embrace 24/7 rotational on-call responsibilities, lead after-hours change management, and champion disaster recovery initiatives.

What will you do:

• Lead Infrastructure Projects: Drive SQL Server initiatives from concept to deployment-software releases, security upgrades, feature optimization, and infrastructure scaling
• Automate & Innovate: Design and implement automated database deployment pipelines, integrating cutting-edge DevOps practices into our database operations
• Build Resilient Systems: Architect and deploy robust SQL Server environments-from standalone instances to failover clusters and AlwaysOn Availability Groups-with confidence and precision
• Establish Excellence: Create and maintain operational best practices, build documentation, and lead by example in database administration
• Ensure Mission-Critical Reliability: Architect comprehensive backup/restore strategies and validate recoverability across all environments
• Optimize Performance: Proactively monitor database stability, performance, and availability using modern diagnostic tools and AI-powered tuning capabilities
• Collaborate Strategically: Partner with technical leads, specialized IT teams, and application support to deliver seamless database services
• Drive Continuous Improvement: Champion process innovations and contribute forward-thinking solutions that elevate the team's capabilities

What you need to succeed:

• University level degree in Computer Science or related information technology degree/diploma
• 2-3+ years of database concepts to business requirements and data-mapping and logical and physical data modeling experience
• 2-3+ years SQL Server database resiliency strategies such as AlwaysOn, replication, log shipping, maintenance plans and DR recovery strategies
• Must have hands-on experience provisioning, configuring, and scaling SQL Server Environments (including Availability Groups and FCI) using Terraform or Ansible.
• Advanced PowerShell: Advanced proficiency in automation scripting, environment validation and configuration management at scale.
• AI-Driven Performance Tuning: Familiarity with leveraging AI Powered performance tools (SQL Automatic tuning, Intelligent Query processing) to predict, diagnose and auto-remediate performance bottlenecks
• Strong engineering capabilities in bridging on premises with cloud capabilities (eg. AWS EC2/RDS)

What's in it for you:

• We're honoured to be recognized as a 2026 Best Workplaces in Canada by Great Place to Work Canada.
• We are thrilled to be recognized by Excellence Canada with their top-level certification, the Canada Order of Excellence for Mental Health at Work, for prioritizing employee well-being, fostering a positive work culture, and achieving excellence in mental health.
• Wellness programs that support the three pillars of your health - mental, physical, and financial
• The opportunity to move along a variety of career paths with amazing networking potential.
• As a hybrid organization, you and your leader use business and Client need to choose where you work, at home or in the

This role requires Reliability Security Clearance. In addition to a law enforcement inquiry and a credit check, as part of your application, the Government of Canada will ask if you lived or travelled outside of Canada for 6-consecutive months during the last 5 years, and you must account for all activities during this time.

Must be able to satisfactorily complete applicable background checks prior to the start date and during employment, in accordance with Sun Life's policies and practices.

#LI-Hybrid #LI-remote

The Base Pay range is for the primary location for which the job is posted. It may vary depending on the work location of the successful candidate or other factors. In addition to Base Pay, eligible Sun Life employees participate in various incentive plans, payment under which is discretionary and subject to individual and company performance. Certain sales focused roles have sales incentive plans based on individual or group sales results.

Diversity and inclusion have always been at the core of our values at Sun Life. A diverse workforce with wide perspectives and creative ideas benefits our Clients, the communities where we operate and all of us as colleagues. We welcome applications from qualified individuals from all backgrounds.

Persons with disabilities who need accommodation in the application process, or those needing job postings in an alternative format, may e-mail a request to thebrightside@sunlife.com.

We are proud to be a hybrid organization that offers our employees the choice and flexibility to work from both the office and virtually based on the needs of the business, our Clients and you! Several work options are available and can be discussed throughout the selection process depending on the role requirements and individual needs.

We may use artificial intelligence to support candidate sourcing, screening, interview scheduling.

We thank all applicants for showing an interest in this position. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Salary Range:

Job Category:

Posting End Date: