Lead Database Administrator

Why choose the College of Lake County for your next opportunity?

The College of Lake County (CLC) offers a competitive salary, excellent benefits that includes Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois health, Delta Dental and Superior Vision insurance plans, tuition support for employees and qualified family members, three retirement plans, disability, group and supplemental life insurance, health and dependent care flexible spending account plans, a compressed work week in the summer (Closed Fridays!), generous vacation, sick and personal time off and 14 paid holidays each year.

Some benefits will not be available for Part-Time or Part Time Staff Under 20 Hours (ex: health insurance).

We value candidates who bring language skills that help us better serve and connect with our diverse community. Bilingual English/Spanish proficiency is preferred but not required.

Position Title:

Lead Database Administrator

Job Summary:

The Lead Database Administrator is accountable for the maintenance of the College’s enterprise-wide data. The Lead Database Administrator understands database technology and trends at a strategic level; is versant in implementing new technologies; architects, creates, maintains, upgrades, and monitors systems for optimal availability and performance; and troubleshoots systems issues at their root cause. This role reports to the Director, Application Development.

Job Description:

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Independently performs all of the following tasks or supervises others in the performance of all of the following tasks:

Systems Development and Maintenance: 50%

• Administers, configures, tunes, and maintains both enterprise-wide and solution-specific database systems for the College, including MS SQL Server, DB2, and Oracle.
• Administers both locally and cloud-based databases with a focus on highly performing, highly available, and highly secure solutions.
• Uses the College’s standard development tools, such as ASP.net and PeopleTools, to create sustainable, maintainable, secure, privacy-sensitive, efficient, and effective solutions.
• Creates solutions that leverage enterprise database solutions through the use of SQL and other standard database interfaces.
• Uses the College’s preferred scripting and job scheduling solutions in both databases, such as MS SQL Server, DB2, and Oracle, and operating systems, such as Windows Server and Unix, to create automations and extracts from solutions that meet the needs of other departments.
• Administers operating systems, including Unix and Windows Server, to achieve the database needs of the College.
• Creates and maintains the strategy, standards, planning, and execution of database solutions, including software, updates, patches, and licenses.
• Maintains subject matter expertise in databases, including the knowledge, skills, and desire to optimize the use of all features of the solutions to maximize their benefit to the College.
• Accountable for the expert installation, configuration, and maintenance of databases on servers along with images to be installed on desktops.
• Administers user access to data or works with Technology Support team to create and maintain access according to the College’s policies and procedures, creating, changing and deleting user access and accounts per request.
• Monitors, responds to, and mitigates security threats related to data in collaboration with the College’s cybersecurity experts.
• Manages the backup, storage, and restoration of configurations, access, and data related to database solutions in accordance with the College’s policies and procedures.
• Ensures restores from backed up systems are possible.
• Creates and maintains database documentation, such as systems diagrams and configurations, processes and procedures.

  Support and Consulting: 20%

• Creates, manages, and facilitates relationships with key users of database solutions in use at the College.
• Expertly consults with key users to create clear expectations and requirements documents prior to configuration or customization of databases.
• Addresses issues at their root level, using creative problem-solving techniques to achieve high-quality, highly efficient, highly effective resolutions.
• Proactively identifies potential issues and resolves them before they become an issue.
• Appropriately escalates issues to vendors and other College teams after an appropriate time or when issues require further expertise.
• Able to interact positively with both internal and external partners to achieve high satisfaction in both consulting and problem resolution situations
• Accurately documents and maintains all support requests and efforts in the ticket management system.
• Ensures support tickets are appropriately transferred, escalated, and closed.
• Keeps customers updated on the status of their open incidents.
• Ensures that customers are satisfied upon ticket closure.

  Project Management: 20%

• Manages consultants and their performance on projects that make use of third party consultants.
• Able to manage multiple projects at once.
• Executes project plans according to schedule, with attention to communication, risk management, training, and ongoing support and maintenance; setting and meeting expectations for project progress and completion; and ensuring that project deliverables are complete, sufficient, and of high quality.
• Manages implementation of technology solutions, including the following elements:

  o Architecture and Design

  o Stakeholder communication

  o Risk management

• Qualities of service, such as Security, Accessibility, Performance, Availability, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity, Manageability, and Monitoring.
• Ongoing budget Education and training Support Identifies, categorizes, and prioritizes the College’s database needs, and researches, assesses, selects, acquires, and implements technology solutions that best satisfy those needs.

  Other: 10%

• Keeps track of and manages hardware and software maintenance agreement to ensure optimal value of database solutions to the College.
• Manages solution providers and vendors according to a balanced scorecard to ensure high levels of collaboration, performance, and value.
• Participates in user groups associated with database solutions administered by the position in such a way as to maximize knowledge of strategic leverage of the solutions, value from the solution and its provider, and skills for performing solution administration.
• Maintains and shares subject matter expertise, staying current on industry trends and emerging technologies, identifying opportunities for further research, establishing and maintaining relationships with industry and professional colleagues, and attending conferences and seminars in order to recommend new solutions in service of student success and faculty and staff effectiveness and efficiency, while enhancing systems design, usage, security, performance, and availability.
• Provides a consistent stream of new ideas to enhance the College’s systems.
• Assists in the development of IT processes and procedures.
• Proactively works with members of other departments to identify and implement key opportunities for operational improvements, especially with regards to processes and leverage of data/information.
• Performs other duties of a similar nature or level.

  MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - The following qualifications are required:

• Masters Degree with three years of experience in an Information Technology role, at least three years of which were in a role specific to this discipline OR Bachelors Degree with six years of experience in an Information Technology role, at least four years of which were in a role specific to this discipline OR Associate's Degree with ten years of experience in an Information Technology role, at least six years of which were in a role specific to this discipline
• Fundamental level understanding of the design, maintenance, and administration of relational databases.
• Fundamental level understanding of physical and logical database design in an enterprise database platform.
• Fundamental level understanding of of SQL performance analysis and tuning, log shipping, replication, SQL clustering, scalability and reliability issues, Transact-SQL scripting, SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS/DTS), SQL Server Reporting Services, bulk copy programs (BCP), and Open Database Connectivity (ODBC).
• Knowledge of performance tuning, backup & recovery methods in DB2 & SQL Server platforms.
• Effective and polished verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work effectively with a wide range of customers and a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Committed to keeping up-to-date with the ever-changing technology landscape.
• Reflect a positive, high-energy and professional demeanor
• Demonstrated ability to work well on and improve the performance of a team
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize and deliver according to deadlines while handling multiple tasks, ability to exercise judgment, handle confidential information, and function with minimal supervision
• Demonstrated excellent organizational abilities and attention to detail
• Ability to cogently explain technical concepts and procedures to non-technical users
• Ability to problem-solve, analyze information to make informed decisions and/or recommendations
• Ability to apply principles of logical thinking to a wide range of intellectual and practical problems.
• Ability to work nights and weekends as needed.

  MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - The following qualifications are required:

• Masters Degree with three (3) years of experience in an Information Technology role, at least three (3) years of which were in a role specific to this discipline OR Bachelors Degree with six (6) years of experience in an Information Technology role, at least four (4) years of which were in a role specific to this discipline OR Associate's Degree with ten (10)
• years of experience in an Information Technology role, at least six (6) years of which were in a role specific to this discipline
• Fundamental level understanding of the design, maintenance, and administration of relational databases.
• Fundamental level understanding of physical and logical database design in an enterprise database platform.
• Fundamental level understanding of of SQL performance analysis and tuning, log shipping, replication, SQL clustering, scalability and reliability issues, Transact-SQL scripting, SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS/DTS), SQL Server Reporting Services, bulk copy programs (BCP), and Open Database Connectivity (ODBC).
• Knowledge of performance tuning, backup & recovery methods in DB2 & SQL Server platforms.
• Effective and polished verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work effectively with a wide range of customers and a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Committed to keeping up-to-date with the ever-changing technology landscape.
• Reflect a positive, high-energy and professional demeanor
• Demonstrated ability to work well on and improve the performance of a team
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize and deliver according to deadlines while handling multiple tasks, ability to exercise judgment, handle confidential information, and function with minimal supervision
• Demonstrated excellent organizational abilities and attention to detail
• Ability to cogently explain technical concepts and procedures to non-technical users
• Ability to problem-solve, analyze information to make informed decisions and/or recommendations
• Ability to apply principles of logical thinking to a wide range of intellectual and practical problems

  DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS - The following qualifications are desired:

• Bachelors degree or higher in an Information Technology-related field
• Experience administering databases in a PeopleSoft (9.2 or above) environment
• Experience administering MS SQL Server, DB2, and Oracle databases
• Ability to automate activities through the use of scripts in languages such as PowerShell, Python, and JavaScript.
• Higher Education experience ideally in a community college setting An innate focus on students and their success
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong analytical skills.
• An interest in improving existing processes and procedures on a continual basis.
• Ability to manage projects as needed.
• Bilingual in Spanish and English.

  Salary: $92,730

  Application Deadline:

• October 12, 2026

  Full-Time/Part-Time:

  Full time

  Total Hours Per Week:

  40

  Position Type:

  Staff

  Job Family:

  Specialist

  Posting Date:

  09/28/2026

  Expected Start Date:

  10/19/2026

  Compensation Grade:

  Lead Database Administrator

  Location:

  Grayslake Campus

  Department:

  Application Development Division

  EEO Statement:

  College of Lake County is an Equal Opportunity Employer with a policy of non-discrimination.  Qualified applicants are considered without regard to race, color, age, sex, national origin, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, military or veteran status, genetic information, ancestry, citizenship, parental status, pregnancy or any other status protected by law.