POSITION SUMMARY
The Database Applications & BI Analytics Specialist III is a senior-level position providing advanced systems analysis and design support for corporate database systems, Business Intelligence (BI) / Analytics environments, and web-based applications. In this capacity, you will take a lead technical role in architecting, implementing, and optimizing solutions across the enterprise. By collaborating with internal teams and external vendors, you will deliver programming expertise, strategic troubleshooting, and comprehensive operational support for all BI, database and application maintenance functions. Reporting to the Supervisor, Technical Lead – Business Intelligence & Analytics, this position is responsible for the overall technical management of large and complex database BI, and reporting systems, ensuring robust system security, authorized access, and business continuity measures. This position engages closely with team members and business stakeholders to ensure the stable operation of data-driven services.
With a stronger emphasis on technical leadership and solution delivery, you will oversee and enhance the County’s BI and reporting platforms, ETL/ELT pipelines (e.g., SSIS, Azure Data Factory, Fabric Pipelines), be an expert in optimizing Databases, SQL scripts, notebooks, and APIs, and guide teams in data warehouse and Lakehouse initiatives. Leveraging SAP-related technologies (e.g., SAP ABAP reports, SAP Analytics, Spinifex), integration tools (ABAP, oData, CDS views, UI5, SAP BTP, SAP CPI, Theobald Xtract IS), and advanced performance tuning, you will ensure that data solutions meet evolving organizational demands. By setting best practices in data modeling, medallion architecture, semantic modeling, and KPI/dashboard design, the Database Applications & BI Analytics Specialist II plays a pivotal role in fostering innovation, reliability, and strategic value within the County’s data environment.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (not listed in order of priority)
1. Database System & BI Development:
- Architect, develop and manage complex corporate database systems, business intelligence (BI) solutions, and web-based applications that align with organizational strategies.
- Provide technical leadership and programming expertise on system, development and architectural design, integrating MS-SQL, MySQL, SAP HANA, Dataverse, PostgreSQL, Data Lake storage, Azure SQL, No-SQL, Sybase and other Database technologies into robust, scalable environments.
- Mentor team members, advising on best practices, programming practices (i.e. SQL, ETL/ELT/Pipelines, PowerShell, Python, R, etc.) and solution designs.
2. Systems Analysis and Requirement Elicitation:
- Lead systems Analysis and design initiatives by gathering, refining, analyzing and documenting technical and business requirements from diverse stakeholders. Support the modeling of current data processes, identifying areas for improvement (LEAN), and aligning solutions with business objectives.
- Collaborate with business users to define requirements for key performance indicators (KPIs), ensuring effective and user-friendly reporting solutions.
- Oversee feasibility studies, ensuring optimal alignment between data solutions and strategic objectives, and support the design of user-friendly reporting experiences.
3. Data Integration & ETL/ELT/Pipelines:
- Design, Configure and optimize ETL/ELT pipelines (e.g., SSIS, Azure Data Factory, Fabric Pipelines, etc.) for seamless data ingestion from various sources, including REST APIs, oData, CDS views and middleware and integrations tools such as SAP CPI or Theobald Xtract IS. Ensure that data processes align with best practices for efficiency and reliability.
- Assist in the creation and enforce best practices for pipeline reliability, data transformation, and performance across multiple projects, including data migrations or system upgrades.
4. Reporting & Dashboard Creation and Enhancements:
- Collaborate with business users and Business Systems Analyst to develop and enhance existing BI artifacts: databases, data/semantic models, reports, dashboards, and visualizations using Microsoft Fabric, Power BI, Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS), SAP ABAP, Excel or other BI platforms and Reporting Tools.
- Collect user feedback, evaluate data usage patterns, and propose enhancements that strengthen report accuracy and clarity.
- Establish reporting standards and guidelines for efficient KPI derivation, data visualization, and user-friendly analytics.
5. Security & Authorized Access:
- Oversee security architecture for databases and BI systems, instituting advanced controls at screen, field, table, and process levels.
- Implement screen-, field-, table-, and process-level security to protect sensitive data. Administer user accounts, role-based permissions, and passwords, adhering to enterprise security policies and industry best practices.
6. DBA Functions & Performance Tuning:
- Serve as the primary point of contact for advanced database administration tasks, including query optimization, index management, patching, and capacity planning.
- Implement and configure proactive monitoring tools (e.g. SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer) and lead performance tuning sessions, ensuring enterprise-wide data solutions meet or exceed service-level objectives.
- Support the ongoing stability, efficiency, and scalability of corporate database systems through proactive tuning and timely maintenance.
7. Business Continuity & Data Integrity:
- Define, maintain, and periodically test business continuity strategies for complex database systems.
- Lead efforts to safeguard data integrity, reliability, and availability by overseeing backup policies, replication processes, and failover plans for production, test, and development environments for corporate applications.
8. Troubleshooting & Operational Support:
- Coordinate escalation procedures for high-severity incidents, providing technical guidance to staff during root-cause analysis and implementing preventive and proactive measures and drive continuous improvement to reduce recurring incidents.
- Ensure proactive incident management, managing operational tickets, and delivering stable database, applications and BI environments.
- Investigate and resolve operational issues, data discrepancies, and performance slowdowns.
9. Vendor & Contractor Liaison:
- Assist with managing relationships with external service providers or contractors, defining technical standards, deliverable scope, and acceptance criteria.
- Liaise with vendors regarding error descriptions and problem resolution.
- Assist with negotiation of service-level agreements, track vendor performance, and validate solutions against organizational best practices.
10. Project & Operational Activities
- Balance day-to-day operational duties with project tasks (e.g., upgrades, migrations, integrations).
- Provide technical project oversight, status reporting, risk assessment, and milestone tracking to ensure successful implementation on time and within scope.
11. Documentation & Knowledge Transfer:
- Develop and maintain comprehensive technical documentation, including runbooks, BPPs (Business Process Procedures), SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), and user manuals for databases, applications, integrations, ETL/ELT/pipeline processes, and reporting and dashboard solutions.
- Lead knowledge-sharing sessions and training workshops, ensuring that system functionalities are communicated effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences.
12. Apply Data Modeling & Architecture Concepts
- Drive adoption of medallion architecture (Bronze, Silver, Gold layers), semantic modeling, data modelling and advanced data warehouse or data mart approaches.
- Oversee the architecture and creation of high-performance database systems and adjust to ensure adherence to specified performance metrics, and guiding staff on best practices.
13. Data Governance & Quality:
- Spearhead data governance initiatives, enhancing data dictionaries, metadata repositories, and quality frameworks.
- Establish and support enterprise data standards, ensure consistent data usage, and champion data stewardship across multiple departments.
14. SAP Integration & Tools
- Oversee and develop data extraction and loading processes for SAP S/4HANA and integrated systems, leveraging ABAP, oData, CPI, CDS views, or Theobald Xtract IS.
- Monitor and optimize SAP data flows, addressing synchronization or compatibility issues that arise
15. Testing & Code Promotion:
- Follow established version control and deployment procedures when implementing new features or changes. Support code reviews, adhere to release cycles, and document all updates to maintain a stable production environment.
- Lead, coordinate and conduct with functional, unit, UAT and pilot testing for applications, workflows, integrations, ETL/ELT/pipelines and reports and dashboards to ensure compliance with requirements. Collect user feedback and collaborate with development teams to fine-tune features and address issues before production deployment.
16. KPI & Dashboard Design
- Collaborate with stakeholders to identify complex KPIs or metrics, driving organization-wide dashboard strategies for operational, analytical, and executive insights.
- Recommend measures, visual layouts, and best practices in user adoption to maximize dashboard impact and clarity.
17. Ongoing Technology Awareness, Innovation & Continuous Improvement
- Stay current with emerging BI, analytics, and cloud technologies (e.g., Microsoft Fabric updates, AI/ML tools, RPA, etc.) by engaging in training, self-study, or workshops. –
- Present findings to the team, championing new tools or methodologies aligned with organizational needs, fostering continual growth and improvement amongst team members.
18. Adherence to Confidentiality & Compliance:
- Ensure confidentiality and secure access of corporate data used in assessing / supporting systems including financial, human resources, payroll, social services and health records.
- Comply with Provincial and County occupational health and safety legislation, regulations, policies and procedures.
- Maintain confidentiality in accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
19. Other Duties as Assigned
- Undertake additional responsibilities necessary to support departmental and corporate goals, including redeployment in emergency situations.
- Prepare reports and presentations as required
- Participate in committees, task forces, and working groups, offering a senior specialist perspective and fostering professional growth within the team.
CORPORATE COMPETENCIES
Has knowledge of and demonstrated ability in our corporate competencies:
• Acts with the Customer in Mind
• Ensures Accountability
• Continuously Seeks to Improve Work Processes
• Collaborates
• Communicates with Impact
• Is Resilient
EDUCATION, TECHNICAL SKILLS AND CERTIFICATION
• A university degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Computer Programming, or related discipline or equivalent combination of education and experience. This job may be considered for educational equivalency in accordance with County Policy.
• Completion of a recognized post-graduate certificate in Data Analytics, Business Intelligence, Cloud Computing, or advanced continuing education from a Accredited institution is an asset
• Advanced proficiency in multiple core technologies and frameworks (Microsoft Fabric, MS-SQL, SSIS/Azure Synapse/Azure Data Factory (or equivalent ETL/ELT/Pipeline toolset), Azure or other Cloud Service Provider, SAP-Netweaver, .NET, Service Oriented Architecture, Python, PowerShell, PySpark, R, XML, JSON, JavaScript, REST, oData, SAP UI5 / Fiori, etc.).
• Expertise in DevOps and CI/CD processes, source code management (Azure DevOps, GitHub), and productionizing applications, dashboards, and source code.
• Knowledge and experience in SAP ECC or S/4HANA (preferred) utilizing SAP CPI (or similar middleware technology) and experience extracting and transforming data from various operational systems, databases and datastores, such as SAP S/4HANA, SQL, NoSQL, SaaS solutions.
• Relevant certifications (e.g. Microsoft Azure / BI, DP-900, DP-600, PL-300 or equivalent experience) are highly desirable.
• Understanding of Project Management and/or Agile principals and frameworks preferred
• Leadership skills required to manage multiple projects tasks and lead / facilitate cross-departmental project teams.
• Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills for diagnosing complex system issues and designing high-impact solutions.
• Excellent communication and technical writing skills, with proven ability to prepare reports and present to stakeholders with varying levels of technical understanding.
• Ability to work effectively with constant interruptions; ability to work simultaneously on several projects independently and to use good judgment in determining priorities.
• Valid G class driver’s license and access to reliable vehicle.
• Criminal records check that is less than six (6) months old at time of hire.
EXPERIENCE
• Five (5) to seven (7) years of experience in the information technology field, with emphasis on complex database systems, BI Environments, Reporting Platforms, web-enabled applications and associated server platforms, in a large corporate setting.
• Experience leading BI and data-centric projects, including data modeling, pipeline design, data warehouse, data mart, or Lakehouse design, in a large, complex technical environment.
• Expert-level knowledge of performance tuning, capacity planning, and query optimization on enterprise databases (SQL, NoSQL).
• Demonstrated success mentoring staff or cross-functional teams, aligning solutions with business needs, and delivering robust, scalable data outcomes.
• Experience must include two (2) to three (3) years reporting and database development experience with 1 or more of the following technologies: SQL, MDX, Power BI (or equivalent reporting platform, Qlik, Tableau, etc.), MS SSIS/ Synapse/Azure Data Factory (or equivalent ETL/ELT/Pipeline toolset), MS SSAS/MDX (or equivalent Cube Structures), DAX, PowerShell, REST, JSON, Python, JavaScript, .NET, XML, SAP UI5 / Fiori.
• Experience working in Microsoft Fabric / Azure Synapse considered an asset
• Experience utilizing and Managing Source Code Tools (Azure DevOps, GitHub, etc.) and utilizing Deployment Pipelines (CI/CD) to productionize applications, reports, dashboards and source code.
• Experience with working with testing automation tools or Robotic Process Automation (RPA) tools (Worksoft or similar tool)
• Cloud environment experience on Microsoft Azure, Power Platform including Azure Cognitive Services / AI Services, APIs such as Document Intelligence, and Python coding and deployment (or equivalent experience).
EFFORT
• No physical effort of note is associated with this position.
• Significant mental effort required for systems analysis and design, diagnosing system failures, and managing various tasks on multiple projects simultaneously.
WORKING CONDITIONS
• Typical office environment.
• May be required to attend the workplace or log in from outside the workplace during evenings, nights, or weekends for problem resolution.
• Ability to work remotely if required.
