SQL Database Administrator for Manufacturing Execution Systems

Founded in 1910, KONE is a global leader that provides elevators, escalators and automatic building doors, as well as solutions for maintenance and modernization that add value to buildings throughout their life cycle. Our mission is to improve the flow of urban life and make our world’s cities better places to live by providing innovative solutions that help make people’s journeys safe, convenient and reliable. Our operations in over 60 countries around the world has helped us achieve our position as an innovation and sustainability leader with repeated recognitions by Forbes, Corporate Knights for clean capitalism and others.  

KONE’s vision is to create the Best People Flow experience by providing ease, effectiveness and experience to our customers and users. In line with our strategy, Sustainable Success with Customers, we will focus on increasing the value we create for customers with new intelligent solutions and embed sustainability even deeper across all of our operations. By closer collaboration with customers and partners, KONE will increase the speed of bringing new services and solutions to the market.

KONE Technology and Innovation Unit (KTI) is where we combine the physical world – escalators and elevators – with smart and connected digital systems. We are changing and improving the way billions of people move within buildings every day. We are on a mission to expand and develop new digital solutions that are based on emerging technologies.

KONE IT is a global team of expert professionals working along with business functions and area teams to develop new capabilities and enable new business opportunities. We are trusted partners of KONE business lines and functions to develop, transform, manage and run their information technology solutions. We support KONE in its digital transformation journey by introducing e.g. digital cloud-based IT services, artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to support productivity, business growth and technological disruption. ​​​​​​​Sustainability, curious mindset and innovation are at the core of everything we do, and this makes us an integral part of KONE’s success.

Role Overview

• We are looking for an experienced SQL Database Administrator to manage, maintain, and continuously improve the performance and reliability of our MES (Apriso) databases across multiple factory sites. The ideal candidate will have strong SQL Server expertise, a proactive mindset for optimization, and hands-on experience in troubleshooting and performance tuning.

Key Responsibilities

• Database Maintenance & Optimization

  • Perform monthly index analysis and creation for all MES factory sites.

  • Identify and optimize expensive queries for improved system performance.

  • Monitor deadlocks and expensive queries using Extended Events.

  • Apply best practices for SQL Server performance tuning and query optimization.

• Data Management & Archival

  • Manage orphan record deletions to maintain database integrity.

  • Update and maintain archival scripts:

    • Identify missing tables, copy data to archival server, and extend deletion coverage.

• Automation & Monitoring

  • Develop and manage SQL jobs for MES failed alert handling.

  • Ensure monitoring scripts are in place and effective across environments.

• Continuous Improvement & Support

  • Proactively analyze database health and propose optimization strategies.

  • Work closely with MES operations teams, application owners, and infra teams to ensure reliable DB operations.

  • Contribute to incident RCA (Root Cause Analysis) and implement corrective/preventive actions.

Required Skills & Experience

• 5+ years of hands-on experience as a SQL Server DBA.

• Strong knowledge of Apriso MES database structures and integration.

• Proven expertise in:

  • Index analysis and creation.

  • Query tuning & performance optimization.

  • Extended Events and deadlock troubleshooting.

  • SQL job setup and automation.

• Experience in database archival strategies.

• Ability to work in a global, multi-site environment with multiple stakeholders.

Soft Skills & Values

• Collaboration: Able to work effectively with IT, business, and partner teams across regions.

• Customer focus: Proactive in ensuring systems meet factory operational needs with minimal downtime.

• Courage: Takes ownership, challenges the status quo, and drives improvements even in complex environments.

• Care: Ensures reliability and integrity of data that directly impacts manufacturing operations.

• Strong problem-solving and analytical thinking.

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.

Nice-to-Have Skills

• Experience in manufacturing IT / MES domain.

• Familiarity with ITIL processes (incident, problem, change management).

• Knowledge of cloud migration or hybrid DB setups.

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