About Pacific Blue Cross

 

Pacific Blue Cross (PBC) has been British Columbia's leading benefits provider for over 80 years. We are an independent, not-for-profit society with strong roots in BC’s health care system. We provide health, dental, life, disability, and travel coverage to 1 in 3 British Columbians through employee group plans and individual plans.We are fueled by a commitment to keep health care sustainable for all British Columbians. Through our PBC Health Foundation, we fund projects that improve health outcomes directly related to mental health and wellbeing as well as the prevention and/or management of chronic disease. We are interested in finding people who want to make a difference and who are looking to grow their career with us.

 

Perks

• Work-life balance with flexible working hours of 7 hours per day, Monday to Friday (i.e., 35 hours per week).
• Paid vacation starts at 3 weeks per year, and increases with years of service.
• Hybrid work environment (i.e., a combination of work from office and work from home days).
• Generous benefits, including extended health, dental, and these benefit premiums are 100% paid by PBC.  
• Education allowance up to $1,000 per calendar year.
• Onsite gym, cafeteria, and access to virtual doctors/counsellors 24/7 via our Employee Family Assistance Program!

 About the Position

• We are searching for Temporary 6 months Database Administrator to join our IaTS team.
• This position is unionized and part of the CUPE 1816 Bargaining Unit. This position is paid at hourly rates and receives wage increases in accordance with the Collective Agreement. The starting wage for this position is: $48.92 per hour.

Job Summary

 

Under the broad managerial direction of the Manager, monitors operational integrity of all production data bases to ensure optimum functionality, minimize impact of data base failures and implement the best fix to resolve functionality problems within time, cost and other resource constraints. Designs and implements complete data base backup and restore strategies, standards and procedures for mainframe and distributed systems. Monitors data base performance to ensure user requirements are being supported and data bases are operating within established standards of functionality.

Implements corrective action to increase capacity or performance. As an active member of a variety of systems development project teams, provides data base expertise in the testing and implementation stages of major new systems, system upgrades and production enhancements. Provides technical support to assigned business applications to troubleshoot and implement break/fixes, introduce program and system enhancements, correct software defects and ensure continuing functionality.

 

Job Duties

 

 IaTS Systems Maintenance and Support: Database Administration

 

 1. On an ongoing basis, monitors operational integrity of all production data bases to ensure optimum functionality and minimize impact of data base failures by:

•  assessing current status of data bases operating in a variety of platforms including windows, linux and mainframe environments through the use of automated and other diagnostic tools;
•  receiving referrals through the help desk and other escalation points for user-initiated trouble reports;
•  reconstructing failure history, analyzing outcomes and isolating the source of trouble areas ranging from connectivity problems, applications interfaces, hardware failures and power outages;
•  consulting with vendors of third party software and hardware to assist in isolating cause of failures;
•  conducting preliminary analysis of related applications failures and referring applications issues to program developers for resolution;
•  predicting user and business impacts, evaluating priorities and implementing the best fix to resolve functionality problems within time, cost and other resource constraints;
•  initiating emergency data restore and recovery procedures;
•  installing vendor patches;
•  customizing vendor procedures and tools where indicated to implement a work-around;
•  identifying the need for changes and upgrades in data base components and related service level agreements with vendors and initiating the change management request process through the Manager.

 

Data Base Security, Backup and Recovery

2. Designs and implements complete data base backup and restore strategies, standards and procedures for mainframe and distributed systems. Consults with Systems Programming Specialists to coordinate the design, execution and updating of mainframe data base backup procedures. Automates data base backups to improve reliability using a wide variety of system tools. Documents and updates backup and recovery standards and procedures. Monitors the execution of all daily backups to ensure completion.

3. Supports the data base component of the Disaster Recovery Plan and participates in semi-annual Disaster Recovery tests to ensure major backup and recovery strategies are effective and operationally sound in the event of fire, flood or other threat to data base security.

4. Maintains and monitors user authorization levels for data base access, and sets up new users.

 

Data Base Capacity and Performance Planning

 

5. Monitors data base performance to ensure user requirements are being supported and data bases are operating within established standards of functionality by:

•  compiling and analyzing capacity and performance data using a variety of system generated reports, online response time, help desk feedback, historical performance data and recent system changes to identify variances from expected levels;
•  consulting with other technical specialists such as Systems Programming Specialists, Applications Developers and vendors to determine cause of performance variances or issues with capacity and develop appropriate corrective action;
•  implementing action to increase capacity or performance such as re-designing queries to run more efficiently and decrease response time, defragmenting indexes and tuning system parameters to increase capacity;
•  escalating applications issues such as inefficient or conflicting source code to Applications Developers for correction.

6. Forecasts growth in business requirements affecting data base in-house and archival storage requirements and makes related recommendations to the Manager for future resource planning.

 

Information and Technology Services Project Support

 

 7. As an active member of a variety of systems development project teams, provides data base expertise in the testing and implementation stages of major new systems, system upgrades and production enhancements by:

•  Consulting with the Project Manager, developers, analysts, architects and user representatives to define and understand business requirements, to develop data base models at the conceptual,  logical and physical design stages, and determine required capacity;
•  Identifying data base environment and platforms required to fulfill project mandate and evaluating vendor products through the application of best practices;
•  Developing data models and establishing data relationships through all stages of the design process;
•  Creating and testing data base prototypes;
•  In consultation with vendors, installing and configuring test environments and related patches necessary to maintain compatibility with PBC’s current applications;
•  Designing new data base environments to accommodate specialized business requirements;
•  Developing and testing data recovery protocols, standards and procedures and estimating associated costs;
•  Troubleshooting data base issues throughout project execution;
•  Maintaining detailed project documentation including data base structures, backup and recovery procedures;
•  Providing input into the go/no go decision for production promotions during project conclusion and sign-off;
•  Developing data base roll-out and implementation plans and coordinating their execution;
•  Providing technical advice to project team members and end users in all aspects of data base -related project activities, both pre- and post-implementation.

 

IaTS Systems Maintenance and Support: Assigned Application Systems

 

8. Provides technical support to assigned business applications such as PBC’s e-personality web-based human resources system to troubleshoot and implement break/fixes, introduce program and system enhancements, correct software defects and ensure continuing functionality by:

• Receiving service ticket referrals through the Help Desk, directly through internal and external users and via other escalation points;
• Troubleshooting applications and systems failures by reconstructing history, reviewing specifications and user procedures, analyzing data sources for integrity issues and identifying system interdependencies;
• Generating tickets for break/fixes, service requests and problems by logging description, resolution and escalation status into automated tracking software and ensuring active management of ticket actions and outcomes;
• Consulting with vendors of third party software to assist in isolating cause of failures;
• Predicting user and business impacts, evaluating priorities and implementing the best fix to resolve functionality problems within time, cost and other resource constraints;
• Consulting with business users for program and system enhancements received through change or service requests to ensure business requirements can be met through the enhancement process, and identifies technical design options and alternative approaches for user consideration;
• Planning the approach, estimating timing, testing regimens and required resources for implementing enhancements in a non-project environment, and executing the enhancement process;
• Performing unit testing and coordinating system and user acceptance testing as indicated by the scope and type of break/fix or enhancement being implemented;
• Developing executable program code using the programming methodology indicated for the type of application;
• Creating and updating documentation associated with program and system fixes and enhancements including design specifications, infrastructure and process flow diagrams or models, user procedures and report generation requirements.

 

General Team and Department Support

 

9. Maintains up to date knowledge of data base design, business applications, hardware, security requirements, general technology trends and other information related to the provision of data base technical support services through ongoing review of technical materials related to changes in in-house systems or the introduction of new systems. Conducts online research and participates in information exchanges with colleagues and technical contacts.

 

10. Performs other assigned duties related to data base administration and applications support which do not affect the rating of the job.

 

 

Qualifications:

 

Knowledge:

 

Minimum 3 years of post-secondary education including:

• 2 year diploma in Computer Systems Technology, specializing in database administration or equivalent PLUS
• 1 year of additional post-secondary courses in industry standard database management systems such as Oracle and SQL (or equivalent)

Previous Experience:

• Minimum 5 years previous related experience in database administration, including experience in both mainframe and distributed systems environments.

 

Note:

Responding to significant privacy breaches/incidents may occasionally require ad hoc work outside of normal business hours (e.g., nights and weekends).

If you’re excited about taking on this opportunity, we invite you to apply today and start the conversation with us about this position.

Please apply via our website this week at http://www.pbchbs.com/company/careers/

While we thank all applicants for their interest, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

PBC is an Indigenous Works employer of choice, an Insurance Business Canada Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion award winner, one of Canada’s Greenest employers, a Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI) employer partner, and a Pride at Work partner.

We strive to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and employees feel empowered to freely participate and contribute regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability, education level, parental status, or socioeconomic status. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from all qualified candidates. 

To request an accommodation in completing this job application, testing, interviewing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to careers@pac.bluecross.ca. These accommodation requests will be reviewed confidentially and, on a case-by-case basis by Human Resources.