Resume - Benjamin Levenson

Skills

Site Reliability Engineering — incident management, on-call design, runbooks, post-mortems, SLO/SLA ownership
Cloud Infrastructure — AWS, Azure (IaaS, PaaS, cloud migrations)
Infrastructure as Code & Automation — PowerShell, deployment pipelines, automated workflows
Observability — metrics, logging, alerting, performance monitoring
Database Administration — Microsoft SQL Server (2005–2019, Azure SQL), Oracle
Windows Server Administration (2003–2019)
Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity — RPO/RTO planning, backup architecture, zero data loss strategies
VMware virtualization

May 2020 – Present | Remote

Lead SRE function for a portfolio of human services EHR and case management platforms serving 14,000+ nonprofit and government organizations across the U.S. and Canada
Own availability, performance, and reliability targets for cloud-hosted systems processing billions of dollars in behavioral health, I/DD, child welfare, and social services claims annually
Designed and implemented infrastructure-as-code pipelines and automated deployment workflows across AWS environments, reducing release cycle time and manual toil
Built and maintain observability stack (metrics, logging, alerting) to proactively identify degradation before it impacts frontline clinicians and caseworkers
Led incident management process improvements, establishing runbooks, on-call rotations, and post-mortem culture to drive down MTTR and repeat incidents
Partnered with engineering and product teams across 7 products to align reliability standards post-acquisition and integration
Established database reliability practices for SQL Server and cloud-based data stores supporting HIPAA-regulated clinical and billing data

October 2016 - May 2020 | Tempe, AZ

Senior Database Administrator for city government with over 500M annual budget
Lead Engineer for all new AWS and Azure projects, including migration of City financial and Human Resource software to PaaS
Managed MS SQL and Oracle databases over dispersed locations and networks
Implemented new tools for database monitoring and performance reporting
Completely re-wrote the backup and recovery plan for the city to meet a 0 RTO/RPO
Secured funds to replace all database hardware within 2 years of employment, including migration away from stand alone physicals to a dedicated virtual environment
Designed migration plans and tool to get all SQL 2000 & 2005 data moved to newer, cloud based products at no cost to the City

January 2015 – October 2016 | Jacksonville, FL

Lead Senior Engineer for 15 clients comprising over 2000 endpoints
Sole DBA for managed services company with over 50 client sites
Managed Windows Server, Remote Desktop Services, Exchange, SQL, Great Plains, SonicWall network devices, Cisco network devices, and custom applications
Responsible for identifying needs, purchasing equipment, configuring systems, supporting applications, and correcting obstructions
Created centralized, scalable, cloud-based automation to backup SQL databases at multiple sites, versions, and server configurations
Provided 24-hour tier 3 support for system outages
Installed, upgraded, and administered SQL Servers 2014, 2012, 2008 R2, 2008, 2005 and 2000 in virtual and physical environments for development and production databases.

May 2010 – January 2015 | Jacksonville, FL

Managed SQL services for Fannie Mae's Home Affordable Mortgage Program (HAMP)
Implemented Disaster Recovery strategies to meet client RPO/RTO, including 24 recovery and zero data loss scenarios
Interface with customers, quality assurance, developers, and business analysts to provide transparent, seamless SDLC
Final approval for all DML & DDL code prior to deployment to any environment
Developed standards and performed SQL installations across multiple data centers
Configured, monitored and supported over 200 SQL instances

June 2008 – March 2010 | Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, AL

Lead developer for the largest unified SCCM/SMS environment in the world
Created automated Windows SCCM deployments and MDT standalone upgrade media, delivering $500M program to Air Force Enterprise
Provided single repository to implement Windows desktop and server configurations to Air Force, Department of Defense, OBM, CIA, FBI, NSA, DHS, and DISA.
Reduced MDT standalone media deployment times by 30 minutes per station
Developed, tested, and maintained SCCM & C# scripts utilized to bring computers into compliance with Federal Desktop Core Configuration without losing user data
Managed 20 unit server farm, including Active Directory, SCCM, MDT, and SQL Server
Authored communications and information annexes/appendices for technical user manuals and installation guides
Created C# Windows compliance validation tools used on over 57,000 systems
Maintained testing laboratory with over 70 unique system configurations
Designed SQL reports using MS SQL Reporting Services to track system compliance

September 2006 - June 2008 | Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, AL

Generated new security procedures for web interfaces, removing 3 major security holes that would have allowed user takeover of the system
Wrote & taught Microsoft SQL 2005 training course used by 50% of new Air Force programmers
Monitored & improved database performance using SQL Server Profiler
Designed stored procedures in conjunction with developers to assure I/O compatibility
Established and maintained web interfaces using ASP.NET for multiple databases and servers
Redesigned databases for military personnel system, reducing in- and out-processing time by 28%
Engineered requirements for software overhaul, reducing project costs by $250,000
Developed central code repository to prevent code duplication for 138 project teams

March 2004 - September 2006 | Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque, NM

Administered UNIX security systems for Kirtland Underground Munitions Storage Complex
Oversaw installation and configuration of LAN drops, phone lines, and new computers
Managed classified Exchange server and prepared classified briefings on IT management
Certified weapons tracking systems resulting in an 'Excellent' rating for unit inspection

December 2001 - March 2004 | Prescott, AZ

Started Sole Proprietorship to expand skills and develop community ties
Provided guidance on IT purchasing for individuals, small businesses, and non-profits
Formulated training plans to meet unique customer needs in varied environments

May 1999 - December 2001 | Prescott, AZ