We are seeking a Senior Database Administrator II with strong expertise in Oracle and/or PostgreSQL as primary database platforms, and solid hands-on experience with at least one secondary database technology (MSSQL, MySQL, or MongoDB). This role sits within our global Database Engineering team and requires demonstrable experience managing and operating database workloads on AWS cloud infrastructure from a DBA perspective.
In this role, you will design, build, and support highly available, scalable, and secure database platforms across Keyloop's global estate. You will focus on performance optimisation, automation, capacity planning, backup and recovery, and engineering initiatives that enhance reliability, security, and efficiency. You will work closely with application teams, DevOps, cloud, and infrastructure groups to deliver robust database solutions that underpin Keyloop's automotive technology platform.
Key Responsiblities
- Database Engineering & Administration: Design, configure, and maintain MySQL databases ensuring availability, scalability, and reliability.
- Performance & Optimization: Analyze workloads, identify bottlenecks, and tune queries and schemas for performance improvements.
- Automation & Scripting: Develop scripts and automation solutions for routine tasks such as backups, deployments, patching, and monitoring.
- High Availability & Disaster Recovery: Implement and support replication, clustering, backup/restore, and DR strategies.
- Security & Compliance: Ensure databases follow security best practices, patching policies, and compliance standards.
- Collaboration: Partner with application teams, DevOps, and infrastructure groups to design database solutions supporting business needs.
- Innovation: Contribute to engineering initiatives such as migrations, cloud adoption, database standardization, and tooling improvements.
Essential skillsets
Experience: 7+ years of hands-on experience in administering and engineering Oracle and/or PostgreSQL databases in production environments. Experience operating databases hosted on AWS infrastructure is required. Demonstrable exposure to at least one secondary database platform (MSSQL, MySQL, or MongoDB) is expected.
Core Expertise — Oracle / PostgreSQL (Primary):
Oracle: RAC, Data Guard, RMAN backup/restore, performance tuning, AWR/ASH analysis, partitioning, patching (RU/PSU), tablespace management, query optimisation, and security hardening.
PostgreSQL: Replication (streaming/logical), tuning, logical/physical backups, pg_basebackup, pgBackRest, extensions, schema design, connection pooling (PgBouncer), and performance optimisation. Experience with Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL or Aurora PostgreSQL is a strong advantage.
Secondary Database (Preferred):
Candidates are expected to have hands-on experience or solid exposure to at least one of the following secondary database technologies:
Microsoft SQL Server (MSSQL): Always On Availability Groups, performance tuning, indexing strategies, backup/restore, query optimisation, security, and automation.
MySQL: Replication (primary/replica), backup and recovery (mysqldump, Xtrabackup), performance tuning, schema design, and query optimisation.
MongoDB: Replica sets, sharding, backup strategies, index optimisation, aggregation pipelines, and schema design.
Candidates with experience in more than one of the above secondary databases will be strongly preferred. Exposure to any other database technology beyond the primary Oracle/PostgreSQL skillset will also be considered favourably.
AWS — Database Administration Context (Required):
Candidates must have hands-on AWS experience specifically in the context of database administration tasks, including:
Storage for Databases: EBS volume management (gp3, io2) for database data and log files, EFS for shared database storage, and S3 for database backup storage, lifecycle policies, and archival.
Database Backup & Recovery: Using S3 as a backup target for RMAN and PostgreSQL backups, EBS snapshots for database volume recovery, and RDS automated backup management.
Managed Database Services: Working with RDS for PostgreSQL, Oracle, or MSSQL — including parameter group tuning, maintenance windows, multi-AZ configuration, and read replicas from a DBA perspective.
Database Monitoring: Using CloudWatch to monitor database-specific metrics (CPU, IOPS, storage, connections, replication lag), setting up alarms, and integrating with observability platforms.
Database Security: IAM roles for database access and backup operations, KMS encryption for database storage and backups, and AWS Secrets Manager for database credential management.
Database Networking: Understanding of VPC, private subnets, and security groups as they relate to database connectivity and access control.
Cost Awareness: Understanding of AWS storage and compute costs relevant to database infrastructure including EBS, S3 tiering (Standard, IA, Glacier), and RDS pricing.
AWS certification (e.g. AWS Certified Database Specialty) is desirable but not essential.
Technical Skills:
Strong SQL and query optimisation skills across multiple database platforms.
Proficiency with both Windows and Linux environments.
Strong scripting skills in one or more of PowerShell, Bash, or Python for database task automation.
Familiarity with AWS CLI for database-related operations (backup management, S3 interactions, snapshot handling).
