Sr. lead, Infra Cloud Database Engineer

About Northern Trust:

Northern Trust, a Fortune 500 company, is a globally recognized, award-winning financial institution that has been in continuous operation since 1889.

Northern Trust is proud to provide innovative financial services and guidance to the world’s most successful individuals, families, and institutions by remaining true to our enduring principles of service, expertise, and integrity. With more than 130 years of financial experience and over 22,000 partners, we serve the world’s most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.

Role Summary:
We are looking for a Highly skilled Senior Cloud DBA to join our Engineering team, responsible for designing, building, modernizing, and operating Oracle nd PostgreSQL database platforms on Microsoft Azure.
This role goes beyond traditional DBA support and focuses on engineering‑led database platforms, cloud migration, automation, resilience, and continuous improvement. The Senior Cloud DBA will act as a technical authority, mentor junior DBAs, and partner closely with application, cloud foundation team, and Infrastructure Control Governance board.

Preferred Qualifications
Education & Experience
Bachelorʼs degree in computer science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).
10+ years of experience in Cloud engineering, Database Administration in Oracle and PostgreSQL with 15+ years of total work experience in Technology Infrastructure.
Key Responsibilities and Required Skills
Cloud Database Engineering & Architecture
Design and engineer Oracle and PostgreSQL database platforms on Azure

Define reference architectures for:
Oracle on Azure IaaS (VM‑based)
  Azure Database for PostgreSQL (Flexible / Single Server)
Build scalable, secure, and highly available database solutions aligned to cloud best practices
 Participate in architecture reviews and engineering design discussions
 Experience with backup/recovery design, DR implementation, monitoring implementation,  performance tuning and optimization.
 Experience with on-Prem database migration to cloud, storage management, provisioning and optimization.
Database Administration & Reliability
 Own end‑to‑end lifecycle of Oracle (19c/23ai) and PostgreSQL databases
 Perform upgrades, patching, configuration, and platform hardening
 Engineer and validate HA/DR strategies (backup, restore, replication, failover)
 Drive performance tuning and capacity planning for cloud workloads
 Ensure production stability, availability, and reliability (SRE mindset)
Cloud Migration & Modernization
 Lead and execute on‑prem to Azure database migrations
 Support modernization initiatives:
 Oracle/Postgres consolidation
 IaaS to PaaS transitions
 Cost and performance optimization
 Use and optimize tools such as:
 Azure Database Migration Service (DMS)
 Oracle Data Pump
 pg_dump / pg_restore
 Own post‑migration validation and optimization
Automation & Engineering Excellence
 Automate DBA activities using Python and Infrastructure‑as‑Code modules (Terraform,
 CloudFormation, Bicep, or Pulumi).
 Build reusable scripts and frameworks for:
 Backup validation
 Health checks
 Provisioning and monitoring
 Integrate database operations into CI/CD pipelines
 Develop and maintain engineering‑grade runbooks and SOPs
Security, Risk & Compliance
 Engineer database security controls:
 Encryption at rest and in transit
 RBAC and least‑privilege access
 Secrets management using Azure Key Vault
 Support audits, risk assessments, and compliance reviews
 Ensure alignment with enterprise security and regulatory standards
Incident, Change & Stakeholder Leadership
 Act as technical escalation point for complex production issues
 Lead root cause analysis and preventive engineering improvements
 Drive changes through ITSM (ServiceNow or equivalent)
 Partner with database operations and projects team, application engineering, cloud platform, and security teams
Mentor junior DBAs and promote engineering best practices

Technical Skills
Deep expertise in at least one major cloud provider (Azure and AWS).
Strong experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) — Terraform preferred.
Hands-on knowledge of networking concepts (VPC, DNS, firewalls, load balancing, hybrid connectivity).
Experience with CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, Azure DevOps, etc.).
Familiarity with cloud security principles and compliance frameworks.
Proficiency in scripting languages (Python, Bash, PowerShell).
Experience leveraging AI/ML and cloud‑native analytics capabilities on Azure to enhance database operations, automation, and observability.

Soft Skills
Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting abilities, cross-functional collaboration skills.
Excellent communication, mentorship, and ability to influence cross-functional teams.
Demonstrated ability to lead technically without direct authority.
Ability to balance governance requirements with developer productivity.

Work Conditions & Availability
Business-hours role with rotating on-call, US Shifts and scheduled change windows (nights/weekends).
Participation in BCP/DR exercises, audit cycles, and cross-region platform support is expected.

Why This Role Matters
Youʼre not just keeping the lights on—youʼre building the runway for modernization. 
Your work underpins secure financial operations, strengthens compliance, and advances database practices on the cloud toward a modern, observable, and automatable infrastructure.

Working with Us:

As a Northern Trust partner, greater achievements await. You will be part of a flexible and collaborative work culture in an organization where financial strength and stability is an asset that emboldens us to explore new ideas.

Movement within the organization is encouraged, senior leaders are accessible, and you can take pride in working for a company committed to assisting the communities we serve! Join a workplace with a greater purpose.

We’d love to learn more about how your interests and experience could be a fit with one of the world’s most admired and sustainable companies! Build your career with us and apply today. #MadeForGreater

Reasonable accommodation

Northern Trust is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email our HR Service Center at [email protected].

We hope you’re excited about the role and the opportunity to work with us. We value an inclusive workplace and understand flexibility means different things to different people.

Apply today and talk to us about your flexible working requirements and together we can achieve greater.

About Our Pune Office

The Northern Trust Pune office, established in 2016, is now home to over 3,000 employees. The office handles various functions, including Operations for Asset Servicing and Wealth Management, as well as delivering critical technology solutions that support business operations across the globe.

Our Pune team takes our commitment to service to heart. In 2024, they volunteered more than 10,000+ hours into the communities where they live and work. Learn more.