Senior Database Engineer II

SurveyMonkey; Canada; On-site; CAD 95,000 - 137,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Disability insurance

RRSP matching

Flexible spending account

Health savings account

Paid holidays

Paid time off

Employee assistance program

Job summary

SurveyMonkey in Canada seeks an experienced database engineer to evolve its data stores toward a cloud-native, globally distributed architecture. You will work with SQL Server, MySQL, and PostgreSQL to design scalable online and analytical data solutions.

You’ll optimize databases, implement data integration pipelines, and promote best practices for relational and NoSQL designs while contributing to governance and security initiatives. Remote with occasional in-person participation.

Qualifications

• Extensive production DB experience with high performance.
• Strong SQL skills and large dataset optimization.
• Experience with PostgreSQL production environments.
• Expertise in SQL Server and MySQL administration.
• Terraform for cloud provisioning and automation.
• Experience with vector databases and cloud DBs.
• Familiar with ETL and data warehouse concepts.
• Experience on Windows/Unix systems; scripting ability.

Responsibilities

• Design scalable data store solutions for online and analytical workloads.
• Manage SQL Server and MySQL databases: schema, tuning, replication, backup, monitoring.
• Implement and maintain data integration pipelines across stores.
• Promote best practices for relational and NoSQL design.
• Collaborate with data teams to deliver scalable solutions.
• Contribute to data governance and security initiatives.
• Troubleshoot full-stack issues across hardware, software, and network.
• Build automation and tooling across SDLC including CI/CD.
• Support product development with stored procedures and scripts.
• Participate in on-call rotation.
• Research emerging technologies to shape data strategy.

Skills

Database administration

SQL querying

Data governance

Data security

Systems administration

Scripting (Python/Bash)

Communication skills

Cloud basics

Automation mindset

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science or related field

AWS certification

Tools

SQL Server

MySQL

PostgreSQL

Terraform

Vector databases (pgvector, etc.)

Cloud databases (AWS RDS/Aurora, DynamoDB)

Job description

SurveyMonkey is the world’s most popular platform for surveys and forms, built for business—loved by users. We combine powerful capabilities with intuitive design, effectively serving every use case, from customer experience to employee engagement, market research to payment and registration forms. With built-in research expertise and AI-powered technology, it’s like having a team of expert researchers at your fingertips.
Trusted by millions—from startups to Fortune 500 companies—SurveyMonkey helps teams gather insights and information that inspire better decisions, create experiences people love, and drive business growth. Discover how at surveymonkey.com.

What we’re looking for

We are looking for an experienced database engineer to help SurveyMonkey evolve its data stores toward a cloud-native, globally distributed architecture. You are passionate about data, have strong hands-on expertise in both SQL Server and MySQL, and thrive in a collaborative engineering environment. You bring deep knowledge of relational and NoSQL databases and cloud-based database solutions, and you apply best practices to design, implement, and optimize data systems that are reliable, scalable, and secure.

What you’ll be working on

• Partner with cross-functional engineering teams to design and implement scalable, reliable data store solutions for both online and analytical workloads

• Manage and optimize SQL Server and MySQL databases, including schema design, query tuning, replication, backup/recovery, and performance monitoring

• Implement and maintain data integration pipelines across heterogeneous data stores

• Follow and promote best practices for relational and NoSQL database design within engineering teams

• Collaborate with data engineering and data science teams to understand data challenges and deliver scalable, flexible solutions

• Contribute to data governance and security initiatives for the data platform

• Understand and troubleshoot issues across the full stack (hardware, software, and network)

• Design and build automation and tooling across the software development lifecycle, including provisioning, version control, CI/CD, and deployment

• Work with Software Engineering teams to implement solutions in support of product development; write stored procedures, scripts, etc. as needed

• Participate in the on-call rotation as needed

• Help shape future data strategy by researching emerging technologies and recommending solutions to support SurveyMonkey's evolving platform

We’d love to hear from people with

• 7+ years of experience managing high-performing databases in production environments

• 5+ years of hands-on experience with strong SQL query skills, writing complex, highly optimized queries across large datasets for both administration and application data.

• 3+ years of hands-on experience designing, optimizing, and managing PostgreSQL databases in production environments.

• Strong expertise in SQL Server (clustering, high availability groups, vertical and horizontal partitioning) and MySQL (replication, partitioning, indexing, stored procedures, and performance tuning)

• 3+ years of experience writing and maintaining Terraform configurations to provision and manage cloud infrastructure.

• Hands-on experience with one or more vector databases such as Pinecone, Milvus, Qdrant, or pgvector.

• 2+ years of experience with cloud-based database solutions (AWS RDS, Aurora, DynamoDB, etc.)

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science or a related field; AWS certification is a plus

• Solid understanding of relational and analytical database solutions, NoSQL data stores, and data warehouse concepts

• Experience with ETL development and highly available database architectures in both on-prem and cloud environments

• Experience with Windows and/or Unix systems administration

• Experience writing Python, Bash, PowerShell, or other scripting languages

• Experience with configuration management systems (Ansible is a plus)

• Experience working with virtualized environments

• Experience with repeatable automation at both the OS and database level

• Self-motivated, collaborative, and able to work effectively as part of a geographically dispersed team

• Strong communication skills with the ability to work across technical teams and present data modeling decisions clearly

The base pay provided for this position ranges from CAD $95,200.00 / year - $137,000.00 / year depending on the geographic market and assuming a full-time schedule. Actual base pay is based on a number of factors including market location, job-related knowledge, education or training, skills, and experience.
Bonuses may also be offered as part of the total compensation package, in addition to a competitive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance; RRSP matching; flexible spending & health savings account; paid holidays; paid time off; employee assistance program; and other company benefits.
This opening is for an existing vacancy.

SurveyMonkey believes in-person collaboration is valuable for building relationships, fostering community, and enhancing our speed and execution. While this role is remote, it may require in-person participation. You will be encouraged to attend company events throughout the year. These events will take place at a designated SurveyMonkey office or location.
#LI-remote

Why SurveyMonkey? We’re glad you asked

At SurveyMonkey, curiosity powers everything we do. We’re a global company where people from all backgrounds can make an impact, build meaningful connections, and grow their careers. Our teams work in a flexible, hybrid environment with thoughtfully designed offices and programs like the CHOICE Fund to help employees thrive in work and life.

We’ve been trusted by organizations for over 25 years, and we’re just getting started. Our milestones include celebrating a quarter-century of curiosity with 25 acts of giving, opening new hubs in Costa Rica and India, crossing the threshold of 100 billion questions answered, and earning recognition as one of the Most Inspiring Workplaces across North America and Asia.

We live our company values—like championing inclusion and making it happen—by embedding them into how we hire, collaborate, and grow. They help shape everything from our culture to our business decisions. Come join us and see where your curiosity can take you.

Our commitment to an inclusive workplace

SurveyMonkey is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing a workplace free from harassment and discrimination. We celebrate the unique differences of our employees because that is what drives curiosity, innovation, and the success of our business. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information, political affiliation, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. Accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities.

Your data

For more information on how SurveyMonkey (including its subsidiary and affiliated companies) processes your personal data as a job candidate or applicant, please see our Global Applicant and Candidate Data Privacy Notice. Please note that we may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as sourcing candidates, reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or summarizing interviews. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment.