Senior PostgreSQL System Administrator

Galent; Toronto; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A premier tech firm in Toronto is seeking a Senior PostgreSQL System Administrator with 5–7 years of experience in managing large-scale PostgreSQL environments. This position involves leading database installations, ensuring high availability and security, and mentoring junior DBAs. The ideal candidate has strong skills in performance tuning, cloud platforms, and scripting. Join a collaborative team focused on optimizing database solutions in a fast-paced environment.

Benefits

Mentoring opportunities

Career growth and development

Collaborative work environment

Qualifications

• 5–7 years of PostgreSQL DBA experience required.
• Strong knowledge of PostgreSQL internals and architecture.
• Expertise in streaming/logical replication and clustering.

Responsibilities

• Lead installation and administration of PostgreSQL databases.
• Monitor database performance and optimize queries.
• Implement database security and backup strategies.

Skills

PostgreSQL DBA experience

Performance tuning

High Availability (HA)

Database security

Shell scripting

Mentoring

Linux/Unix skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field

Tools

PostgreSQL v14

Prometheus

Grafana

Zabbix

Ansible

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

We are looking for an experienced Senior PostgreSQL System Administrator with 5–7 years of hands‑on experience managing large‑scale, mission‑critical PostgreSQL environments. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in performance tuning, high availability design, and database security, and who enjoys mentoring junior DBAs while influencing architectural decisions.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead installation, configuration, and administration of PostgreSQL databases across production and non‑production environments
• Design and implement High Availability (HA), Disaster Recovery (DR), and replication solutions
• Monitor database performance, identify bottlenecks, and optimize queries and configurations
• Perform database upgrades, patching, and migrations with minimal downtime
• Implement and manage backup and recovery strategies (pgBackRest, Barman, etc.)
• Ensure database security through access control, auditing, and encryption
• Automate routine DBA tasks using Shell scripting, Ansible, or similar tools
• Collaborate with Development, Infrastructure, and DevOps teams on scalable architectures
• Create and maintain documentation, standards, and best practices
• Mentor junior DBAs and act as a PostgreSQL Subject Matter Expert
• Participate in on‑call rotation and resolve critical incidents

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field
• 5–7 years of PostgreSQL DBA experience (MongoDB exposure required)
• Strong knowledge of PostgreSQL internals and architecture
• Experience with PostgreSQL v14
• Expertise in streaming/logical replication and clustering
• Advanced performance tuning, query optimization, and indexing strategies
• Strong Linux/Unix skills with scripting (Bash, Python preferred)
• Experience with monitoring tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, or Zabbix
• Experience managing PostgreSQL on cloud platforms (AWS RDS, GCP Cloud SQL, Azure)

Preferred / Nice to Have

• Experience with Docker and Kubernetes
• Knowledge of other databases (MySQL, Oracle, NoSQL)
• Exposure to CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices
• Infrastructure as Code experience (Ansible, Terraform)

Soft Skills

• Excellent analytical and troubleshooting skills
• Strong communication and documentation abilities
• Leadership and mentoring mindset
• Proactive, automation‑driven approach to problem solving