Senior Database Engineer

IQGeo; Cambridge; Remote; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading geospatial software company is seeking a Senior Database Engineer for a 3-month contract to deploy a cross-site database installation. The role offers flexibility in scheduling and can be remote or office-based in Cambridge, UK. Candidates must have expertise in Postgres and SQL, with strong communication skills. Commitment to work during core hours is required.

Qualifications

• Experience with rolling out Postgres for disaster recovery in production.
• Ability to identify and refine replication parameters for performance.
• Professional experience with SQL database performance testing.

Responsibilities

• Set up Postgres database in a virtualized environment.
• Deploy and configure a Postgres server with replication.
• Collaborate with teams to meet project needs.

Skills

Postgres deployment

Replication tuning

SQL performance testing

Oracle VM

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or Engineering

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

Overview

Senior Database Engineer (3-Month Fixed-Term Contract) – IQGeo is seeking a contract Senior Database Engineer to deploy and document a cross-site active-standby database installation in support of a larger IQGeo software deployment. This role joins a dynamic team that works with complex applications and products that utilize software, GIS, engineering, and problem-solving skills. Our flexible scheduling supports success in a highly creative, innovative, and energetic company.

About Us: Achieving universal broadband equity and meeting net zero carbon emissions are two of the biggest social and environmental challenges that the IQGeo team is tackling. To achieve this, more than 500 innovative telecommunications and utility companies around the world are “building better networks” using our award-winning geospatial software to deploy the fiber optic and distributed energy networks of the future. We play a vital role in helping utilities plan, design, construct and maintain the complex network assets essential to the success of our businesses and well-being of our communities. As a carbon neutral software company, we invite creative and talented people to join us in our mission to transform communication and utility networks for the long-term sustainability of our shared planet. Learn more about our customer stories in theog.

Our Engineering teams are in Cambridge (UK), Denver (USA), Salt Lake City (USA), Ghent (Belgium), and Paris (France) and are responsible for designing and developing our geospatial products which are available both as cloud services and for on-premises deployment. You will be helping to develop the next generation of innovative geospatial products that support mission-critical operations for our global customer base.

Duties/Responsibilities

• Set up Postgres atop Oracle Linux (in a virtualised environment).
• Deploy and configure a Postgres database server in a primary data centre and set up replication with a standby Postgres database server in a separate data centre. You must have successfully deployed such replication in production in a previous role leveraging either streaming replication or physical replication.
• Ensure that the database is tuned with a focus on dense transactions transmitted through WAL logs.
• Produce a reference architecture document for how to deploy this setup in the future.
• Assist with the rollout of non-database components (containers running on Oracle VM).
• Collaborate with the SRE team to ensure infrastructure is working and tuned properly.
• Collaborate with the Delivery team to ensure project needs are met.

Required Skills & Experience

Essential

• Demonstrable experience of rolling out Postgres to replicate between two data centres in support of a disaster recovery scenario in a production environment.
• Be able to identify replication lag and refine WAL log parameters, replication parameters, and properly define storage and network requirements to ensure efficient replication.
• Professional experience with SQL and database performance testing, at scale.
• Experience with Oracle VM (or another RHEL-based Linux distribution).
• Experience defining and analysing performance metrics and identifying bottlenecks.
• Proven ability to quickly ramp up on complex systems and deliver results in time-sensitive situations
• Strong written and verbal communication skills to effectively document findings and present results to technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Ability to work independently and deliver completed projects with minimal supervision
• UK citizenship or permanent residency required
• Fluent written and spoken English

Desirable

• Have worked with the Postgres geospatial extension postgis.
• Experience with performance tuning Postgres to support heavy application load.
• Prior contract work demonstrating ability to deliver value in short-term engagements.
• Understanding of containerized environments (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Experience of running Kubernetes with Oracle Linux.

Education

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field; or equivalent industry experience.

Supervisory Responsibilities

None

Work Locations and Flexibility

This is a remote role, or can be based at our Cambridge (UK) office.

You are expected to be available during core business hours (9 AM - 5 PM BST/GMT), whether working in the office or remotely. Outside of these core hours, the schedule offers flexibility to accommodate personal commitments.

Work Permits & Visas

You must already have the right to work permanently in the United Kingdom.

IQGeo is not able to sponsor work permits.

About IQGeo

IQGeo is based in Cambridge, UK with regional offices in the United States, Canada, Belgium, Germany, Malaysia, and Japan. We are supported by a global network of highly skilled partners. IQGeo has grown through acquisitions and strategic developments to become a leader in modern web and mobile geospatial applications for the communications and utility industries.