Manager Site Reliability Engineer

JobSpace; Auckland; Hybrid; NZD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Workday seeks a visionary Engineering Manager to lead our Database Reliability Engineering team. You will guide a group focused on resiliency, security, and scalable data infrastructure, shaping the future of our data platforms with open-source and cloud-native approaches.

Ideal candidates bring extensive SRE/DBRE leadership, experience with Kubernetes and distributed systems, and a passion for automated, self-healing solutions in hybrid work environments.

Qualifications

• 3+ years leading SRE or Database Engineering teams focused on reliability, availability, and performance of large-scale DB environments.
• 8+ years in software or systems engineering with 4+ years as SRE/DBRE, designing resilient data infrastructure and automated failover.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of engineers focused on resiliency, security, and scalability of the data layer.
• Architect future data infrastructure treating infrastructure as software with open-source and cloud-native solutions.
• Move beyond DBA paradigms by building automated, self-healing platforms.

Skills

SRE leadership

Cloud-native

Kubernetes

Linux troubleshooting

Distributed systems

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering

Tools

Kubernetes

Prometheus

Grafana

Datadog

PMM

Job description

Jora New Zealand will close on 9th September 2026. Thank you for being with us, we are cheering you on as you continue your career journey.

Your work days are brighter here. We're obsessed with making hard work pay off, for our people, our customers, and the world around us. As a Fortune 500 company and a leading AI platform for managing people, money, and agents, we're shaping the future of work so teams can reach their potential and focus on what matters most. The minute you join, you'll feel it. Not just in the products we build, but in how we show up for each other. Our culture is rooted in integrity, empathy, and shared enthusiasm. We're in this together, tackling big challenges with bold ideas and genuine care. We look for curious minds and courageous collaborators who bring sun-drenched optimism and drive. Whether you're building smarter solutions, supporting customers, or creating a space where everyone belongs, you'll do meaningful work with Workmates who've got your back. In return, we'll give you the trust to take risks, the tools to grow, the skills to develop and the support of a company invested in you for the long haul. So, if you want to inspire a brighter work day for everyone, including yourself, you've found a match in Workday, and we hope to be a match for you too.

About the Role

Workday is seeking a visionary Engineering Manager to lead our Database Reliability Engineering team. In this role, you won't just be managing databases; you will be architecting the future of our data infrastructure. We are looking for a leader who treats infrastructure as software and is passionate about leveraging Open-Source and Cloud Native solutions to power global-scale applications.

You will lead a team of high-performing engineers dedicated to the resiliency, security, and scalability of our data layer. Your mission is to move beyond traditional DBA paradigms, replacing manual intervention with automated, self-healing platforms. If you are a hybrid Software/Database Engineer who thrives on solving complex distributed systems problems and fostering a culture of technical excellence, we want to talk to you.

About You

Basic Qualifications:

• 3+ years of experience leading SRE or Database Engineering teams focused on the reliability, availability, and performance of large-scale Database environments.
• 8+ years of experience in software or systems engineering, with at least 4+ years as an SRE/DBRE, designing resilient data infrastructure and implementing automated failover mechanisms.
• Technical Expertise in Database internals (engine tuning, replication topologies, and query optimization) and experience managing databases within Kubernetes using Operators or stateful sets.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.

Other Qualifications:

• 5+ years of experience spearheading high-stakes response for critical data outages, consistently reducing Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR) and institutionalising RCA processes to eliminate recurring systemic failures.
• Experience implementing robust observability stacks using tools like Prometheus, Grafana, Datadog, or PMM (Percona Monitoring and Management) to track database health and SLIs/SLOs.
• Strong understanding of Agile/Scrum and Continual Improvement Process (CIP) to manage SRE backlogs, reduce "toil," and automate manual database tasks.
• Proven ability to mentor and develop senior engineers, fostering a culture of psychological safety and high performance
• Ability to lead deep-dive troubleshooting sessions involving Linux internals, networking bottlenecks, and distributed system latency.
• Proven experience managing database workloads across AWS (RDS/Aurora or EC2) and GCP (Cloud SQL or GKE-hosted databases).
• Understanding of Team Performance concepts and the ability to contribute to improving team effectiveness.
• Proven ability to lead Troubleshooting efforts for system incidents.

Our Approach to Flexible Work

With Flex Work, we're combining the best of both worlds: in-person time and remote. Our approach enables our teams to deepen connections, maintain a strong community, and do their best work. We know that flexibility can take shape in many ways, so rather than a number of required days in-office each week, we simply spend at least half (50%) of our time each quarter in the office or in the field with our customers, prospects, and partners (depending on role). This means you'll have the freedom to create a flexible schedule that caters to your business, team, and personal needs, while being intentional to make the most of time spent together. Those in our remote "home office" roles also have the opportunity to come together in our offices for important moments that matter.

At Workday, we are committed to providing an accessible and inclusive hiring experience where all candidates can fully demonstrate their skills. If you require assistance or an accommodation at any point, please email **************@workday.com.