Senior Engineer - Database

Xero; Wellington; Hybrid; NZD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Xero is seeking a senior database engineer to partner with platform and product teams to ensure resilience, quality, and performance of our core database platform. You will help migrate services from SQL Server RDS to Aurora Postgres RDS, while guiding design and observability.

You will work with colleagues across Australia and New Zealand, joining a collaborative team that solves complex database challenges.

Qualifications

• Deep expertise in SQL Server and SQL Server RDS.
• Experience migrating databases to Aurora Postgres RDS.
• Ability to analyse queries and tune performance.
• Strong communication with product teams.

Responsibilities

• Partner with database engineers and product teams to ensure resilience, quality, and performance of the core database platform.
• Plan and execute end-to-end migrations from SQL Server to Aurora Postgres RDS.
• Integrate AI tools into engineering workflows to improve query analysis, risk identification, and proactive maintenance.
• Provide guidance on schema design, query tuning, and observability using AWS tools.

Skills

SQL Server

Query tuning

Query analysis

Database performance

Observability

Cross-functional collaboration

AI tooling adoption

Tools

Aurora Postgres RDS

SQL Server RDS

AWS tools

AI tools

Job description

The role / impact

You will partner with database engineers and product development teams to ensure the resilience, quality, and performance of Xero's core database platform. By combining technical due diligence with modern AI tooling, you will help optimise day-to-day operations across our SQL Server fleet while proactively managing database risks, changes, and releases.

In this role, you will play a central part in modernising our data architecture as we migrate services from SQL Server RDS to Aurora Postgres RDS. You will provide strategic guidance on query performance and database design, supporting product teams with deep technical insights to build sustainable, scalable infrastructure for millions of customers.

The Team / How They Connect

You will join a supportive and collaborative team of senior database engineers spread across Australia and New Zealand. The team works closely with internal product squads, acting as trusted advisers to solve complex database challenges through open communication and shared problem-solving. Through daily standups and regular technical collaboration, team members learn from one another while supporting continuous delivery across our database platforms.

The team is currently working on / Initially, you will focus on

• Managing and optimising day-to-day operations across our extensive SQL Server and SQL Server RDS database fleet.


• Planning and executing end-to-end database migrations from SQL Server to Aurora Postgres RDS.


• Integrating AI tools into engineering workflows to increase efficiency in query analysis, risk identification, and proactive maintenance.


• Partnering with product development teams to consult on schema design, query tuning, and database observability using AWS tools.

Where And How You Can Work

This role is open to applicants based in New Zealand or Australia. We offer flexible working arrangements with no formal day-to-day in-office requirement, though you will have access to our local office spaces and will be invited to gather in person for key team events and connection days throughout the year.

Here are some of the things we are looking for

• Deep expertise in SQL Server and SQL Server RDS, with a strong emphasis on query analysis and performance tuning.


• Practical experience or familiarity with Aurora Postgres RDS, alongside a desire to contribute to active database migration projects.


• A pragmatic approach to technical ownership, with the capability to identify risks early and implement sustainable solutions.


• Clear communication skills that enable you to translate database complexities for product teams and collaborate effectively across disciplines.


• Curiosity and openness to leveraging AI tools to streamline routine tasks and enhance engineering productivity.