Manager of Database Reliability Engineering

PrizePicks; United States; On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

PrizePicks is hiring a Database Reliability Engineer Lead to own cloud database infrastructure, including AlloyDB, Redis, and Kafka, with a focus on capacity planning, security, and cost management. You will modernize identity systems, design data lifecycle services, and drive observability across the data stack.

In this role you will mentor technical leads, coordinate with infrastructure teams, and own disaster recovery planning for peak traffic periods like playoffs and major events.

Qualifications

• 5+ years leading database/DevOps/SRE teams in high-traffic environments.
• Hands-on cloud infra with GCP preferred; relational and non-relational DBs.
• Experience with AlloyDB, PostgreSQL, Redis, MongoDB is a plus.
• Proven ability to manage cloud spend and vendor relations.

Responsibilities

• Own cloud database infra, capacity planning, vendor management.
• Lead identity/access modernization and security hardening.
• Develop data services for aging, archiving, retention across years.
• Build observability: logging, metrics, alerting with shared ownership.
• Manage high-availability for live events incl. on-call design.
• Oversee disaster recovery planning and execution.

Skills

Cloud infrastructure

GCP experience

AlloyDB

PostgreSQL

Redis

Terraform

Ansible

Crossplane

Cuelang

Incident management

Vendor management

Security/compliance

Mentoring/leadership

Tools

Crossplane

Cuelang

Terraform

Ansible

Job description

At PrizePicks, we are the fastest-growing sports company in North America, as recognized by Inc. 5000. As the leading platform for Daily Fantasy Sports, we cover a diverse range of sports leagues, including the NFL, NBA, and Esports titles like League of Legends and Counter-Strike. Our team of over 550 employees thrives in an inclusive culture that values individuals from diverse backgrounds, regardless of their level of sports fandom. Ready to reimagine the DFS industry together?

About the Role

Our Infrastructure and Database Reliability functions have grown together under one manager, and grown fast. As the team scales to support live, high-traffic events year-round, we're splitting that org into two focused disciplines so each can go deeper: Infrastructure Engineering, and Database Reliability Engineering- this role.

What You'll Do

• Own cloud database infrastructure - AlloyDB, Redis, Kafka and others, capacity planning, and database vendor management, including commitment/CUD strategy and spend accountability.
• Support our identity and access modernization - an inclusive, workflow-aware migration to a modern identity platform, with appropriate limits on high-risk access and a break-glass mechanism for emergencies.
• Own data lifecycle and strategy - build a set of data services that enables data aging, archiving, and retention over a multi-year cycle.
• Contribute to creating a database observability framework; logging, metrics, and alerting that produces clear, actionable signals instead of noise, and that doesn't depend on any one person knowing which dashboard to check.
• Lead high-availability operations for our biggest live moments: on-call design, war-room readiness, staffing plans, and vendor escalation coordination for season kickoffs, the Super Bowl, and other peak-traffic events.
• Own the data side of our business continuity and disaster recovery planning and execution.
• Partner closely with the Infrastructure team on shared infrastructure surfaces, caching, messaging/queues, and the boundary between application and data infrastructure, so the seam between the two teams is invisible to the rest of engineering.
• Maintain database security and compliance: vulnerability remediation, edge security, access controls, and support for compliance and audit processes.
• Manage vendor relationships and contracts across the database portfolio, including budget ownership and negotiation.
• Build and grow the team; identify and develop technical leads, delegate real ownership, and build a bench so critical work never depends on a single person.
• Represent DBRE in cross-functional planning (feature launches, load testing, migrations)
• Balance KTLO (Keeping the Lights On) work against forward-looking productivity investments; scope and prioritize a multi-quarter infra roadmap

What You Have

• 5+ years managing database, DevOps, or SRE teams, ideally for a consumer product with real-time, high-concurrency, or seasonal/event-driven traffic patterns.
• Deep hands-on background in cloud infrastructure (GCP strongly preferred; AWS or similar also relevant), relational and non-relational databases (AlloyDB, PostgreSQL, Redis, MongoDB), and infrastructure-as-code (Crossplane, Cuelang, Terraform, Ansible, or similar).
• Experience running identity/access management programs and modern observability/monitoring stacks, and building incident management practices that hold up under real pressure.
• A track record of managing cloud cost and vendor relationships, committed-use/reserved capacity strategy, contract negotiation, budget ownership.
• Solid grounding in security best practices and compliance requirements relevant to a fast-moving consumer platform.
• A demonstrated ability to mentor technical leads and delegate effectively; you view management as a way to support and empower your team.
• Excellent communication skills and the judgment to flag risk early rather than let it surface as a surprise
• Experience in a technology startup environment is a strong plus. Relevant DevOps, Cloud, or SRE certifications are a plus.

How We Work

• We default to no surprises. If something's at risk, we want the heads-up early, not a clean status update that turns out to be wrong.
• We show up prepared. Meetings are for decisions and alignment, not for finding the agenda in real time.
• Ownership means owning a problem until it's actually solved or handed off, not until you've stopped thinking about it.
• Our best managers focus on enabling others rather than doing all the hands-on work themselves. We invest del