Principal Engineer, Database as a Service

Allstate; United States; On-site; USD 199,000 - 274,000; Full time

Job summary

Allstate seeks a Principal Engineer to lead the Database as a Service (DBaaS) program, guiding the strategy and evolution of enterprise database platforms that support critical applications. You will modernize traditional environments, expand cloud-native capabilities, and drive automation to empower AI‑enabled business needs.

You will partner with engineering, security, architecture, and product teams to ensure scalable, secure, and resilient database services while mentoring leaders and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in a technical field.
• 12+ years of experience in database or platform engineering roles.
• 5+ years leading enterprise database platforms or modernization programs.
• Experience with SQL Server and Oracle environments in large-scale settings.
• Strong automation, IaC, APIs, DevOps practices, and self-service platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead vision, strategy, and execution for DBaaS across traditional databases and cloud-native capabilities.
• Serve as hands-on technical leader for database architecture and platform modernization.
• Stabilize and modernize SQL Server and Oracle platforms.
• Advance IaC, APIs, automation, and self-service capabilities for efficient delivery.
• Define and build capabilities enabling AI, analytics, and enterprise priorities.
• Collaborate with engineering, architecture, security, product for investments alignment.
• Influence senior leadership on platform decisions and roadmaps.
• Establish metrics for reliability, automation, and developer experience.
• Set enterprise standards for database security, observability, and resiliency.
• Mentor engineers and drive organizational change through leadership.

Skills

AI Frameworks

AI Platforms

AWS

API

DBaaS

Database Engineering

DevOps

Executive Influence

Google Cloud Platform

Infrastructure As Code

Kubernetes

Microsoft Azure

Microsoft SQL Server

People Management

Platform Engineering

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related technical field

Tools

SQL Server

Oracle Database

Job description

At Allstate, great things happen when our people work together to protect families and their belongings from life’s uncertainties. And for more than 90 years, our innovative drive has kept us a step ahead of our customers’ evolving needs. From advocating for seat belts, air bags and graduated driving laws, to being an industry leader in pricing sophistication, telematics, and, more recently, device and identity protection.

Job Description

The Principal Engineer leads Allstate’s Database as a Service (DBaaS) organization, driving the technical strategy, adoption, and evolution of enterprise database platforms that support critical business applications across the company. This role will help modernize Allstate’s traditional database environment while advancing next-generation database capabilities that support cloud adoption, automation, and AI-enabled business needs. As a hands-on technical leader, this individual partners closely with engineering, security, infrastructure, architecture, and product teams to strengthen existing SQL Server and Oracle environments, expand modern database platforms, and improve developer productivity through automation, self-service, and Infrastructure as Code. The Principal Engineer plays a highly visible role in shaping Allstate’s future data platform ecosystem, influencing senior technical leaders, and enabling scalable, resilient, secure, and AI-ready database services. As a Director you won’t just deliver results – you drive our culture and shared purpose. At Allstate, we value in person connected experiences not just with your team but also other Allstaters. This may require travel within your local area or to one of our offices on a regular basis.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the vision, technical strategy, and execution of Allstate’s Database as a Service (DBaaS) platform across both traditional enterprise databases and emerging cloud-native capabilities.
• Serve as a hands-on technical leader and senior engineering resource for database architecture, platform modernization, and technical execution.
• Drive the stabilization, standardization, and modernization of critical SQL Server and Oracle database platforms.
• Advance Infrastructure as Code, APIs, automation, and self-service capabilities to improve database delivery, consistency, and operational efficiency.
• Help define and build next-generation database capabilities that enable AI, analytics, and future enterprise platform priorities.
• Partner with engineering, architecture, infrastructure, security, product, and senior technology leaders to align database platform investments with enterprise priorities.
• Influence highly visible technology decisions across senior technical leadership, principal engineers, officers, and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Establish metrics and KPIs focused on platform reliability, automation adoption, developer experience, performance, resiliency, and operational excellence.
• Establish enterprise standards for database security, observability, resiliency, and operational excellence.
• Mentor engineers, architects, and technical leaders while fostering a culture of engineering excellence, accountability, modernization, and continuous improvement.
• Influence vendor roadmaps and strategic technology partnerships to align platform capabilities with evolving business and engineering needs.

Skills & Capabilities

• Deep expertise in enterprise database platforms and modern data infrastructure.
• Strong understanding of platform engineering, automation, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), APIs, and cloud-native architectures.
• Ability to influence enterprise technology strategy and drive adoption of new technologies and engineering practices.
• Proven change leadership and experience leading large-scale modernization or transformation initiatives.
• Strong collaboration and relationship-building skills across engineering, architecture, security, and business teams.
• Demonstrated people leadership experience and developing high-performing engineering organizations.
• Effective communicator capable of translating complex technical concepts into business value.
• Experience influencing vendor roadmaps and product strategies to align with future platform and business needs.

Required Experience

• 12+ years of experience in database engineering, platform engineering, cloud engineering, infrastructure engineering, or related technical disciplines.
• 5+ years leading large-scale enterprise database platforms, platform engineering initiatives, or modernization programs.
• Experience operating in large, complex enterprise environments and designing highly available, resilient, secure, and scalable platforms supporting business-critical applications.
• Deep expertise in enterprise database platforms, including significant experience with SQL Server and/or Oracle environments supporting business-critical applications, along with exposure to modern database technologies such as PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, or cloud-native database services.
• Strong experience with automation, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), APIs, DevOps, and platform engineering practices.
• Experience building, transforming, or modernizing self-service platforms and operational automation capabilities.
• Proven ability to influence enterprise technology strategy, architecture decisions, engineering roadmaps, and senior technical stakeholders.
• Experience partnering with engineering, architecture, security, infrastructure, and product leaders to deliver enterprise-scale technical solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical teams, mentor engineers, and drive organizational change through influence and hands‑on technical leadership.

Preferred Experience

• Experience building or leading Database as a Service (DBaaS) platforms.
• Experience with AWS, Azure, GCP, and cloud-native database technologies.
• Experience enabling database platforms or data infrastructure that support AI, machine learning, analytics, or emerging enterprise AI use cases; exposure to AI-enabled operations, vector databases, or LLM infrastructure is a plus.
• Experience with Kubernetes, containers, and modern cloud architectures.
• Experience leading large-scale cloud migration or enterprise database transformation initiatives.
• Understanding of FinOps, platform economics, operational excellence, and platform adoption metrics.
• Experience influencing vendor roadmaps and partnering with technology providers to align platform capabilities with future business and engineering needs.
• Industry certifications in cloud, database, architecture, or related disciplines.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related technical field.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• This job has supervisory duties.

Skills

AI Frameworks, AI Platforms, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Application Programming Interface (API), Business Influence, Database As A Service (DBaaS), Database Engineering, DevOps, Executive Influence, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Infrastructure As Code (IaC), Kubernetes, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle Database, People Management, Platform Engineering

Compensation

Compensation offered for this role is 199,000.00 - 274,000.00 annually and is based on experience and qualifications.

The candidate(s) offered this position will be required to submit to a background investigation.

Allstate generally does not sponsor individuals for employment-based visas for this position.

Effective July 1, 2014, under Indiana House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1242, it is against public policy of the State of Indiana and a discriminatory practice for an employer to discriminate against a prospective employee on the basis of status as a veteran by refusing to employ an applicant on the basis that they are a veteran of the armed forces of the United States, a member of the Indiana National Guard or a member of a reserve component.

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Allstate provides a comprehensive technology setup, including a laptop, monitors, headset, keyboard, and mouse. Employees eligible to work from home also receive a monthly connectivity reimbursement to help offset internet costs.

When working from home, you must have a dedicated, private workspace free from distractions, along with appropriate desk and seating. Reliable internet is required, with minimum speeds of 50 MB download and 5 MB upload.