Senior Database Administrator

OEC; United States; On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full benefits starting Day 1

401(k) with company match

Remote‑first role with stipend

Job summary

OEC is seeking a Senior Database Administrator to drive the modernization of our database estate, migrating to AWS managed services and establishing cloud‑native standards. You will lead migrations, design scalable architectures, and mentor DBAs while collaborating with engineering and security teams to deliver a resilient, secure data platform.

The role requires deep AWS database expertise, architectural judgment, and the ability to influence across fast‑moving transformation programs within a

Qualifications

• 10–12 years of database administration experience.
• Experience migrating SQL Server and PostgreSQL to AWS managed services.
• Strong knowledge of AWS security and governance tooling.
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code using Terraform.
• Experience leading cloud migration programs.

Responsibilities

• Own migrations of database workloads to AWS managed services.
• Architect and operate AWS database environments with high availability.
• Implement database infrastructure as code with Terraform.
• Lead cross‑functional incident response and root cause analysis.
• Mentor junior DBAs and foster best practices.

Skills

AWS cloud-native databases

Database migrations

Terraform

DMS

SCT

RDS for SQL Server

Aurora PostgreSQL

CloudWatch

DevOps Guru

Datadog

Education

Bachelor’s degree in information technology or related field

Tools

Terraform

DMS

SCT

RDS

Aurora PostgreSQL

Datadog

Job description

Candidates must personally complete all interviews and technical assessments. The use of proxies or third-party representatives during any stage of the hiring process is prohibited and will result in disqualification. Final candidates will be required to participate in at least one in-person interview. Some travel for this role is expected. Reasonable accommodations will be provided in accordance with applicable laws.

About the Role

OEC is in the middle of a multi-year journey to modernize our infrastructure and applications, migrating hundreds of services across dozens of engineering teams to AWS. As Senior Database Administrator, you will play a critical, hands‑on leadership role in this transformation — owning the evolution of OEC’s database estate from legacy infrastructure to AWS‑managed, cloud‑native database services.

You will serve as OEC’s principal technical lead on database engineering — setting platform direction, driving migrations to Amazon RDS for SQL Server and Aurora PostgreSQL, and partnering with application engineering, DevOps, security, and cloud infrastructure teams to build a scalable, resilient, and secure AWS‑native database operating model.

This is a senior, hands‑on technical role. It requires deep AWS database expertise, strong architectural judgment, and the ability to lead through influence — shaping decisions, elevating the team, and driving outcomes in a complex, fast‑moving transformation environment.

What You’ll Do

• Own the migration of OEC’s database workloads to AWS managed services, with a primary focus on Amazon RDS for SQL Server and Aurora PostgreSQL as OEC’s target‑state platforms; establish cloud‑native standards for provisioning, scaling, and operations that eliminate manual overhead.
• Plan and execute database migrations to AWS using DMS and SCT; own the technical delivery of lift‑and‑shift and re‑platform migrations and ensure each wave is sequenced, validated, and consistent with OEC’s transformation roadmap.
• Architect and operate AWS managed database environments with multi‑AZ high availability, automated failover, RDS Proxy, and AWS Backup at their core; define the patterns and standards that will serve as OEC’s target‑state database operating model.
• Implement and maintain database infrastructure as code using Terraform; define IaC standards for AWS managed service provisioning, parameter configuration, and lifecycle management, and integrate them into CI/CD pipelines.
• Lead cross‑functional incident response and formal root cause analysis, coordinating across application, infrastructure, and cloud engineering teams to drive fast resolution and durable prevention.
• Manage database systems for resiliency, scalability, performance, and availability through cloud‑native AWS services, proactive monitoring, and continuous optimization aligned with OEC’s service level objectives; must be proficient in AWS observability tooling (CloudWatch, RDS Performance Insights, DevOps Guru, Cost Explorer) and platforms such as Datadog.
• Enforce data governance and security using AWS Secrets Manager, IAM database authentication, KMS encryption, VPC isolation, and automated backup and retention policies in alignment with OEC’s data stewardship standards.
• Mentor and coach junior and mid‑level DBAs on cloud‑first AWS patterns; foster a collaborative, learning‑oriented team culture and actively shape OEC’s database engineering practices.

Why Join Us

• High-Impact Work: Own a foundational piece of OEC’s multi‑year cloud transformation — the database estate underpins every product and every customer.
• Architectural Authority: Be the senior technical voice on database platform strategy, with real influence over long‑term decisions.
• Cutting-Edge Stack: Work hands‑on with Aurora PostgreSQL, RDS for SQL Server, DMS, Terraform, Datadog, and the full breadth of AWS managed database services.
• Culture of Growth: Join a collaborative, transformation‑minded engineering organization where technical leadership, mentorship, and continuous learning are expected and rewarded.

Education

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is required, with a focus in information technology/science, or related discipline. In the absence of a degree, equivalent work experience directly related to the key responsibilities of the role will be considered as a substitute for the degree.

Experience, Skills, and Key Competencies

What You’ll Bring

• Deep, proven expertise in AWS cloud-native database services is the foremost requirement for this role. Candidates must bring a demonstrated track record of architecting, migrating, and operating Amazon RDS for SQL Server and Aurora PostgreSQL — OEC’s primary and target‑state platforms — alongside other AWS managed services (DynamoDB, ElastiCache, Redshift) at enterprise scale; a minimum of 10–12 years of overall database administration experience is required, with at least 3–5 of those years in AWS managed services production environments. OEC is in active transformation, and this role must be equipped to lead from day one, not learn on the job.
• Demonstrated experience executing database migrations using AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) and AWS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT), including both homogeneous and heterogeneous migrations.
• Proficiency in AWS database security and governance tooling, including Secrets Manager, IAM database authentication, KMS encryption, VPC and Security Group configuration, and RDS Proxy.
• Solid working knowledge of AWS-native monitoring and observability tools: CloudWatch, RDS Performance Insights, AWS DevOps Guru, and AWS Cost Explorer.
• Proficiency in Infrastructure as Code using Terraform for AWS managed service provisioning; experience with AWS CloudFormation is a plus.
• Working knowledge of AWS cloud infrastructure as it relates to database systems: VPC design and subnet placement for database tier isolation, Security Groups and NACLs for access control, PrivateLink and Transit Gateway for secure cross‑account database connectivity, RDS Proxy for connection pooling and automated failover, and CI/CD pipeline integration for schema change management and Terraform‑based database provisioning; must be able to collaborate effectively with cloud and network engineering teams to design, secure, and troubleshoot database connectivity in a cloud‑native environment.
• Hands‑on experience migrating Microsoft SQL Server and PostgreSQL workloads to AWS managed services (Amazon RDS for SQL Server, Aurora PostgreSQL); ability to assess existing workloads and map them to the appropriate AWS target‑state platform; experience migrating MongoDB or MySQL workloads a plus.
• Demonstrated ability to contribute to technology strategy, platform evaluation, and enterprise database standards.

Bonus Skills That Will Impress Us

• AWS Certified Database Specialty or AWS Certified Solutions Architect — Professional certification.
• Experience with Aurora Serverless v2, DynamoDB Streams, or event‑driven data architecture patterns on AWS.
• Familiarity with AWS Organizations, Control Tower, and enterprise landing zone governance as it relates to database workloads.
• Experience with AWS cost optimization strategies, including Reserved Instances, Savings Plans, and database right‑sizing.
• Proven record of leading database teams through multi‑year cloud migration programs.
• Background in Windows, Linux, and cloud‑native service configurations supporting high‑availability and disaster recovery database environments.
• Familiarity with the Strangler Fig pattern and its application to database modernization; experience incrementally decomposing monolithic database systems into purpose‑fit, cloud‑native data stores aligned with service boundaries and OEC’s target architecture.

Leadership, Judgment & Team

• Owns problems completely — when a production database issue surfaces, this person is already debugging it, not waiting to be assigned; brings structured, calm thinking under pressure and closes the loop with a clear post‑incident narrative.
• Has strong, well‑reasoned opinions on database architecture and the credibility to defend them; pushes back on poor patterns with evidence, adapts when presented with better arguments, and never mistakes familiarity with correctness.
• Communicates with precision at every level — can walk an engineer through a query plan, explain an Aurora failover to a VP, and frame a migration risk for a business stakeholder, all without losing the thread.
• Mentors by building capability, not dependency; measures success by how much less the team needs them for tactical decisions, and actively creates space for junior engineers to develop judgment alongside technical skill.
• Comfortable building the road while walking it — OEC is mid‑transformation and this role demands someone who drives forward in ambiguity, makes sound decisions with incomplete information, and iterates without losing sight of the target‑state.

What We Offer:

• Full benefits starting Day 1: Medical, Dental, and Vision
• 401(k) with company match
• Remote-first role with monthly communication stipend
• Professional development programs and tuition assistance
• Home office equipment stipend
• Employee resource groups and exclusive employee discounts