Senior Database Engineer

PayPal; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 192,000; Full time

Job summary

PayPal is seeking an experienced database and cloud infrastructure engineer in San Jose to elevate the reliability, scalability, and performance of our global data platforms. You will architect petabyte-scale systems, implement cloud-native databases across AWS, GCP, and Azure, and drive automation with IaC, CI/CD, and GitOps.

You’ll collaborate with data scientists, ML teams, and engineers to support analytics, operational resilience, and AI-driven optimization while ensuring security and

Qualifications

• 3+ years of relevant experience with a Bachelor's degree or equivalent.
• Proficiency in BigTable, Oracle, MySQL/MariaDB, Hadoop, Spark, Kafka, BigQuery, and Kubernetes.
• Expertise with Terraform, Ansible, Puppet, and GitOps automation frameworks.
• Strong programming in Python and SQL; familiarity with Bash, Java, or Scala.
• Experience with AWS, GCP, and Azure environments.
• Linux system administration and distributed systems troubleshooting.
• Deep understanding of observability tools (Grafana, Datadog, ELK).

Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, and manage high-performance database clusters (BigTable, Oracle, MySQL, Cloud SQL).
• Architect multi-cloud database solutions across AWS, GCP, and Azure.
• Build Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) frameworks using Terraform, Ansible, Puppet, and Packer.
• Optimize databases through indexing, partitioning, tuning, and query improvements.
• Automate schema deployment and management using GitOps and CI/CD workflows.
• Lead incident response and implement self-healing and failover strategies.
• Develop observability and alerting systems using Grafana, Datadog, and Prometheus.

Skills

Python

SQL

BigQuery

Kubernetes

Multi-cloud

Observability

Automation

GitOps

Linux

Performance tuning

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Terraform

Ansible

Puppet

GitOps

Job description

Job Summary:

This job ensures the reliability, scalability, and performance of PayPal’s global data platforms. This role leads infrastructure transformations, architects petabyte-scale operational systems, and optimizes mission-critical OLTP and analytics environments. The engineer designs, implements, automates, and manages next‑generation cloud‑native database systems across multi‑cloud platforms while driving operational excellence, automation, and AI‑driven optimisation. Collaboration with cross‑functional data and product teams is essential to support PayPal’s data-driven innovation and platform resilience.

Job Description:

Essential Responsibilities:

• Design, deploy, and manage high-performance database clusters (BigTable, Oracle, MySQL, Cloud SQL).


• Architect multi‑cloud database solutions across AWS, GCP, and Azure.


• Build Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) frameworks using Terraform, Ansible, Puppet, and Packer.


• Optimize databases through indexing, partitioning, tuning, and query improvements.


• Automate schema deployment and management using GitOps and CI/CD workflows.


• Lead incident response and implement self‑healing and failover strategies.


• Develop observability and alerting systems using Grafana, Datadog, and Prometheus.


• Create Python‑based automation and AI‑driven optimisation tools for database operations.


• Ensure database security, compliance, and documentation best practices.


• Collaborate with engineers, data scientists, and ML teams to support analytics and platform goals.

Minimum Qualifications:

• 3+ years relevant experience and a Bachelor’s degree OR Any equivalent combination of education and experience.


• Proficiency in BigTable, Oracle, MySQL/MariaDB, Hadoop, Spark, Kafka, BigQuery, and Kubernetes.


• Expertise with Terraform, Ansible, Puppet, and GitOps automation frameworks.


• Strong programming in Python and SQL; familiarity with Bash, Java, or Scala.


• Experience with AWS, GCP, and Azure environments.


• Linux system administration and distributed systems troubleshooting skills.


• Deep understanding of observability tools (Grafana, Datadog, ELK).


• Strong focus on system reliability, performance tuning, and automation.

Additional Responsibilities & Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with Infrastructure as Code and automation technologies such as Terraform, AWS CloudFormation, AWS CLI, Ansible, or Puppet.


• Strong programming and scripting skills using technologies such as Python, Java, Bash, AWS Lambda, and API Gateway.


• Strong knowledge of relational and non‑relational database architecture, design, performance, availability, and operations.


• Hands‑on experience with technologies such as AWS Aurora MySQL, MySQL, DynamoDB, DocumentDB, Cassandra, Redis/ElastiCache, or Elasticsearch/OpenSearch.


• Experience operating databases in large‑scale, highly available AWS production environments.


• Strong communication and collaboration skills with the ability to explain technical concepts to both technical and non‑technical audiences.


• AWS Solutions Architect or equivalent AWS certification preferred.

Subsidiary:

Venmo

Travel Percent:

0

The base pay for this role will depend on location:

The expected range of pay for this role by location is:

• Primary Location | Pay Range: San Jose, California: ($129,500.00 - $191,950.00 Annually)


• Additional Location(s) | Pay Range: Austin, Texas: ($117,500.00 - $174,350.00 Annually)

Additional compensation for this role may include an annual performance bonus, equity, or other incentive compensation, as applicable.

PayPal does not charge candidates any fees for courses, applications, resume reviews, interviews, background checks, or onboarding. When making an application directly, we will never ask you to share passwords, one‑time passcodes (OTP), or verification codes. Any such request is a red flag and likely part of a scam. All communication regarding your application will come from official PayPal email domains. If you suspect fraudulent activity, please report it immediately. To learn more about how to identify and avoid recruitment fraud please visit https://careers.pypl.com/contact-us.

For the majority of employees, PayPal's balanced hybrid work model offers 3 days in the office for effective in‑person collaboration and 2 days at your choice of either the PayPal office or your home workspace, ensuring that you equally have the benefits and conveniences of both locations.

Our Benefits:

At PayPal, we’re committed to building an equitable and inclusive global economy. And we can’t do this without our most important asset-you. That’s why we offer comprehensive, choice‑based programs, to support all aspects of personal wellbeing—physical, emotional, and financial—delivering meaningful value where it matters most. We strive to create a flexible, balanced work culture with a holistic approach to benefits, including generous paid time off, healthcare coverage for you and your family, and resources to create financial security and support your mental health.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

PayPal provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. In addition, PayPal will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. If you are unable to submit an application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at [e-mail].

Belonging at PayPal:

Our employees are central to advancing our mission, and we strive to create an environment where everyone can do their best work with a sense of purpose and belonging. Belonging at PayPal means creating a workplace with a sense of acceptance and security where all employees feel included and valued. We are proud to have a diverse workforce reflective of the merchants, consumers, and communities that we serve, and we continue to take tangible actions to cultivate inclusivity and belonging at PayPal.