Senior PostgreSQL DBA

Cognizant; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 130,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognizant is seeking a Senior PostgreSQL DBA in Charlotte, NC to manage enterprise PostgreSQL environments across Production, UAT, and Development. You will design high-availability, backup/recovery, and DR solutions, optimize performance, and automate operational tasks within the Cloud Infrastructure and Security team.

You will implement replication, monitor health, handle incidents, and contribute to automation and governance efforts.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience supporting enterprise PostgreSQL environments.
• Strong expertise with PostgreSQL 14, 15, 16, and 17.
• Hands-on experience with PostgreSQL backup, recovery, and disaster recovery planning.
• Extensive experience with streaming replication and logical replication.
• Strong knowledge of high availability and disaster recovery architecture.
• Proven experience with PostgreSQL performance tuning, query optimization, indexing, and partitioning.
• Linux (RHEL) administration experience.
• Proficiency in Bash, Shell, and Python scripting.
• Experience with database security, access management, and compliance controls.
• Hands-on experience with monitoring and observability tools.
• Experience supporting ITIL-based operational processes, including Incident, Change, and Problem Management.
• Experience working with ServiceNow or similar ITSM platforms.

Responsibilities

• Administer and support PostgreSQL databases across Production, UAT, and Development environments.
• Ensure database availability, reliability, capacity planning, and operational stability.
• Design, implement, and maintain backup, recovery, and disaster recovery solutions to meet business continuity objectives.
• Perform backup validations, recovery testing, and disaster recovery drills while maintaining RPO and RTO targets.
• Design and support high-availability PostgreSQL architectures, including streaming and logical replication.
• Monitor replication health and execute failover and switchover activities when required.
• Analyze and resolve database performance issues through query optimization, indexing, partitioning, and execution plan analysis.
• Tune PostgreSQL configuration parameters, memory utilization, I/O performance, and autovacuum settings.
• Monitor and troubleshoot lock contention, blocking sessions, and database wait events.
• Implement database security standards, user access controls, role management, and compliance requirements.
• Resolve incidents, perform root cause analysis, and support problem and change management processes.
• Develop automation solutions using Bash, Python, Shell scripting, and PostgreSQL utilities.
• Implement monitoring, alerting, observability, and proactive health-check solutions.
• Support database upgrades, migrations, releases, and deployment activities.
• Create and maintain operational documentation, runbooks, recovery procedures, and technical standards.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on automation, modernization, operational excellence, and database governance.

Skills

PostgreSQL expertise

Linux administration (RHEL)

Scripting (Bash/Shell/Python)

HA/DR design & replication

Performance tuning & indexing

ITIL Incident/Change/Problem mgmt

Monitoring/observability tooling

Tools

ServiceNow

Monitoring tools

Job description

About the role

As a Senior PostgreSQL DBA, you will make an impact by being responsible for the administration, performance, availability, security, and operational support of enterprise PostgreSQL environments. You will play a key role in designing and maintaining high availability and disaster recovery solutions, optimizing database performance, automating operational processes, and ensuring the reliability of mission-critical applications across Production, UAT, and Development environments. You will be a valued member of the Cloud Infrastructure and Security team working collaboratively with the Senior Manager.

In this role, you will

• Administer and support PostgreSQL databases across Production, UAT, and Development environments.
• Ensure database availability, reliability, capacity planning, and operational stability.
• Design, implement, and maintain backup, recovery, and disaster recovery solutions to meet business continuity objectives.
• Perform backup validations, recovery testing, and disaster recovery drills while maintaining RPO and RTO targets.
• Design and support high-availability PostgreSQL architectures, including streaming and logical replication.
• Monitor replication health and execute failover and switchover activities when required.
• Analyze and resolve database performance issues through query optimization, indexing, partitioning, and execution plan analysis.
• Tune PostgreSQL configuration parameters, memory utilization, I/O performance, and autovacuum settings.
• Monitor and troubleshoot lock contention, blocking sessions, and database wait events.
• Implement database security standards, user access controls, role management, and compliance requirements.
• Resolve incidents, perform root cause analysis, and support problem and change management processes.
• Develop automation solutions using Bash, Python, Shell scripting, and PostgreSQL utilities.
• Implement monitoring, alerting, observability, and proactive health-check solutions.
• Support database upgrades, migrations, releases, and deployment activities.
• Create and maintain operational documentation, runbooks, recovery procedures, and technical standards.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on automation, modernization, operational excellence, and database governance.

Work model

At Cognizant, we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible, and we are here to support a healthy work-life balance through our various wellbeing programs. Based on this role’s business requirements, this is an onsite position requiring 5 days a week in a client or Cognizant office in Charlotte, NC.

The working arrangements for this role are accurate as of the date of posting. This may change based on the project you’re engaged in, as well as business and client requirements. Rest assured; we will always be clear about role expectations.

What you need to have to be considered

• 8+ years of experience supporting enterprise PostgreSQL environments.
• Strong expertise with PostgreSQL 14, 15, 16, and 17.
• Hands-on experience with PostgreSQL backup, recovery, and disaster recovery planning.
• Extensive experience with streaming replication and logical replication.
• Strong knowledge of high availability and disaster recovery architecture.
• Proven experience with PostgreSQL performance tuning, query optimization, indexing, and partitioning.
• Linux (RHEL) administration experience.
• Proficiency in Bash, Shell, and Python scripting.
• Experience with database security, access management, and compliance controls.
• Hands-on experience with monitoring and observability tools.
• Experience supporting ITIL-based operational processes, including Incident, Change, and Problem Management.
• Experience working with ServiceNow or similar ITSM platforms.

These will help you stand out

• Experience planning and executing PostgreSQL version upgrades.
• Experience supporting cloud migration initiatives and hybrid database environments.
• Knowledge of AWS, Azure, or other cloud database platforms.
• Experience conducting application compatibility and upgrade assessments.
• Experience defining database standards, governance controls, and operational best practices.
• Strong troubleshooting skills supporting complex production environments.
• Experience driving automation and database modernization initiatives.
• PostgreSQL, Linux, Cloud, or ITIL certifications.