Lead Database SRE

The Lead Database SRE is responsible for the reliability, scalability, security, and automation of enterprise database platforms supporting critical business applications.

This role blends deep database engineering expertise with SRE and DevOps principles to ensure highly available, performant, and resilient database services.

The role provides both production and development support for database platforms, with strong ownership of operational excellence, automation, incident response, performance engineering, and cloud database operations.

Key Responsibilities

Reliability, Operations & Support

• Ensure high availability, performance, and reliability of database platforms supporting business critical applications.
• Act as a point of escalation for sophisticated database production incidents and service disruptions.
• Participate in on-call rotations and shift cover, including non-standard tasks when required.
• Investigate and resolve incidents using SRE practices such as root cause analysis, error budgets, and post-incident reviews.
• Monitor database health, capacity, and performance, ensuring proactive issue prevention.

Database Engineering & Administration

• Develop, implement, and maintain database build standards, including security, patching, backup, and HA/DR.
• Perform database performance tuning, diagnostics, and optimization using tools such as AWR, ASH, ADDM, and execution plan analysis.
• Define and document backup, restore, upgrade, and disaster recovery procedures.
• Support database connectivity using ODBC, JDBC, and vendor-specific drivers.
• Provide database build and advisory support to development and application teams.
• Review database application code, collaborate on improvements, and maintain artefacts using standard source control tools.

SRE, DevOps & Automation

• Develop and implement automation for database provisioning, configuration, and lifecycle management.
• Build and maintain Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) using tools such as Terraform and Ansible.
• Develop and support CI/CD pipelines for database deployments and schema changes.
• Define and maintain a database observability and alerting strategy, combining automated alerts with targeted manual checks.
• Promote and implement self-healing, standardisation, and automation-first approaches across database services.

Cloud & Migration

• Lead solution design and implementation of Oracle and SQL databases on Microsoft Azure.
• Implement and support database migrations from on premise to Azure, ensuring security, resilience, and performance.
• Work closely with application, cloud, and architecture teams to build scalable and secure database environments.
• Ensure alignment with enterprise database standards and cloud security controls.

Security & Compliance

• Partner with IT Security teams to maintain and implement database security policies.
• Apply industry-standard security and compliance controls for database access, encryption, auditing, and identity management.
• Evaluate applications and database usage to ensure policy alignment.

Required Technical Skills & Experience

• Demonstrable experience with SRE and DevOps practices for stateful systems.
• Automation and scripting using Python, Bash/KornShell, PowerShell.
• Experience with Terraform, Ansible, CI/CD tooling (Jenkins, GitHub/GitLab, Bitbucket, Rundeck).
• Familiarity with secrets management (HashiCorp Vault).
• Exposure to containers and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes, Helm).
• Extensive hands-on experience with Oracle Databases (11g, 12c, 19c, up to 23ai), RAC, Grid Infrastructure, ASM/ACFS, Data Guard, Exadata, RMAN, OEM, PL/SQL, APEX.
• Experience with SQL Server (2008–2022) and/or PostgreSQL.
• Solid understanding of HA/DR architectures and replication technologies.
• Good experience with Microsoft Azure database platforms.
• Exposure to AWS (RDS) and hybrid cloud database deployments.
• Linux administration experience (Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Solaris X86/Sparc).

Additional Requirements

• Experience supporting critical platforms in multi datacentre or multi region environments.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to operate calmly under pressure.
• Understanding of ITIL service management frameworks.
• Familiarity with enterprise monitoring and observability tools.
• Experience in the finance or banking sector is helpful.

Optional / Nice-to-Have Skills

• Experience with Delphix.
• Exposure to ServiceNow, Control M, Citrix, or web development platforms.
• Knowledge of MySQL, MongoDB, Perl scripting.
• Experience with database migration tools, distributed transactions, and data warehousing platforms.

Behavioural & Leadership Skills

• Strong influencing and partner management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication at technical and business levels.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Collaborative demeanor with a proven sense of ownership.
• Proactive, self motivated, and committed to continuous improvement.
• Willingness to share knowledge and mentor others.
• Pragmatic and outcome-focused approach to problem solving.