Senior Database Administrator
First seen by Alion on Sep 22, 2026.
About the Role :
We need a Senior DBA to own our database platform across a hybrid Oracle and PostgreSQL environment. Primary depth should be in PostgreSQL, with strong working knowledge of Oracle. This role covers performance, availability, backup and recovery, and architecture decisions for production financial systems.
Key Responsibilities :
Administration & Performance :
- Own PostgreSQL (primary) and Oracle (RAC/ODA) production environments : capacity planning, patching, upgrades.
- Perform deep query and index tuning.
- Design partitioning strategies for high-volume tables, accounting for platform differences.
Backup, Recovery & DR :
- Own backup and recovery using open-source Postgres tools (pgBackRest, Barman, or WAL-G).
- Design and test DR/HA setups (Patroni, Data Guard).
- Own RPO/RTO targets and failover runbooks.
CDC & Migration :
- Configure and troubleshoot CDC pipelines (Debezium, Striim, or GoldenGate).
- Apply working knowledge of Oracle-to-PostgreSQL migration : schema conversion, query rewrites, cutover planning.
Automation & CI/CD :
- Automate routine operations using Python, Shell, or Ansible.
- Build and maintain database CI/CD : version-controlled schema changes and automated migration pipelines (Liquibase or Flyway).
Monitoring :
- Build and maintain monitoring and observability (pgBadger, OEM, Prometheus/Grafana).
- Tune alerting thresholds to catch problems early.
Security :
- Implement encryption at rest and in transit, access control, and auditing across both platforms.
Architecture & Mentorship :
- Own architecture decisions independently.
- Mentor junior DBAs.
- Communicate risks and trade-offs clearly to leadership and other teams.
Production Support :
- Join the on-call rotation for off-hours critical incidents.
Required Skills :
- 7 - 10 years of DBA experience, with strong PostgreSQL depth and solid Oracle knowledge (RAC, ASM, Data Guard).
- Working knowledge of Oracle-to-PostgreSQL migration.
- Hands-on experience with CDC tools, Debezium preferred.
- Backup and recovery experience with open-source Postgres tools.
- DR/HA design and actual drill experience, not just theory.
- Strong performance tuning skills (non-negotiable) and partitioning expertise.
- Understanding of database security and encryption.
- Experience with database CI/CD and schema version control.
- Experience with monitoring and observability tooling.
- Scripting in Python or Shell.
- Strong communication skills, with a track record of mentoring and owning architecture decisions.
- BFSI or fintech experience preferred.
Nice to Have :
- Exposure to cloud-hosted databases.
- Experience on an Oracle-to-Postgres migration project.
- Familiarity with database activity monitoring tools such as Guardium.
Skills
DBA, Oracle DB, PostgreSQL, Database Architecture, Database Design, DBA Support, CDC, Monitoring Tools, Database Performance Tuning, IT Disaster Recovery, Oracle GoldenGate