Staff Database Reliability Engineer- Eng

Why UKG: At UKG, the work you do matters. The code you ship, the decisions you make, and the care you show a customer all add up to real impact. Today, tens of millions of workers start and end their days with our workforce operating platform. Helping people get paid, grow in their careers, and shape the future of their industries. That’s what we do. We never stop learning. We never stop challenging the norm. We push for better, and we celebrate the wins along the way. Here, you’ll get flexibility that’s real, benefits you can count on, and a team that succeeds together. Because at UKG, your work matters—and so do you. About the Role We are seeking a Staff DBRE Engineer (P4) with deep expertise in MySQL and PostgreSQL to drive reliability, scalability, and modernization of large-scale production database platforms. This role goes beyond traditional DBA responsibilities and requires end-to-end ownership of database services, including incident management, performance optimization, automation, and platform engineering. The ideal candidate will be a hands-on technical leader capable of driving complex initiatives such as MySQL to PostgreSQL migrations, building automation frameworks, and improving system reliability at scale. Key Responsibilities 1\. Ownership of Database Reliability (Core Expectation) Own availability, performance, and reliability of MySQL and PostgreSQL production environments Lead P1/P2 incident management, deep troubleshooting, and RCA Drive improvements in MTTR, SLA adherence, and system resilience Design and maintain HA/DR architectures (replication, failover, clustering) 2\. Migration & Modernization (High Priority Area) Lead MySQL → PostgreSQL migration programs Own end-to-end migration lifecycle: Schema conversion and compatibility validation Data migration strategy and execution Application query tuning and optimization Identify and mitigate risks around data types, indexing behavior, and query differences Ensure low-risk / minimal downtime migration execution 3\. Performance Engineering & Observability Diagnose and resolve complex database performance issues Perform deep analysis on: Execution plans, locking, I/O bottlenecks, replication lag Implement observability using: SLI/SLO-based monitoring and alerting frameworks Leverage tools like: Grafana, Datadog, Splunk, SolarWinds DPA 4\. Automation & Platform Engineering Drive automation-first mindset to eliminate manual toil Build and maintain frameworks using: GitHub Actions (GHA), Terraform, Ansible, Python/Bash Enable: Self-healing systems Automated failover, backups, patching, provisioning Standardize configurations and deployments across platforms 5\. AI-Driven Operations Use AI-assisted tools to improve: Incident troubleshooting Query optimization Operational insights Identify use cases for AI-driven automation and observability enhancements Improve team productivity using AI-enabled workflows 6\. Technical Leadership & Mentorship Provide guidance and mentorship to L1/L2/L3 DBAs Review database designs, queries, and application architecture Drive best practices, SOP standardization, and knowledge sharing Act as a technical escalation point for complex issues 7\. Cloud, Cost Optimization & Compliance Manage databases on GCP (preferred) / AWS environments Drive cost optimization initiatives: Rightsizing, storage tuning, unused resource cleanup Support compliance frameworks (SOC, FedRAMP, etc.) Ensure strong database security and encryption practices Required Skills & Experience Core Database Skills Strong expertise in: MySQL (primary large-scale production environments) PostgreSQL (EDB & Community) Deep understanding of: Replication, HA/DR, backup/restore strategies Migration Experience (Must Have) Hands-on experience in MySQL → PostgreSQL migrations Strong knowledge of: Schema transformation Query compatibility between engines Data migration tools and techniques Performance & Troubleshooting Strong experience in: Query tuning and optimization Execution plan analysis High CPU / IO / locking issue resolution Automation & DevOps Hands-on experience with: Terraform (IaC) GitHub Actions (CI/CD) Ansible / Python / Bash scripting Ability to build scalable automation frameworks Observability Experience with monitoring tools: Grafana, Datadog, Splunk, DPA Strong understanding of: SLI/SLO and proactive alerting frameworks Cloud & Platform Experience with: GCP (Cloud SQL preferred) or AWS RDS Exposure to: Kubernetes / containerized environments (nice to have) AI & Modern Engineering (Preferred) Exposure to AI tools (Copilot, Claude, AIOps platforms) Ability to apply AI to: Troubleshooting Automation Operational insights Qualifications Bachelor’s/master's in computer science or equivalent 9+ years of experience in DBA / DBRE roles Relevant certifications (GCP/PostgreSQL/MySQL) preferred Company Overview: UKG is the Workforce Operating Platform that puts workforce understanding to work. With the world's largest collection of workforce insights, and people-first AI, our ability to reveal unseen ways to build trust, amplify productivity, and empower talent, is unmatched. It's this expertise that equips our customers with the intelligence to solve any challenge in any industry — because great organizations know their workforce is their competitive edge. Learn more at ukg.com. UKG is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace, including the recruitment process. Disability Accommodation in the Application and Interview Process For individuals with disabilities that need additional assistance at any point in the application and interview process, please email UKGCareers@ukg.com