Senior Database Engineer

Data Reliability Engineering at Collective Health is a discipline combining software, data and systems engineering skills. We apply modern data platform infrastructure, systems, software, architecture, and development practices to give our customers a more reliable, scalable and secure healthcare data management experience.

We're seeking a highly experienced and technically versatile Senior Database Engineer to join our Cloud Engineering organization. Data Reliability Engineers (DRE) are responsible for keeping database systems that support all user-facing services running smoothly. DREs are a blend of database engineering, administration and software developers that apply sound engineering principles, operational discipline and mature software development and automation, specializing in databases (PostgreSQL in particular). In that capacity, DREs are peers to SREs and bring database expertise to the SRE and Infrastructure teams as well as our engineering teams.

Partnering with engineering teams, Data Reliability Engineers build on public cloud services to deliver a comprehensive platform that enables our developers to rapidly deliver high-quality, impactful, scalable, and reliable services. As a broader group of Site Reliability Engineers including those focused on infrastructure and platform, we collaborate and identify themes and solutions to benefit Collective Health at large, engage in regular knowledge sharing activities and retrospectives, and relentlessly support one another in order to gain knowledge, remove barriers, and grow as individuals and a team. 

This critical role demands a blend of hands-on technical mastery, strategic architecture and infrastructure design, and database operational principles. The ideal candidate is an expert in managing, optimizing, and scaling various database technologies, primarily PostgreSQL. Crucially, this person will be instrumental in designing, implementing, and maintaining high-availability database infrastructure spanning Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud Platform (GCP), including modern systems like AWS RDS/Aurora and GCP AlloyDB/Cloud SQL. 

Direct experience within the Health Care Insurance industry is desired.

Key Responsibilities

Architecture and Design

• Strategic Planning: Drive the design, deployment, and optimization of highly available, scalable, and secure database solutions across AWS and GCP.
• Data Governance: Ensure all database architectures and operational procedures adhere strictly to regulatory frameworks relevant to the health care insurance industry (e.g., HIPAA, SOC 2, HITRUST).
• Replication & HA: Design and implement advanced MultiSite and cross-region database replication technologies to ensure global read/write availability and meet stringent Disaster Recovery (DR) objectives.
• Migration: Lead complex database migration strategies, including rearchitecting monolithic database systems into manageable databases supporting microservices.

Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) and Operations

• Automation: Develop robust automation using tools like Terraform, Ansible, and Python/Shell scripting for infrastructure provisioning, monitoring, and maintenance.
• Performance Tuning: Lead advanced performance tuning and optimization efforts for complex SQL queries, database schemas, and cloud instance configurations.
• Incident Response: Serve as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for high-severity database incidents, diagnosing root causes, and implementing SRE-driven long-term solutions.
• Disaster Recovery (DR): Design, implement, and regularly test comprehensive HA/DR strategies across multi-cloud footprints.

Required Qualifications

• Experience: 8+ years of experience as a Database Administrator, with at least 4 years of experience in a multi-cloud environment and significant exposure to database architecture/design.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience). 
• Core DB Expertise: Expert-level proficiency in administering, tuning, and maintaining PostgreSQL on AWS and GCP.
• Cloud Relational and Non-Relational DBs: Significant experience with cloud-native relational database services in AWS (RDS, Aurora) and GCP (Cloud SQL, AlloyDB).
• Advanced Data Systems: Proven experience with MultiSite database replication technologies.
• DevOps/IaC: Hands-on experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools, particularly Terraform, for managing cloud database resources.
• Automation: Excellent scripting skills in Python will be highly desired.
• Security & Compliance: Expertise in database security best practices and ensuring HIPAA compliance at the data layer.
• Planning: Experience in capacity planning, cost analysis, and justification for the architecture and design proposals.
• Industry Experience: Direct and significant experience working in the Health Care Insurance industry or another highly regulated environment is highly desired.
• Soft Skills: Exceptional communication, analytical, and troubleshooting skills, with proven ability to lead and mentor.

Preferred Qualifications

• Industry Experience: Prior experience in the healthcare IT industry or another highly regulated environment will stand out.
• Exposure to GCP BiqQuery will be nice to have.
• Certifications are highly desirable that can demonstrate relevant expertise:
• AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate
• Google Cloud Professional Cloud Database Engineer
• PostgreSQL Professional Certification

Pay Transparency Statement 

This is a hybrid position based out of one of our offices: San Francisco, CA, Lehi, UT, or Plano, TX. Hybrid employees are expected to be in the office two days per week.#LI-hybrid 

The actual pay rate offered within the range will depend on factors including geographic location, qualifications, experience, and internal equity. In addition to the salary, you will be eligible for stock options and benefits like health insurance, 401k, and paid time off. Learn more about our benefits at https://jobs.collectivehealth.com/benefits/.