Job Summary
We are seeking an experienced AWS RDS DBA (PostgreSQL) / Cloud Database Operations Engineer to own the reliability, performance, security, and operational integrity of enterprise database platforms hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS).
The role will support mission-critical applications running on Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL and will work closely with Cloud Engineering, DevOps, Data Engineering, Security, and Application Development teams.
The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in PostgreSQL administration, AWS cloud services, database performance tuning, backup and recovery strategies, high availability architectures, and operational support in regulated enterprise environments.
This role is critical to ensuring database availability, performance, recoverability, and security across multiple production and non-production environments.
Key Responsibilities
AWS RDS Ownership & Operations
Own day-to-day administration of Amazon RDS PostgreSQL environments.
Manage database availability, health, and performance across development, test, staging, DR, and production environments.
Configure and maintain:
o RDS instances
o Parameter groups
o Option groups
o Security groups
o Networking connectivity
Implement and maintain Multi-AZ deployments and read replicas.
Work with infrastructure teams to support VPC, Direct Connect, PrivateLink, and cloud networking requirements.
Database Performance & Optimization
Analyze and optimize database performance using:
o Performance Insights
o CloudWatch
o Query analysis tools
o PostgreSQL performance views
Tune:
o SQL queries
o Indexes
o Memory settings
o Connection management
o Storage configurations
Identify and resolve:
o Slow-running queries
o Deadlocks
o Lock contention
o Replication latency
o Resource bottlenecks
Backup, Recovery & Disaster Recovery
Design and manage backup and recovery strategies.
Validate backup integrity and recovery readiness.
Perform:
o Point-in-time recovery testing
o Database refresh activities
o Restore exercises
o DR validation testing
Support organizational RTO and RPO requirements.
Develop and maintain recovery documentation and operational runbooks.
AWS documentation identifies backup planning, monitoring, recovery strategy, security, parameter management, and database optimization as core responsibilities remaining with DBAs even in managed RDS environments.
Security & Compliance
Enforce database security best practices.
Manage:
o Roles and permissions
o Database authentication
o Encryption at rest and in transit
o Audit logging
Partner with Security teams to ensure compliance with organizational and regulatory requirements.
Support vulnerability remediation and security assessments.
Monitoring, Automation & Operational Excellence
Establish proactive monitoring and alerting.
Create automated operational processes using:
o AWS Lambda
o Terraform
o Python
o AWS Systems Manager
Develop operational dashboards and health reporting.
Drive continuous improvement of cloud database operations.
Production Support & Incident Management
Provide L2/L3 database support.
Participate in production on-call rotations.
Respond to P1/P2 incidents within SLA commitments.
Perform root cause analysis and implement preventive actions.
Collaborate with application and cloud platform teams during incident response activities.
Application & Cloud Platform Collaboration
Partner with:
o AWS Engineers
o DevOps Teams
o Application Development Teams
o Data Engineering Teams
Support application modernization and migration initiatives.
Participate in architecture reviews and operational readiness reviews.
Assist development teams with database design, schema optimization, and deployment planning.