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

It is the policy of Ultimate Software to promote and assure equal employment opportunity for all current and prospective Peeps without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, veteran status, and any other legally protected status entitled to protection under federal, state, or local anti-discrimination laws. This policy governs all matters related to recruitment, advertising, and initial selection of employment. It shall also apply to all other aspects of employment, including, but not limited to, compensation, promotion, demotion, transfer, lay-offs, terminations, leave of absence, and training opportunities.