Senior Database Administrator

Own the performance, reliability, and scalability of mission-critical database systems powering real-time transaction processing. This role is hands-on and high-impact—focused on keeping high-throughput systems fast, available, and secure across a multi-database environment (Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL) in a PCI-regulated ecosystem.

This role operates in a 24/7 transaction processing environment with an on-call rotation. Expect occasional after-hours work tied to releases, maintenance windows, and incident response. 

Technical Responsibilities

• Own Database Performance: Drive end-to-end performance tuning across Oracle (primary), PostgreSQL, and MySQL—query optimization, indexing strategy, execution plans, and resource management  
• Engineer for Scale & Availability: Design and maintain highly available database architectures (RAC, replication, failover) that support 24/7 transaction processing with minimal latency  
• Build Resilient Systems: Implement and validate backup, recovery, and disaster recovery strategies with strict RTO/RPO targets  
• Secure Sensitive Data: Enforce strong access controls, encryption, and auditing aligned with PCI compliance and financial data protection standards  
• Execute Zero/Low-Downtime Changes: Plan and deliver upgrades, patching, and migrations with minimal business impact  
• Standardize Across Platforms: Establish consistent operational practices across Oracle, PostgreSQL, and MySQL while respecting platform-specific strengths  
• Proactive Monitoring & Incident Response: Detect, troubleshoot, and resolve production issues promptly; identify root causes and prevent recurrence  
• Partner with Engineering: Work closely with application teams to influence schema design, query patterns, and data access strategies  
• Document What Matters: Maintain clear, usable documentation for architecture, runbooks, and operational procedures. 

This position is based in either Johannesburg, South Africa, or Port Louis, Mauritius, and reports to the Head of Cards Engineering

• 7–10+ years managing production-grade relational databases in high-availability environments  
• Deep expertise in Oracle (SQL, PL/SQL, RAC) with strong working knowledge of PostgreSQL and MySQL  
• Proven track record of performance tuning under real production load  
• Experience supporting high-throughput, low-latency transactional systems (payments/financial systems strongly preferred)  
• Strong command of backup/recovery, replication, and HA strategies across platforms  
• Familiarity with Oracle ODA, Data Guard, and modern monitoring/observability tools  
• Solid understanding of PCI or comparable regulatory environments  
• Ability to diagnose complex issues quickly and drive them to resolution  
• Clear, direct communicator who can work effectively with engineering teams