[Hiring] Database Reliability Engineer @Ford Motor Company

Role Description

We are seeking a highly skilled and proactive Senior Database Reliability Engineer to join our Infrastructure team. In this role, you will be responsible for the health, performance, and scalability of our diverse database estate. You will move beyond traditional administration by applying software engineering principles to database operations, leveraging Dynatrace for deep observability and driving efficiency through advanced automation.

The ideal candidate is a polyglot database expert who is equally comfortable tuning a complex PostgreSQL query, managing MongoDB replicasets, and writing Python or Ansible scripts to automate failover processes.

Responsibilities

• Database Administration & Optimization
  • PostgreSQL: Manage large-scale PostgreSQL instances. Perform deep-dive performance tuning (vacuuming, indexing strategies, query plan analysis) and manage high-availability configurations (e.g., Patroni, Repmgr).
  • MongoDB: Architect, deploy, and maintain MongoDB replica sets. Optimize aggregation pipelines and ensure data consistency and scaling.
  • Redis: Manage Redis deployments for caching and real-time data needs. Implement Redis Sentinel or Cluster for high availability and advise development teams on data structure best practices.
  • Lifecycle Management: Handle migrations, version upgrades, patching, and backups across all platforms to ensure zero-loss recovery point objectives (RPO).
• Observability & Performance Engineering
  • Dynatrace Integration: Utilize Dynatrace to monitor database health, create custom dashboards, and set up intelligent alerting.
  • Root Cause Analysis: Use Dynatrace’s AI-driven insights to identify bottlenecks, deadlocks, and slow-running queries before they impact the end-user.
  • Capacity Planning: Analyze trends in data growth and resource utilization to proactively scale infrastructure.
• Automation & DevOps
  • Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Automate the provisioning and configuration of database environments using tools like Terraform, Ansible, or CloudFormation.
  • CI/CD Integration: Work with DevOps teams to integrate database schema changes and deployments into automated pipelines.
  • Self-Healing: Develop scripts (Python, Bash, or Go) to automate routine maintenance tasks and implement self-healing capabilities for common failure modes.

Qualifications

• Understanding of containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and managing databases within orchestrated environments.
• Relevant certifications (e.g., PostgreSQL Professional, MongoDB Certified DBA, or Dynatrace Associate).
• Experience with cloud-native database services (Cloud SQL, MongoDB Atlas) is a plus.

Requirements

• PostgreSQL: 5+ years of experience with advanced knowledge of MVCC, WAL, and extension management.
• MongoDB: 3+ years of experience managing production NoSQL environments, including sharding and security hardening.
• Redis: Proven experience managing Redis at scale (persistence settings, memory management, and eviction policies).
• Monitoring/Observability: Hands-on experience with Dynatrace (preferred) or similar APM tools (Datadog, New Relic) to monitor database tiers.
• Automation: Proficiency in Ansible or Terraform and strong scripting skills in Python or Bash.
• Linux/Unix: Expert-level command-line proficiency and understanding of system-level performance tuning (kernel parameters, I/O scheduling).

Soft Skills

• Analytical Thinking: Ability to solve complex, multi-dimensional problems under pressure.
• Collaboration: Strong communication skills to act as a bridge between AppDev, Infrastructure, and Security teams.
• Precision: A meticulous approach to data integrity and system security.