[Hiring] Senior Database Consultant @Pythian

Role Description

As a Senior Database Consultant you will work within a globally dispersed team to supply complete support for all aspects of database and application infrastructure to a variety of Pythian’s customers.

What you will be doing:

• Coordination, analysis, design, implementation, and administration of database solutions, including database server configuration and maintenance.
• Analyzing customer’s infrastructure and processes and recommending best practices for improvements to current operational processes and procedures to ensure that databases remain operational for maximum uptime and recoverability.
• Administration of backup procedures and disaster recovery plans, providing proactive monitoring to head off potential issues before they become incidents, responding to monitoring alerts, and carrying out troubleshooting of operational problems.
• Overseeing backup, clustering, mirroring, replication, failover, and restoration and recovery of corrupted databases; developing and reviewing action plans (such as maintenance, deployment, upgrades, etc.) and completing all relevant client documentation.
• Assisting the Lead Database Consultant with respect to Incident Management, Problem Management, and Problem Resolution; implementing Changes and Service Requests; and designing/implementing technical procedures for complex changes.
• Preparing customer status and incident reports, responding to customer requests and inquiries, and maintaining alignment with a customer’s operating procedures (e.g., change control).
• Maintaining any customer-specific assets such as soft or hard access tokens, access cards, and any other hard or soft asset provided.
• Takes a lead role in the team's maintenance and alignment of Pythian process requirements including handovers, documentation, process acknowledgments, and incident reviews.
• Enhancing Pythian tools and processes, suggesting and possibly designing/implementing new monitoring checks, enhancements to DBA toolkits, and other process improvements such as Initial Reviews, Performance Reviews, Audits, etc.
• Participating in sales support activities such as presales, proposal preparation, and tech calls.
• Taking a lead role in contributing to Pythian’s external profile in the preparation of marketing collateral including website material and presentations at conferences or trade shows; participating in local user groups and being active on the technology blogging front.
• Mentoring and training existing Database Consultant team members, providing ongoing help and mentoring of new employees as part of a “buddy system,” and taking a lead role in the preparation and presentation of employee training courses.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of overall experience in a Database Reliability Engineer (DBRE), Site Reliability Engineer (SRE), or production Database Administrator (DBA) role.
• Strong proficiency in Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) with Python (or Go), including practical knowledge of the Django framework for tooling or application development.
• Hands-on experience designing, deploying, and managing scalable infrastructure within AWS.
• Deep understanding of automation principles using Terraform, Bash scripting, and robust Unix/Linux system administration.
• Practical experience working with containerization and orchestration (Docker, GKE), secrets management (Vault), and database proxy/load balancing tooling (e.g., ProxySQL), utilizing GitLab for CI/CD.
• Exceptional client-facing skills with a proven ability to manage customer expectations, navigate complex priorities, and act as a trusted technical advisor.
• A systematic approach to troubleshooting; ability to identify hidden patterns, root causes, and underlying issues in complex, distributed environments.
• A proactive mindset dedicated to assessing existing process flows, methods, and standards to drive system performance and architectural improvements.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to translate complex database and infrastructure concepts into clear, meaningful insights for both highly technical engineering teams and business stakeholders.

Benefits

• Competitive total rewards package.
• Flexibly work remotely from your home, with no daily travel requirement to an office.
• Collaborate with some of the best and brightest in the industry.
• Substantial training allowance; participate in professional development days, attend training, become certified, whatever you like.
• All the equipment you need to work from home including a laptop with your choice of OS, and an annual budget to personalize your work environment.
• Annual wellness budget to prioritize your health and well-being (use it on gym memberships, massages, fitness, and more).
• Generous amount of paid vacation and sick days, as well as a day off to volunteer for your favorite charity.