Sr. Database Reliability Engineer III

Join Aya Healthcare, winner of multiple Top Workplace awards!

Aya Healthcare is seeking an expert-level Senior Database Reliability Engineer III to join our Database Reliability Engineering team, focusing on enhancing the performance, scalability, and reliability of our large-scale database infrastructure primarily hosted on Azure.

This position is pivotal in driving strategic initiatives for database reliability, performance optimization, and architectural transformation across our SaaS platform. The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in managing complex MS SQL, NoSQL, and open-source SQL environments such as MySQL and PostgreSQL. They will lead large-scale data warehouse/ lake solutions, mentor junior engineers, and drive proactive database performance initiatives. A proactive leader with a strong architectural mindset and extensive experience with Databricks, Snowflake, or similar platforms is highly preferred. 

Who We Are: 

We’re a $10+ billion, rapidly growing workforce solutions provider in the healthcare industry. We deliver tech-enabled services that help healthcare organizations meet and manage their contingent labor needs. We build and manage tech-enabled marketplaces for national and local healthcare talent and deliver contingent labor management solutions through our proprietary software platform.

At Aya, we’re obsessed with creating exceptional experiences for our clients, clinicians and employees. In fact, we put employee satisfaction above all else. Our team members are responsible for incomparable customer experience and we know that happy employees are critical to maintaining happy clients. We foster an entrepreneurial, high-energy, low-bureaucracy culture and value innovative thinking and creative problem solving. We embrace diversity in thought and backgrounds unified by a commitment to high achievement. When you join Aya, you’ll be surrounded by teammates who care about you as an individual and leaders who will help you grow both personally and professionally.

Responsibilities: 

• Strategic Performance Tuning & Optimization: 
  • Lead the strategic optimization of database performance, including advanced query optimization, execution plan analysis, and resolving complex performance bottlenecks across MS SQL, MySQL, and PostgreSQL environments. 
  • Develop and enforce best practices for SQL coding and database design to prevent sub-optimal queries and enhance overall system performance. 
  • Drive performance improvement initiatives across multiple database platforms, providing technical guidance to junior engineers. 
• Advanced Index Management & Resource Optimization: 
  • Architect and implement advanced indexing strategies, including clustered, non-clustered, filtered, and full-text indexing tailored to complex workloads. 
  • Optimize database resources (memory, CPU, and I/O) in alignment with performance goals and scalability requirements. 
  • Collaborate with infrastructure teams to ensure optimal hardware and storage configurations, supporting peak performance and resource efficiency. 
• Proactive Performance Monitoring & Incident Leadership: 
  • Use advanced tools such as SQL Profiler, Extended Events, SQL Sentry, and open-source monitoring solutions to identify performance issues and proactively implement corrective measures. 
  • Design custom monitoring dashboards that provide real-time insights into critical performance metrics, enabling rapid detection and response to issues. 
  • Lead high-severity incident response, conduct in-depth root cause analysis, and drive strategic initiatives to mitigate future risks. 
• Complex Lock and Concurrency Management: 
  • Architect solutions to minimize lock contention and manage concurrency in high-throughput environments, ensuring smooth transaction processing across SQL and NoSQL platforms. 
  • Implement advanced isolation levels and concurrency control mechanisms tailored to specific application needs. 
  • Provide expert guidance on designing and implementing workload management strategies to reduce transactional conflicts. 
• Architectural Database Configuration & Maintenance: 
  • Review and optimize complex database configurations, including file placements, growth strategies, and recovery models to align with enterprise performance standards. 
  • Optimize and manage critical components such as tempDB, partitioning strategies, and caching mechanisms for high performance and reliability. 
  • Conduct regular architectural reviews and performance assessments, leading strategic initiatives to enhance database performance. 
• Reliability Engineering & Database Sustainability: 
  • Design and oversee complex, multi-node configurations for high availability and disaster recovery, ensuring zero data loss and minimal downtime during failovers. 
  • Architect and automate robust backup strategies, ensuring all recovery objectives (RTO and RPO) are met consistently. 
  • Implement advanced automation techniques to increase productivity, streamline database maintenance, and adapt rapidly to dynamic workload changes. 
• Capacity Planning & Strategic Collaboration: 
  • Lead capacity planning initiatives, collaborating with cloud architecture, engineering, and product teams to forecast future database requirements. 
  • Utilize data analytics to identify growth trends, optimize resource allocation, and plan for future scaling needs. 
  • Serve as a strategic partner to application development teams, aligning database reliability goals with broader business objectives. 
• Advanced Database Administration & Security Management: 
  • Lead the planning and execution of complex database migrations, upgrades, and architectural transformations with minimal impact on service availability. 
  • Establish, enforce, and continuously improve security protocols, including advanced user access controls, encryption strategies, and compliance with regulatory standards. 
  • Oversee regular patching cycles, ensuring all database systems remain secure, reliable, and performant. 
• Documentation & Expert Training: 
  • Develop and maintain comprehensive, detailed documentation of advanced database architectures, tuning methodologies, and recovery paths. 
  • Provide leadership in creating performance reports and presenting findings to senior management, offering actionable recommendations for ongoing improvements. 
  • Mentor and guide junior engineers, delivering advanced training sessions to elevate the team’s overall technical proficiency. 
• Cross-Functional Knowledge Leadership: 
  • Lead cross-training and knowledge-sharing sessions to elevate the team’s understanding of complex database systems and performance optimization techniques. 
  • Engaging in ongoing professional development, attending conferences and training sessions on cutting-edge database technologies. 
  • Stay ahead of industry trends to guide adopting new tools and methodologies. 
• Advanced Data Warehouse & NoSQL Integration: 
  • Lead the design and optimization of large-scale data warehouse and data lake solutions, including platforms like Databricks and Snowflake. 
  • Provide architectural guidance for integrating NoSQL solutions, focusing on scaling, tuning, and maintenance. 
  • Drive projects that involve transitioning data workloads to modern architectures, enhancing performance, and supporting business growth. 

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent work experience. 
• 10+ years of hands-on experience managing MS SQL, MySQL, and PostgreSQL databases in complex, large-scale environments. 
• 7+ years of experience supporting MS SQL in Azure Cloud environments. 
• Expert-level proficiency in query optimization, execution plan analysis, and performance troubleshooting across SQL platforms. 
• Extensive experience in setting up and managing high availability (HA) and disaster recovery (DR) solutions for MS SQL and open-source SQL environments. 
• Strong familiarity with MS SQL tools like SQL Profiler, Performance Monitor, and Execution Plans. 
• Deep understanding of NoSQL database architectures and principles. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• MS SQL Server certifications (e.g., MCSE: Data Management and Analytics). 
• Proven experience with large-scale data warehouse/data lake solutions such as Databricks, Snowflake, or similar platforms. 
• Prior experience leading and mentoring a team of database engineers or DBAs. 
• Proficiency in scripting languages like PowerShell, Python, or Bash for advanced automation of database maintenance tasks. 
• Extensive experience with SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS), SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS), and SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS). 
• Familiarity with .NET and Entity Framework interactions with MS SQL Server. 
• Demonstrated ability to manage critical incidents with swift, effective resolutions. 

What We Offer:

• Free premium medical, dental, life and vision insurance   
• Generous 401(k) match   
• Aya also offers other benefits to those that are eligible and where required by applicable law, including reimbursements and discretionary bonuses   
• Aya provides paid sick leave in accordance with all applicable state, federal, and local laws. Aya’s general sick leave policy is that employees accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. However, to the extent any provisions of the statement above conflict with any applicable paid sick leave laws, the applicable paid sick leave laws are controlling   
• Celebrations! We hit our goals and reward ourselves.    
• Company-sponsored virtual events, happy hours and team-building activities are always on the horizon — plus, you get a special treat on your birthday!  
• Unlimited DTO — we believe in time off!   
• Virtual yoga, meditation or boot camp classes offered daily   

Compensation: Aya reasonably anticipates the pay scale for this position to an annual salary of $210,000 to $225,000.

The pay scale for this position may vary if applicant possesses experience outside of what Aya reasonably anticipates for this position. Bonuses are subject to the role and your manager’s discretion.   

Aya is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EEO), including Disability / Vets, and welcomes all to apply. Please click here for our EEO policy.