Role: Cassandra Lead Database Administrator
Location: Houston, TX (Hybrid)
Who are we looking for?
We are looking for 10+ years of experience Database Administrator (DBA) to provide production support for Amazon RDS, Amazon Aurora, Cassandra, and Document-based databases . This role will support the ongoing operations, performance, and availability of our cloud-based and NoSQL database environments. The ideal candidate will be adept at managing large-scale distributed systems, cloud-native services, and hybrid data platforms in a 24/7 production environment.
Technical Skills:
· Proven experience in Amazon RDS, Amazon Aurora, Cassandra, and Document-based d atabases Administrator or similar role in production support environments.
· 10+ years of experience in database administration and production support roles.
· Hands-on experience managing and supporting Apache Cassandra in a production environment.
· Strong knowledge of Cassandra internals, architecture, data modeling, replication, and consistency levels.
· Proficiency in troubleshooting cluster issues, performance tuning, and capacity planning.
· Strong hands-on experience with:
o Amazon RDS (PostgreSQL, MySQL, or SQL Server).
o Apache Cassandra (including setup, scaling, repairs, and performance tuning).
o Document Databases (e.g., MongoDB, Amazon DocumentDB, Couchbase).
· Experience with cloud infrastructure (preferably AWS ), including EC2, S3, IAM, and VPC.
· Proficiency in Linux/Unix environments and shell scripting.
· Strong SQL and NoSQL data modeling and query optimization skills.
· Familiarity with backup/recovery tools, high availability, and disaster recovery strategies.
· Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.
· Excellent communication and collaboration abilities.
· Ability to work in a 24/7 support rotation and handle urgent production issues.
Responsibilities
· Production Support & Monitoring
o Provide 24×7 production support for RDS (PostgreSQL/MySQL/SQL Server), Cassandra, and Document databases.
o Monitor database health, availability, and performance using AWS CloudWatch, Prometheus, Grafana, or similar tools.
o Triage and resolve database-related incidents and s in a timely manner.
o Perform root cause analysis and implement preventive measures for recurring issues.
· Database Maintenance & Administration
o Manage database configurations, backup, restore, and disaster recovery for all supported platforms.
o Perform software upgrades, security patches, and maintenance tasks with minimal downtime.
o Maintain cluster integrity and support scaling operations for Cassandra and DocumentDB .
· Performance Tuning & Optimization
o Tune queries, indexes, and configurations for optimal performance across RDS, Cassandra, and Document stores.
o Analyze workloads and suggest improvements to data access patterns and schema design.
· Security & Compliance
o Support audits, compliance checks, and data protection policies across environments.
o Implement and enforce database security best practices (encryption, IAM policies, VPCs, RBAC, etc.).
· Automation & CI/CD Integration
o Automate operational tasks and deployments using scripts (Bash, Python) and IaC tools like Terraform or CloudFormation.
o Collaborate with DevOps teams to integrate database changes into CI/CD pipelines.
· Collaboration & Documentation
o Work closely with development, SRE, and infrastructure teams to support application rollouts and releases.
o Maintain detailed runbooks, SOPs, and incident post-mortem documentation.
Qualification:
· Experience with AWS-native database services : Amazon DocumentDB, Keyspaces (for Cassandra), or DynamoDB.
· Familiarity with container orchestration (e.g., Kubernetes) and cloud-native application patterns.
· Hands-on experience with automation tools like Ansible, Terraform, or Jenkins.
· Certifications such as AWS Certified Database – Specialty, or AWS Solutions Architect Associate.
· Exposure to monitoring/logging tools like CloudWatch, DataDog, ELK stack, or Prometheus/Grafana.