At a Glance
- Tasks: Manage and optimise high-performance MySQL databases for exciting gaming platforms.
- Company: Join Aristocrat, a leader in gaming content and technology.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible work options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with a focus on innovation and operational excellence.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in the gaming industry while working with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: Extensive MySQL experience and strong problem-solving skills required.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
At Aristocrat, we're passionate about bringing happiness to life through the power of play! As a Senior Database Administrator, you will have a meaningful role in ensuring our critically important database systems are secure, scalable, and reliable. You'll join a world-class team, applying your expertise to support the high-traffic, data-intensive workloads that power our popular gaming platforms. This is an outstanding chance to create a significant impact within an ambitious and innovative organization. This role owns the end-to-end lifecycle of database platforms - from architecture and design, through performance optimization and automation, to incident response and long-term scalability planning. The successful candidate will act as a technical authority for MySQL, partnering closely with Architecture, Engineering, Data Science, and SRE teams to ensure our databases can safely scale to meet high-traffic, data-intensive workloads.
Key Responsibilities
- Database Architecture & Scalability
- Own and evolve the architecture of high-performance, highly available MySQL platforms supporting production game workloads (>50k QPS).
- Design database solutions that support long-term data growth, fault tolerance, and operational simplicity.
- Participate in technology roadmap planning, capacity forecasting, and architectural decision-making.
- Performance & Reliability Engineering
- Proactively identify, diagnose, and resolve database performance bottlenecks across schema design, queries, indexing, and configuration.
- Own performance issues end-to-end: triage, root cause analysis, solution design, implementation, and production verification.
- Define and help meet database reliability targets (SLOs) in collaboration with the Platform Reliability Team.
- Automation, Tooling & Operations
- Improve and maintain automation for database provisioning, backup and recovery, replication, failover, and disaster recovery, schema migrations and deployments.
- Enhance observability through monitoring, alerting, and tooling (e.g. PMM, Prometheus, Grafana).
- Shift performance and security detection earlier in the development lifecycle via tooling and guidelines.
- Database Governance & Security
- Define and enforce database security standards, access controls, and auditing.
- Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements (e.g. gaming, PCI-DSS).
- Act as a gatekeeper for database-related application changes via reviews and guidance.
- Collaboration & Enablement
- Partner closely with Architecture, Engineering, and Data Science teams to deliver secure, scalable, and performant database designs.
- Act as a database maintainer for the Product Madness codebase, reviewing schema and query changes prior to release.
- Provide hands-on support through pairing, design reviews, and technical consultation.
- Documentation & Best Practices
- Build and maintain high-quality, HLD and LLD documentation covering architecture, operations, and standard methodologies.
- Deliver database services and guidelines to our internal customers.
- Continuously improve team workflows, operational processes, and standards.
- Leadership & Collaboration
- Guide engineers and DBAs, improving the overall database maturity of the organization.
- Lead by example in operational excellence, ownership, and technical rigor.
Required Experience & Skills
- Significant production experience with MySQL in critical environments (Percona MySQL, PostgreSQL, Redis, MongoDB).
- Deep expertise in MySQL internals, MongoDB internals, replication and backup/recovery strategies, query optimization and performance tuning, high-availability and scaling patterns.
- Strong Linux administration skills.
- Demonstrable experience operating databases at high efficiency and low latency.
- Ability to collaborate effectively in a fast-paced, distributed environment.
- Strong proficiency in both written and spoken English communication.
Desirable / Bonus Experience
- MySQL clustering technologies (e.g. Galera Cluster).
- Monitoring tools such as Percona PMM.
- Practical experience with PostgreSQL, Redis, and MongoDB.
- Cloud platforms, especially GCP (Cloud SQL), with AWS as a plus.
- Infrastructure-as-Code and automation tools: Terraform, Ansible, Helm, Cloud SQL, Postgress.
Join us at Aristocrat and be part of a team dedicated to delivering happiness to millions of players worldwide. Together, we can build outstanding gaming experiences!
Why Aristocrat?
Aristocrat is a world leader in gaming content and technology, and a top-tier publisher of free-to-play mobile games. We deliver great performance for our B2B customers and bring joy to the lives of the millions of people who love to play our casino and mobile games. And while we focus on fun, we never forget our responsibilities. We strive to lead the way in responsible gameplay.
Senior MySQL Database Administrator (DBA) in Glasgow employer: Aristocrat
At Aristocrat, we pride ourselves on fostering a vibrant and inclusive work culture that champions innovation and collaboration. As a Senior MySQL Database Administrator, you'll not only play a pivotal role in shaping our database systems but also benefit from extensive professional development opportunities and a supportive environment that values your contributions. Located in a dynamic industry, we offer competitive benefits and the chance to make a meaningful impact in the world of gaming, all while working alongside passionate colleagues who share your enthusiasm for technology and creativity.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior MySQL Database Administrator (DBA) in Glasgow
✨Tap into Local Tech Meetups
Get yourself to local tech meetups or database management conferences. It's a really great way to meet industry professionals and potentially uncover unadvertised full-time roles. When chatting with people, mention your skills and interests in database management; you never know who might be looking for someone just like you!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Diving into open-source projects can not only sharpen your database skills but also get you noticed by employers. Many companies look for candidates who actively contribute to projects – it shows initiative and a real passion for the field. Plus, it's a perfect excuse to connect with other developers and expand your professional network.
✨Utilise Professional Bodies
Sign up for professional bodies related to database management, like the British Computer Society. They often host events and networking opportunities that can lead directly to job openings in the full-time market. Plus, it adds a nice touch to your professional profile!
✨Showcase Your Skills in a Public Portfolio
As you’re on the hunt for that full-time role, make sure to have a public portfolio that displays your best database projects. This can easily set you apart from the competition. And when you apply for roles, definitely mention it – it shows employers you mean business and are proud of your work!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior MySQL Database Administrator (DBA) in Glasgow
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your database skills:When applying for a full-time role in database management, it’s super important to highlight your skills with specific database technologies like SQL, NoSQL, or any relevant data visualisation tools. We want to see how you've used these tools in real projects, so don't shy away from detailing your hands-on experience!
Tailor your CV for data:Make sure your CV is structured clearly, focusing on your previous experience in database management. Use specific metrics to demonstrate your impact, like how you improved data retrieval times or reduced errors. This isn't just about what you've done; it’s about what you’ve achieved with your skills!
Craft a compelling cover letter:In your cover letter, share what excites you about database management and how you can contribute to Aristocrat. Mention any relevant projects where you tackled challenges or implemented new solutions. Let us know why you want to join our team and how your passion aligns with our goals.
Document your projects:If you've worked on interesting database projects—maybe during your studies or in previous roles—be sure to include those in your application. If you can, link to a portfolio or GitHub repo where we can see examples of your work. Having a tangible showcase of your skills will really make your application stand out!
How to prepare for a job interview at Aristocrat
✨Brush Up on Database Tools
Make sure you're well-versed with popular database management systems like MySQL, PostgreSQL, or MongoDB. Incorporating real-world examples of how you've used these tools in past projects will show that you can put theory into practice, which is something Aristocrat will definitely appreciate.
✨Know Your SQL Inside Out
Get ready for some technical questions focused on SQL queries and database design. We should anticipate coding challenges where you might need to optimise queries or design a database schema on the spot. Practising these problems will build our confidence to impress in the interview.
✨Demonstrate Problem-Solving Skills
Besides just technical know-how, be prepared to answer scenario-based questions that test your critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. Think about how you would approach data integrity issues or handle performance bottlenecks — Aristocrat will want to see your analytical side!
✨Show Your Collaboration Spirit
Since this is a full-time role, it's crucial to highlight how you've collaborated with cross-functional teams or contributed to team projects in the past. Emphasising our interpersonal skills will demonstrate that you’re not just a tech wizard, but also a team player who fits well with Aristocrat's culture.
