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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and manage databases for a cutting-edge AI benefits platform.
- Company: Join Happl, a top UK startup backed by leading investors.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, equity, flexible working, and wellbeing budget.
- Why this job: Shape the future of employee benefits while owning critical infrastructure.
- Qualifications: 5+ years DBA experience, strong PostgreSQL skills, and cloud knowledge.
- Other info: Dynamic hybrid work environment with excellent growth opportunities.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
We’re building the next generation of employee benefits infrastructure. At Happl, we help global teams design, manage, and scale benefits that actually work for their people by using AI, across flex allowances, benefits, insurance, recognition and wellbeing, all in one intelligent platform.
About The Role
As a Database Administrator at Happl, your mission is to design, manage and scale the data infrastructure powering a global AI‑first benefits platform. You’ll own the reliability, performance and integrity of our databases, ensuring our platform can scale securely as we grow globally. This role is critical to supporting payments, benefits, reporting and real‑time product experiences used by companies and employees worldwide. It is a hands‑on role for someone who thrives in high‑growth environments and wants ownership over core infrastructure that underpins the entire platform.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Own and manage production databases (primarily PostgreSQL)
- Ensure high availability, performance and reliability of our database systems
- Monitor database health, performance and capacity, proactively resolving issues
- Optimise queries, indexes and schema design to support product performance at scale
- Implement backup, recovery and disaster recovery strategies
- Design and maintain secure access controls and data protection measures
- Support engineers with schema design, migrations and query optimisation
- Improve database observability, tooling and operational workflows
- Support integrations, reporting and data pipelines across internal and external systems
- Help define best practices for data management as we scale globally
What We’re Looking For
- 5+ years of experience managing production databases as a DBA, Database Engineer or Backend Engineer
- Strong experience with PostgreSQL in production environments
- Deep understanding of database performance tuning, indexing and query optimisation
- Experience with backups, replication and disaster recovery strategies
- Strong understanding of data integrity, security and access control
- Experience working with cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP or similar)
- Comfortable supporting engineering teams and improving database architecture
- Experience with monitoring and observability tools
- Strong ownership mindset and ability to operate independently
- Clear communicator who works well across engineering and product teams
If you don’t meet every requirement but feel this role fits your trajectory, we’d still love to hear from you.
Why join Happl
- Help shape the future of employee benefits
- Competitive base salary and commission
- Meaningful equity in an early‑stage growing business
- Flexible hybrid working from day one
- Access to your own Happl benefits platform
- Optional enrolment in Private Health Insurance
- Optional enrolment in Dental insurance, including family cover
- A flexible Wellbeing budget to spend on whatever wellbeing means to you
- Learning & Development allowance
- Pension scheme from day one
About The Interview
- Call 1: 20‑min Intro call with Ben (COO & CoS)
- Call 2: 30‑min deep dive with Lee (Head of Engineering)
- Short Task
- Call 3: 30‑min deep dive with Ben T (CEO & Founder)
Additional Details
- Location: London, Waterloo
- Team: Engineering
- Working arrangement: Hybrid (1+ Days in Office)
Database Administrator (DBA) employer: Happl
Contact Detail:
Happl Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Database Administrator (DBA)
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to current employees at Happl on LinkedIn or other platforms. Ask them about their experiences and any tips they might have for the interview process. It’s all about making connections!
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for those technical questions! Brush up on your PostgreSQL skills and be ready to discuss your past experiences with database management. We want to see how you can bring your expertise to our AI-first platform.
✨Tip Number 3
Show us your problem-solving skills! Be ready to tackle hypothetical scenarios during interviews. Think about how you would handle database performance issues or data integrity challenges in a high-growth environment.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining our team at Happl.
We think you need these skills to ace Database Administrator (DBA)
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV is tailored to the Database Administrator role. Highlight your experience with PostgreSQL and any relevant projects that showcase your skills in database management and optimisation.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're passionate about working at Happl and how your background aligns with our mission of building an AI-first benefits platform.
Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills: In your application, don’t just list your skills; share examples of how you've tackled challenges in previous roles. We love seeing how you’ve optimised databases or resolved performance issues!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply through our website for the best chance of getting noticed. It’s the easiest way for us to keep track of your application and ensure it reaches the right people!
How to prepare for a job interview at Happl
✨Know Your Databases Inside Out
Make sure you brush up on your PostgreSQL knowledge. Be ready to discuss your experience with performance tuning, indexing, and query optimisation. Prepare specific examples of how you've improved database performance in past roles.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Happl is looking for someone who can proactively resolve issues. Think of scenarios where you've monitored database health and tackled problems before they escalated. Be prepared to share these stories during your interview.
✨Understand the Bigger Picture
Since this role supports a global AI-first platform, it’s crucial to understand how databases integrate with other systems. Familiarise yourself with cloud infrastructure like AWS or GCP, and be ready to discuss how you’ve worked with integrations and data pipelines.
✨Communicate Clearly and Confidently
You’ll need to work closely with engineering and product teams, so practice articulating your thoughts clearly. Prepare to explain complex database concepts in simple terms, showcasing your ability to collaborate effectively across teams.