At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and optimise our database infrastructure while automating processes for efficiency.
- Company: Join Partnerize, a leader in partnership automation with a collaborative culture.
- Benefits: Enjoy 25 days holiday, private medical insurance, and enhanced parental leave.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team committed to growth and inclusivity.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on our data systems and drive innovation in digital marketing.
- Qualifications: 8+ years in DBA or DBRE roles with expertise in MySQL and PostgreSQL.
The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 £ per year.
About Partnerize
At Partnerize, we are on a mission to transform the way businesses grow. We have built the leading partnership automation platform that empowers brands to discover, engage, and convert their audiences at scale. From affiliate marketing to influencer collaborations, we help our clients build and manage profitable partnerships that drive real results. We are a team of passionate problem-solvers who are dedicated to helping our clients win in the ever-evolving world of digital marketing.
Why Join Us
We are looking for passionate, talented people who want to be part of a winning team. At Partnerize, you will find a culture of collaboration, innovation, and respect. We are guided by our core values, and we are committed to creating an environment where everyone can do their best work. We also offer a competitive salary, generous benefits, and a flexible work environment that allows you to thrive both personally and professionally. If you are ready to grow your career and make a difference, we would love to hear from you.
Role Overview
We are at a pivotal point in our tech progression at Partnerize, looking to scale, modernise, and future-proof our platform. At the heart of this evolution is our data layer. We are looking for a Principal Database Reliability Engineer (DBRE) to take extreme ownership of our critical database infrastructure. Working within our Technical Operations team, you will act as the definitive Subject Matter Expert for our highly available MySQL and PostgreSQL estates, operating with a high degree of autonomy to design, build, and optimise our data tier. This is a high-impact role where you will predominantly lead the database strategy, bridging the gap between traditional database administration and modern Site Reliability Engineering (SRE). You will architect resilient data systems, automate toil through Infrastructure as Code, manage our event-streaming platforms (Kafka), and empower our wider engineering teams with database best practices. If you are excited by the challenge of owning a complex data estate and defining its future state, this is the role for you.
As a Principal DBRE at Partnerize, You Will:
- Own the Data Estate: Serve as the primary architect and technical lead for our highly available, distributed MySQL and PostgreSQL environments.
- Automate Everything: Transition manual database management into code. Build, maintain, and optimize deployment pipelines for infrastructure using Terraform, Ansible, and Python.
- Architect for Scale: Lead capacity planning, disaster recovery design, and high-availability architecture for both bare-metal and containerized data systems.
- Manage Event Streaming: Oversee and scale our data streaming and queuing technologies (Kafka, RabbitMQ) to support event-driven microservices.
- Drive Performance: Proactively monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize database performance, advising development teams on query tuning, schema design, and technical debt refactoring.
- Empower the Team: Mentor wider TechOps and Engineering teams on data infrastructure best practices, creating cohesive documentation and building guardrails so the broader team can safely support the data tier.
- Lead Incident Response: Act as the ultimate escalation point for complex database incidents, leading Root Cause Analysis (RCAs) and implementing permanent fixes.
- Participate in On-Call: Share in the rotational on-call duties, with a specific focus on ensuring the database tier remains robust and self-healing to minimize after-hours alerts.
Essential Knowledge, Skills and Experience
- 8+ years of experience in Senior DBA, DBRE, or deeply data-focused SRE roles managing large-scale, production systems.
- Expert-level relational database knowledge: Deep, hands-on experience designing, scaling, and maintaining HA environments in MySQL and PostgreSQL, including replication, clustering, and backup/restore strategies.
- Infrastructure as Code & Automation: Strong proficiency in Python or Bash scripting, combined with configuration management and IaC tools (Ansible, Terraform, Helm).
- Modern Infrastructure: Solid understanding of deploying and managing services within containerised environments (Kubernetes, Docker) and navigating modern event-driven architectures (Apache Kafka).
- Linux Mastery: Advanced experience configuring, tuning, and monitoring Linux systems in physical data centres and cloud environments.
- Observability: Experience building out robust monitoring and alerting for data systems to proactively catch bottlenecks.
- Leadership & Autonomy: Proven ability to operate independently, prioritise workloads, and lead major technical projects from design to production.
Desirable Knowledge, Skills and Experience
- Experience migrating bare-metal database infrastructure into private or public cloud environments.
- Experience with specific monitoring systems like Prometheus, Zabbix, or Datadog.
- Familiarity with in-memory data stores (Redis) and analytic databases (Druid).
- Experience with Elasticsearch/Kibana for logging and search.
- Knowledge of HAProxy, Nginx, or Gluster storage technologies.
Benefits
- 25 days holiday in addition to bank holidays
- Enhanced Parental Leave: 6 months full pay for birth parent, 4 weeks non-birth parent at full pay after one year employment
- 5 extra 'Partnerize Parental Days' each year
- Private Medical Insurance through Vitality
- Enhanced pension contributions
- Cycle to Work scheme
- Eye Care Vouchers
- Life Assurance
- Enhanced Wellness Program including access to EAP, Wellness Coaching & Wellness Fridays program
- Regular company events and activities
Our Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion
We are committed to attracting, developing, and advancing our outstanding team members, regardless of race, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, religion, age, gender, gender identity, physical abilities, or any other dimension of diversity. We strive to foster an environment where people can be their authentic selves, raise concerns and innovate, all without fear; where they are treated fairly and respectfully, have equal access to opportunities and resources and can contribute fully to the organization’s success. Every individual in our business is expected to live this commitment without exception.
Privacy and Data Protection
The data collected as part of this application will be used for the recruitment process and any subsequent employment. You can find further information in Partnerize privacy policy here: https://partnerize.com/privacy-policy/
Notice to Recruiters and Staffing Agencies
To protect the interests of all parties, Partnerize will not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from a candidate or an approved vendor that has a written and signed agreement in place with Partnerize. Please do not contact or forward resumes to our company employees or locations. Any unsolicited resumes will be considered Partnerize property. Partnerize is not responsible for any charges or fees related to unsolicited resumes.
Principal Database Reliability Engineer (DBRE) / Lead DBA employer: Partnerize
Contact Detail:
Partnerize Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Database Reliability Engineer (DBRE) / Lead DBA
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the industry, attend meetups, and engage with professionals on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can refer you directly.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its culture. Understand their mission and values, especially how they relate to data management and reliability. Tailor your responses to show how you can contribute to their goals.
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your skills through projects or contributions to open-source. This is a great way to demonstrate your expertise in database management and automation. Plus, it gives you something tangible to discuss during interviews!
✨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, we love seeing candidates who are proactive about joining our team at Partnerize.
We think you need these skills to ace Principal Database Reliability Engineer (DBRE) / Lead DBA
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV is tailored to the role of Principal DBRE. Highlight your experience with MySQL and PostgreSQL, and don’t forget to showcase your skills in automation and Infrastructure as Code. We want to see how you can bring value to our team!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're passionate about database reliability and how your experience aligns with our mission at Partnerize. Let us know what excites you about this role and our company.
Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills: In your application, share examples of how you've tackled complex database issues in the past. We love problem-solvers, so tell us about your approach to incident response and how you've optimised database performance in previous roles.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows us you’re keen on joining our team at Partnerize!
How to prepare for a job interview at Partnerize
✨Know Your Databases Inside Out
As a Principal DBRE, you'll need to demonstrate expert-level knowledge of MySQL and PostgreSQL. Brush up on your understanding of replication, clustering, and backup strategies. Be ready to discuss your hands-on experience with these technologies and how you've tackled challenges in the past.
✨Showcase Your Automation Skills
Partnerize is looking for someone who can automate everything! Prepare examples of how you've used Infrastructure as Code tools like Terraform or Ansible to streamline database management. Highlight any Python or Bash scripts you've written to improve efficiency.
✨Prepare for Technical Scenarios
Expect to face technical scenarios during your interview. Think about how you would approach capacity planning, disaster recovery, and high-availability architecture. Practise explaining your thought process clearly, as this will show your ability to lead major technical projects.
✨Emphasise Team Empowerment
At Partnerize, collaboration is key. Be prepared to discuss how you've mentored teams in the past and how you plan to empower others with database best practices. Share specific examples of documentation you've created or training sessions you've led to help your colleagues succeed.