Senior Database Engineer, Investment Bank

Our client is a well-established global bank with a strong presence across corporate and investment banking, capital markets, advisory, and financing services.

The AVP, Database Engineer is a hands-on technical specialist embedded within the Infrastructure team. The role centres on designing, implementing, and supporting a broad range of database platforms, with a strong emphasis on availability, performance, and security across critical banking systems. The successful candidate will contribute directly to database strategy, enforce best practices, and play a key role in maintaining the stability and evolution of the IT environment. Core areas of focus include database administration, performance optimisation, security, incident management, infrastructure collaboration, automation, and documentation.

1. Design, build, and maintain highly available, performant, and secure enterprise database environments across Oracle, MSSQL, MongoDB, SingleStore, and PostgreSQL.
2. Monitor database health proactively; perform tuning and capacity planning across the full database lifecycle.
3. Develop, manage, and test robust backup, restore, and disaster recovery strategies to protect data integrity and ensure business continuity.
4. Oversee database patching, upgrades, and migrations; plan ahead for End-of-Life (EOL) software and hardware dependencies.
5. Implement and enforce database security controls, manage access privileges, and maintain compliance with internal policies and regulatory requirements.
6. Provide expert troubleshooting and fast resolution for complex, mission-critical database incidents and performance degradation.
7. Work closely with Unix/Linux, Windows, Storage, Virtualisation, and Cloud engineering teams to ensure smooth infrastructure integration.
8. Support the deployment and operation of application platforms (such as WebLogic and Hadoop), with particular attention to their database dependencies.
9. Translate business requirements into scalable, resilient, and cost-effective database solutions.
10. Serve as the primary subject matter expert on all database-related matters for internal application and business teams.
11. Contribute to project planning and technical design discussions with specialised database input and recommendations.
12. Identify and deliver automation opportunities using scripting and configuration management tools (e.g., Ansible).
13. Evaluate and recommend emerging database technologies to improve performance, scalability, security, and value.
14. Maintain thorough documentation covering configurations, operational procedures, and troubleshooting runbooks.
15. Participate in on-call rotations and incident management to support 24/7 availability of critical systems.
16. Conduct DR/BCP exercises across all APAC locations.

1. Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related discipline preferred.
2. Extensive hands-on experience in database administration and infrastructure management, ideally within a banking or financial services environment.
3. Proven experience installing, configuring, managing, and optimising a wide range of databases: Oracle, MSSQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and SingleStore.
4. Strong expertise in database performance tuning, query optimisation, indexing strategies, and high-availability configurations.
5. Solid experience developing and testing backup, restore, and disaster recovery processes.
6. Comfortable supporting databases in both Unix/Linux (particularly RHEL) and Windows Server environments.
7. Familiarity with enterprise storage solutions (e.g., NetApp, Dell ECS) and backup technologies (e.g., DataDomain, Networker, Rubrik, Veeam) is an advantage.
8. Working knowledge of virtualisation (e.g., VMware) and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP); experience with cloud-native databases is a plus.
9. Experience with containerisation platforms such as OpenShift and container storage solutions like Portworx is beneficial.
10. Familiarity with Zabbix or similar monitoring tools is a plus.
11. Relevant certifications (e.g., Oracle Certified Professional, Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate) are advantageous.

1. Deep knowledge of Oracle, MSSQL, MongoDB, SingleStore, and PostgreSQL across the full administration lifecycle.
2. Advanced performance tuning, query optimisation, and indexing capability.
3. Strong grasp of backup, recovery, and HA solutions to ensure data protection and operational continuity.
4. Ability to implement and enforce database security best practices, manage access controls, and ensure regulatory compliance.
5. Expert troubleshooting skills across performance issues, connectivity problems, and critical incidents.
6. Comfortable working across Unix/Linux and Windows environments with a solid understanding of virtualised and cloud infrastructure.
7. Able to design and deliver scalable, resilient database solutions for mission-critical applications.
8. Proactive in automating routine tasks using scripting (Bash, PowerShell) and configuration management tools (Ansible).
9. Strong analytical and communication skills, with the ability to convey complex technical concepts clearly to varied audiences.
10. Committed to continuous learning and staying current with evolving database technologies and industry best practices.