Lead Database Platform Engineer

We are seeking a Lead Database Platform Engineer to provide technical leadership, platform strategy, automation expertise, and operational excellence across our enterprise database ecosystem. This role combines deep database engineering expertise with modern platform engineering practices, including cloud infrastructure engineering, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), CI/CD, software automation, security, reliability engineering, and developer enablement.

The successful candidate will drive platform modernization, establish engineering standards, improve operational efficiency, and influence the strategic direction of Mastercard's database platforms. The ideal candidate is a technical leader who thrives in complex environments, embraces continuous improvement, and is passionate about building scalable, secure, and reliable data platforms that enable engineering teams to deliver business value.

Major Accountabilities - Lead the design, engineering, implementation, administration, and operational support of enterprise database platforms supporting Mastercard applications. - Establish and maintain database engineering standards, governance frameworks, operational procedures, and platform best practices. - Drive platform engineering initiatives focused on automation, scalability, reliability, security, and developer experience. - Design and support highly available, resilient, and secure database infrastructure solutions. - Develop and implement Infrastructure as Code (IaC) solutions and configuration management practices to improve consistency and operational efficiency. - Integrate database platforms into CI/CD pipelines and modern software delivery processes. - Develop automation capabilities that support provisioning, deployment, patching, upgrades, monitoring, and recovery activities. - Partner with engineering, architecture, product, and security teams to deliver enterprise database services aligned with business and technology objectives. - Lead troubleshooting, root cause analysis, performance analysis, capacity planning, backup, recovery, and disaster recovery initiatives. - Support infrastructure engineering efforts for database services (Oracle/Redis/PostgreSQL) across hybrid and cloud-native environments. - Enable database services that support distributed systems and microservices-based application architectures. - Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend platform improvements that increase reliability, scalability, security, and operational effectiveness. - Ensure adherence to security requirements, risk controls, regulatory obligations, and corporate governance standards. - Provide technical leadership through mentoring, coaching, and knowledge sharing. - Lead internal projects and strategic initiatives that advance the Database Engineering organization's capabilities and long-term roadmap. - Identify opportunities for delegation and provide appropriate oversight to ensure successful delivery of initiatives and operational activities. - Participate in rotational production support and incident management activities.

Education - Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.

Knowledge and Experience - Advanced expertise in Oracle Exadata/RAC/Redis/PostgreSQL database engineering, administration, platform operations, and automation within large-scale enterprise environments. - Deep understanding of database architecture, resiliency, performance optimization, security, data governance, and operational best practices. - Strong knowledge of platform engineering principles, including cloud infrastructure engineering, Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using tools like Ansible, Chef or Puppet, CI/CD, and operational reliability. - Experience supporting enterprise IT infrastructure and modern application platforms using automation at scale - Understanding of distributed systems management and microservices-based architectures. - Experience establishing engineering standards, operational procedures, and platform governance practices. - Demonstrated ability to influence technical direction and contribute to technology strategy and platform modernization efforts. - Advanced understanding of the role database platforms play in supporting business capabilities, data governance, security, and regulatory requirements.

Skills and Abilities - Strong communication and stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence technical decisions and promote engineering best practices. - Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and develop engineers while driving technical initiatives and operational excellence. - Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills. - Excellent collaboration skills with the ability to lead cross-functional teams and build effective partnerships. - Ability to manage multiple priorities, drive continuous improvement, and deliver customer-focused solutions. - Proven ability to establish standards, implement best practices, and influence engineering outcomes. - Database Technologies Include (not limited to): Oracle, Redis, Oracle Exadata Administration, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Cassandra.