Job Description :
The Oracle Database Administrator is a mid-level individual contributor focused on the day-to-day operational health, reliability, and performance of enterprise Oracle, PostgreSQL, and MS SQL Server database environments hosted on AWS.
Reporting directly to the Lead Oracle Database Administrator, this role executes within established architectural standards and database strategies, with responsibility for keeping production systems running at peak efficiency.
The Oracle DBA handles routine maintenance, monitoring, incident response, backup and recovery operations, and user support escalating complex architectural decisions to the Lead DBA while independently resolving the full spectrum of operational database issues.
Key Responsibilities
Daily Operations & Monitoring
Monitor the health, performance, and availability of all Production, QA, and Development Oracle, MS SQL Server, and PostgreSQL databases hosted on AWS on a daily basis.
Respond to monitoring alerts, investigate root causes, and resolve common database issues including space exhaustion, blocking sessions, runaway queries, and service disruptions.
Track database resource utilization (CPU, memory, I/O, storage) and report capacity trends to the Lead DBA for planning purposes.
Maintain and review database alert logs, audit logs, and job scheduler outputs to catch and address anomalies proactively.
Participate in the rotating on-call DBA schedule, providing after-hours incident response and escalating critical issues to the Lead DBA as appropriate.
Maintenance & Administration
Execute scheduled and ad hoc database maintenance tasks including table reorganization, index rebuilding, statistics gathering, tablespace management, and object defragmentation.
Administer Oracle 19c databases on Linux EC2 instances and AWS RDS, including startup/shutdown procedures, patch application, and minor version updates under Lead DBA guidance.
Manage database user accounts, roles, and privileges in accordance with security policies and access control standards.
Apply Oracle PSU patches and SQL Server cumulative updates in non-production environments, documenting steps for Lead DBA review before production rollout.
Perform database cloning and refreshes for QA and development environments on a scheduled and ondemand basis.
Backup, Recovery & Business Continuity
Execute and validate RMAN backup jobs for Oracle databases, ensuring backup schedules meet recovery point objectives (RPO) defined by the Lead DBA.
Perform point-in-time and full restores in non-production environments to verify backup integrity and document recovery procedures.
Monitor AWS RDS automated backup and snapshot jobs, alerting the Lead DBA to any failures or anomalies.
Assist with disaster recovery testing exercises and failover validation under the direction of the Lead DBA.
Maintain up-to-date backup and recovery runbooks, documenting tested restore procedures for all critical databases.
Performance Monitoring & Query Tuning
Identify slow-running queries and performance bottlenecks using Oracle AWR, ADDM, ASH reports, and Execution Plan analysis, escalating complex tuning cases to the Lead DBA.
Assist application developers in tuning PL/SQL, PG/SQL, and T-SQL code for improved database access efficiency, following guidelines established by the Lead DBA.
Monitor and manage index health, rebuilding or coalescing fragmented indexes in line with maintenance schedules.
Review and optimize long-running batch jobs and scheduled tasks to minimize contention during peak production hours.
Automation & Scripting
Write and maintain UNIX shell scripts to automate recurring operational tasks such as log archiving, space checks, health reporting, and backup verification.
Schedule and manage automated jobs using cron, Oracle DBMS_SCHEDULER, and SQL Server Agent.
Maintain and update existing Terraform scripts for minor infrastructure changes under the Lead DBA's review and approval.
Document all automation scripts with clear inline comments and maintain a centralized runbook repository for team use.
Development Support & Collaboration
Write, test, and debug PL/SQL and PG/SQL scripts, stored procedures, and ad hoc queries in support of development and operations teams.
Collaborate with application development teams to provide database support during sprint cycles, deployments, and hotfixes.
Assist with data loads, data migrations, and import/export operations using Oracle Data Pump, SQL*Loader, and AWS DMS as needed.
Support QA teams by providing accurate test data, database snapshots, and query assistance for validation activities.
AI-Assisted Database Operations
Leverage AI coding assistants (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Amazon CodeWhisperer, or equivalent) to accelerate
the authoring and review of PL/SQL, PG/SQL, and shell scripts, reducing manual coding effort and improving consistency.
Use AI-powered query analysis tools to surface optimization recommendations, identify anti-patterns in SQL execution plans, and generate tuning suggestions for review and application.
Apply AI-assisted log analysis and anomaly detection tooling to process high-volume database alert logs, AWR data, and CloudWatch metrics surfacing actionable signals faster than manual review.
Utilize AI chat and documentation tools (e.g., Claude, ChatGPT, or similar) to rapidly draft runbooks, maintenance procedures, incident post-mortems, and change request documentation.
Employ AI tools to assist in generating and validating test data sets for QA environment refreshes, ensuring referential integrity while protecting production data sensitivity.
Stay current with emerging AI capabilities relevant to database operations evaluating new tools and
sharing findings with the team as part of a continuous improvement mindset.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor's degree (or foreign equivalent) in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field, plus 3 5 years of hands-on Oracle database administration experience.
Solid working knowledge of Oracle 19c administration on Linux, including installation, configuration, patching, and routine management.
Proficiency with RMAN backup and recovery procedures, including full and incremental backup strategies and restore validation.
Working knowledge of Oracle performance diagnostics: AWR/ASH reports, Execution Plans, wait event analysis, and basic query tuning.
Hands-on experience with PL/SQL and PG/SQL scripting for operational and support tasks.
Familiarity with PostgreSQL and MS SQL Server administration in production environments.
Practical experience with UNIX/Linux systems administration and shell scripting (bash/ksh).
Exposure to AWS-hosted database environments (EC2-hosted Oracle or AWS RDS).
Understanding of database security fundamentals: user privilege management, role-based access control, and auditing.
Strong attention to detail, disciplined change management habits, and a reliable follow-through on assigned tasks.
Good communication skills with the ability to document procedures clearly and coordinate effectively with developers, QA teams, and the Lead DBA.
Demonstrated, practical experience using AI tools (coding assistants, AI chat, or AI-powered observability platforms) in day-to-day database administration or engineering work candidates should be prepared to describe specific examples of how AI improved their productivity, accuracy, or output quality.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with Oracle Data Guard configuration and basic standby database management.
Familiarity with AWS RDS and Aurora for Oracle or PostgreSQL workloads.
Exposure to Terraform or other infrastructure-as-code tooling.
MySQL administration experience in a production setting.
Experience in an Agile/Scrum delivery environment.
Knowledge of load testing tools and performance benchmarking methodologies.
Familiarity with streaming or integration technologies such as AWS Kinesis, Apache Kafka, or Informatica.
Oracle Database Administrator Certified Professional (OCP) certification or equivalent.
Hands-on experience with AI-assisted SQL or code review tools integrated into a developer workflow (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Amazon CodeWhisperer, or Claude).
Familiarity with AI/ML-driven database observability platforms such as Oracle Autonomous Database advisor features, AWS DevOps Guru for RDS, or equivalent intelligent monitoring solutions.
