"Staff Database Administrator"

Company:

Western Governors University

Job Location:

Salt Lake City Office

Job Type: Full time

Job Number: JR-023533

If you're passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country-and you're committed to working hard to play your part in building that future-consider WGU as the next step in your career.

Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:

Grade: Technical 409 Pay Range: $127,700.00 - $191,500.00

Job Description

Primary Responsibilities

• Architect and manage enterprise-grade databases across OCI, AWS, and hybrid environments.
• Leads implementation and optimization of Oracle ExaCC and GoldenGate replication strategies.
• Designs and maintains active-active and global database architectures (Aurora Global, Oracle RAC).
• Defines and enforces database security policies in collaboration with Enterprise Security.
• Establishes and maintains RTO (Recovery Time Objective) and RPO (Recovery Point Objective) standards across platforms.
• Oversees continuous patching, upgrades, and performance tuning of Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MSSQL, and QLIK environments.
• Collaborates with cloud engineers, developers, and infrastructure teams to deliver scalable and secure database solutions.
• Serves as a technical advisor for database-related decisions in strategic projects.
• Leads root cause analysis and resolution of complex database incidents.
• Mentors and guides junior and mid-level DBAs across the organization.
• Ensures compliance with regulatory and internal data governance standards.
• Participates in capacity planning, forecasting, and synthetic testing for performance assurance.
• Supports integration of QLIK and other analytics platforms with enterprise databases.
• Takes ownership of database operations and lead cross-functional projects from planning through execution.
• Migrates current on-prem databases to Amazon's Web Services (AWS).
• Engineers and administers: RDS (MySQL, PostgreSQL Microsoft SQL), Aurora, DynamoDB, Elasticsearch, Redshift, etc.
• Migrates databases from bare metal to database-as-a-service and using available tools to accomplish this (eg. AWS's 'Database Migration Service).
• Moves monolithic systems to microservices.
• Serves as the subject matter expert for IT in current and future database-related infrastructure initiatives.
• Leads enterprise-level projects and initiatives to their completion.
• Performs database related data fixes and deployments.
• Provides measurable metrics for reporting purposes.
• Receives and resolves database-related issues/cases from internal employees.
• Troubleshoots and resolves database outages.
• Participates in 24/7/365 On-Call rotation.
• Acts as a reliable, thorough and productive contributor in a highly autonomous environment.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

This job description includes a general representation of job requirements rather than a comprehensive inventory of all required responsibilities or work activities. The contents of this document or related job requirements may change at any time with or without notice.

Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Expert-level knowledge of Oracle ExaCC, Oracle RAC, and GoldenGate.
• Strong experience with MSSQL, PostgreSQL, and MySQL in production environments.
• Deep understanding of AWS RDS, Aurora Global Database, and cloud-native database services.
• Proven ability to design and manage active-active and high-availability architectures.
• Proficiency in database security, encryption, auditing, and access control.
• Strong scripting and automation skills (SQL, PL/SQL, Bash, Python).
• Excellent communication, leadership, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Ability to work independently and lead complex initiatives with minimal supervision.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and deliver both strategic projects and operational responsibilities.
• Ability to work well with others, including team members, project managers, management/leadership, developers, quality assurance teams, and non-technical staff
• Driven to take ownership of the systems within the Senior Database Administrator's purview
• Ability to lead enterprise level projects and initiatives to completion
• Ability to prioritize daily tasks with completion of short, mid, and long term projects
• Ability to maintain a clean and secure work area
• Ability to work an on-call rotation and be available after hours for maintenance and emergencies
• Good communication skills, both verbal and written
• Ability to establish yourself as a reliable, thorough, and productive contributor in a highly autonomous environment
• Advanced knowledge of software, hardware, and database system interaction in a complex environment
• Advanced level of familiarity with Change Management and ITIL best practices

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.

Experience

• 5 years of database engineering and administration experience in an enterprise level environment using Oracle DB.
• At least 4 years of database engineering and administration experience in an enterprise level environment using MySQL, PostgreSQL,Elasticasche, Oracle, Aurora, DynamoDB, ElasticSearch, and Redshift.
• Subject matter expert in area of responsibility or has extensive knowledge of several technical areas.
• Experience migrating from bare metal to database-as-a-service and using available tools to accomplish this (eg. AWS's 'Database Migration Service).
• Experience working with the following: RDS (PostgreSQL,Oracle, MySQL, Microsoft SQL), Aurora, DynamoDB, Elasticasche, Redshift, etc.
• Experience moving monolithic systems to microservices.
• Advanced knowledge of software, hardware, and database system interaction in a complex environment.
• Advanced level of familiarity with Change Management and ITIL best practices.
• Experience with QLIK Replicate and Talend integration.
• Familiarity with DevOps practices and CI/CD pipelines for database deployments.

Experience in lieu of education

An equivalent combination of training, experience, credentials, or accomplishments demonstrating the ability to perform the essential functions of this job may substitute for education degree requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• 7 years of prior relevant experience.

Position & Application Details

Full-Time Regular Positions (classified as regular and working 40 standard weekly hours): This is a full-time, regular position (classified for 40 standard weekly hours) that is eligible for bonuses; medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare; health savings account and flexible spending account; basic and voluntary life insurance; disability coverage; accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages; legal and identity theft coverage; retirement savings plan; wellbeing program; discounted WGU tuition; and flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual, flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual, 11 paid holidays, and other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave.

How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.

Additional Information

Disclaimer: The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It's not all-inclusive.

Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at recruiting@wgu.edu.

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.

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