Database Engineering Manager
π Job Overview
- Job Title: Database Engineering Manager
- Company: 3E
- Location: Canton, Ohio, United States & Bethesda, Maryland, United States
- Job Type: Full-time
- Category: Database Engineering & Management
- Date Posted: 2025-07-02
- Experience Level: 5-10 years
- Remote Status: Remote OK (Eastern Time Zone preferred)
π Role Summary
- Transformative Leader: Drive global database management strategy, aligning people, processes, and platforms to enable intelligent data management and real-time decision-making.
- AI-First Visionary: Champion AI/ML adoption in database optimization, automation, and intelligent workflows to power 3E's AI-first future.
- Cross-Functional Collaborator: Partner with business functions to ensure database engineering aligns with enterprise-wide priorities and delivers value across the organization.
- Operational Excellence: Oversee day-to-day database engineering, ensuring high uptime, performance, and data security while maintaining clear SLAs and escalation processes.
π Enhancement Note: This role requires a strategic leader who can balance technical vision with operational execution, fostering a culture of innovation, continuous learning, and cross-functional collaboration.
π» Primary Responsibilities
π Database Operations & Service Management
- Global Database Administration: Oversee global database administration to ensure uptime, performance, and data security across SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB environments.
- Observability & Transparency: Implement observability frameworks, including dashboards, alerts, and anomaly detection, to support service reliability and transparency.
- Service Level Management: Maintain SLAs, SLOs, and clear escalation processes to support operational excellence and meet business expectations.
π Operational Leadership
- Database Engineering: Manage day-to-day database engineering tasks, including performance tuning, backups, disaster recovery, and new solution design.
- Enterprise Alignment: Align database operations with organizational technology priorities and enterprise-wide standards, ensuring consistency and scalability.
π€ AI-First Database Transformation
- AI/ML Champion: Lead the adoption of AI/ML in database optimization, automation, anomaly detection, and intelligent workflows to improve operational efficiency and effectiveness.
- Proactive & Data-Driven: Promote a proactive, data-driven approach to operations, leveraging continuous learning and innovation to stay ahead of emerging trends and challenges.
π Execution & Delivery Management
- Global Database Transformation: Lead the end-to-end execution of a global database transformation roadmap, overseeing engineering strategy, cloud-native modernization, platform migration, and data governance.
- Hands-On Ownership: Take hands-on ownership of escalations, fostering a culture of urgency, accountability, and learning to drive operational excellence.
π Agile & Lean Governance
- Agile Methodologies: Apply agile methodologies, OKRs, and lean practices to drive delivery, transparency, and continuous improvement in database operations.
- Performance Monitoring: Monitor KPIs like uptime, latency, and capacity utilization to guide operational decisions and ensure optimal resource allocation.
π° Process & Cost Optimization
- Standardization: Standardize operations through documentation, SOPs, and automation frameworks to improve efficiency and reduce manual effort.
- Cloud Optimization: Drive efficiency and cost control using cloud optimization tools, forecasting models, and real-time monitoring to maximize resource utilization and minimize waste.
π€ Cross-Functional Partnership
- Strategic Partner: Act as a strategic partner between database engineering and business functions, ensuring alignment across technical initiatives and enterprise-wide priorities.
- Transparent Communication: Ensure clear, consistent, and transparent communication to promote understanding, engagement, and adoption of new processes and tools.
π± Team Leadership & Development
- High-Performing Team: Lead, mentor, and grow a high-performing, globally distributed database team, fostering a psychologically safe, inclusive, and growth-oriented culture.
- Feedback & Development: Encourage regular feedback and continuous learning, creating an environment where team members can thrive and develop their skills.
π’ Communication & Change Leadership
- Voice of Database Transformation: Serve as the voice of database transformation across the organization, driving understanding, engagement, and adoption of new processes and tools.
- Change Management: Implement effective change management strategies to support the successful adoption of new technologies, processes, and workflows.
π Skills & Qualifications
Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field. Relevant certifications (e.g., Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator, Oracle Certified Professional) are a plus.
Experience: At least 5 years of leadership experience in database engineering and administration, with a strong background in managing global teams and complex infrastructure.
Required Skills:
- Database Technologies: Proficiency in SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
- Performance Tuning & Optimization: Proven experience in database performance tuning, optimization, and capacity planning.
- Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity: Demonstrated expertise in disaster recovery, business continuity, and high-availability solutions.
- Automation & Scripting: Strong scripting skills (e.g., PowerShell, Bash, Python) and experience with automation tools (e.g., Ansible, Terraform).
- Cloud Platforms: Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and relevant services (e.g., RDS, Azure SQL Database, Cloud Spanner).
- Agile Methodologies: Familiarity with agile methodologies, OKRs, and lean practices for driving operational excellence and continuous improvement.
Preferred Skills:
- AI/ML Experience: Hands-on experience with AI/ML-powered tuning, anomaly detection, and intelligent data workflows.
- Regulated Environments: Exposure to regulated environments or data-intensive industries like SaaS, RegTech, or digital products.
- Compliance Standards: Familiarity with compliance standards such as GDPR, SOC 2, or ISO 27001.
π Web Portfolio & Project Requirements
Portfolio Essentials:
- Database Management: Demonstrate your ability to manage complex database environments, highlighting your experience with performance tuning, disaster recovery, and automation.
- Cloud Migration: Showcase your experience with cloud migration projects, including data migration, schema conversion, and infrastructure as code (IaC) implementation.
- AI/ML Integration: Highlight your experience integrating AI/ML models into database workflows, improving performance, and driving operational efficiency.
- Team Leadership: Provide examples of your team leadership and mentoring skills, emphasizing your ability to grow and develop high-performing database teams.
Technical Documentation:
- Database Design & Architecture: Demonstrate your understanding of database design principles, normalization, and indexing strategies.
- Data Governance: Showcase your experience with data governance, including data quality, data lineage, and metadata management.
- Disaster Recovery Planning: Provide detailed disaster recovery plans, highlighting your approach to backup strategies, recovery time objectives (RTOs), and recovery point objectives (RPOs).
π΅ Compensation & Benefits
Salary Range: The anticipated salary range for this position is $130,000-$150,000 per year. The final offer will depend on several factors, including the successful candidateβs skills, depth of work experience, location, and relevant licenses/qualifications. Each offer is determined based on individual strengths and relevant business considerations.
Benefits:
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- Life insurance and disability coverage
- Generous PTO accrual and paid parental leave
- 401(k) plan with company matching
- Employee assistance program
- Voluntary supplemental benefits (Accident, Hospital Indemnity, Critical Illness)
π― Team & Company Context
π’ Company Culture
Industry: 3E operates in the data management and analytics sector, focusing on workplace safety, chemical management, and sustainability solutions.
Company Size: As a mid-sized company with over 5,000 customers and 15 locations across North America, Europe, and Asia, 3E offers a dynamic and collaborative work environment.
Founded: Established in 1987, 3E has a rich history of innovation and growth, with a strong commitment to enabling a safer, more sustainable world.
Team Structure:
- Database Engineering Team: Lead a globally distributed team of database engineers, responsible for day-to-day operations, performance tuning, and automation.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with product, content, legal, HR, finance, and support teams to ensure database engineering aligns with enterprise-wide priorities and delivers value across the organization.
- Technology Stack: Oversee a diverse technology stack, including SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
Development Methodology:
- Agile & Lean: Apply agile methodologies, OKRs, and lean practices to drive delivery, transparency, and continuous improvement in database operations.
- Cloud-Native Modernization: Lead the modernization of 3E's database ecosystem, adopting cloud-native principles and migrating to modern, scalable, and secure database platforms.
- Data Governance & Security: Implement robust data governance and security practices, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and industry standards.
π Enhancement Note: 3E's culture values innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning, providing an ideal environment for a strategic database engineering leader to thrive and make a significant impact.
π Career & Growth Analysis
Database Engineering Manager Career Level: This role represents a senior leadership position within the database engineering discipline, responsible for driving operational excellence, strategic decision-making, and cross-functional collaboration.
Reporting Structure: Report directly to the CTO, serving as a critical member of the technology leadership team and working closely with other senior leaders to align database engineering with enterprise-wide priorities.
Technical Impact: As the Database Engineering Manager, you will have a significant impact on 3E's AI-first future, driving intelligent data management, automation, and real-time decision-making across the organization.
Growth Opportunities:
- Technical Leadership: Develop your technical leadership skills, mentoring team members, and driving operational excellence across the database engineering function.
- Architecture & Design: Expand your architectural and design skills, working on complex database projects and contributing to 3E's long-term technology vision.
- AI/ML Specialization: Deepen your expertise in AI/ML-powered database optimization, anomaly detection, and intelligent workflows, staying at the forefront of emerging trends and best practices.
π Enhancement Note: This role offers significant growth potential, with opportunities to advance your technical leadership skills, expand your architectural and design expertise, and specialize in AI/ML-powered database optimization.
π Work Environment
Office Type: 3E offers a hybrid work environment, with a preference for candidates in the Bethesda, Maryland, or Canton, Ohio, areas. However, remote candidates in the Eastern Time Zone are also welcome to apply.
Office Location(s): 3E has offices in Bethesda, Maryland, and Canton, Ohio, with additional locations across North America, Europe, and Asia.
Workspace Context:
- Collaborative Workspace: Enjoy a collaborative workspace, with dedicated areas for team meetings, brainstorming sessions, and social events.
- Modern Technology: Utilize modern technology, including high-performance workstations, multiple monitors, and specialized software tools to support your productivity and efficiency.
- Cross-Functional Interaction: Interact with cross-functional teams, including product, content, legal, HR, finance, and support, fostering a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Work Schedule:
- Flexible Hours: Enjoy a flexible work schedule, with core hours between 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM Eastern Time.
- Project Deadlines: Balance your workload to meet project deadlines and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
- Maintenance Windows: Participate in scheduled maintenance windows to ensure optimal database performance and minimal downtime.
π Enhancement Note: 3E's work environment encourages collaboration, innovation, and work-life balance, providing a supportive and engaging atmosphere for database engineering professionals to thrive.
π Application & Technical Interview Process
Interview Process:
- Phone Screen: A brief phone call to discuss your background, experience, and career goals.
- Technical Deep Dive: A detailed technical conversation focused on your database engineering and leadership skills, AI/ML experience, and problem-solving approach.
- Behavioral & Cultural Fit: An in-depth discussion to assess your cultural fit, communication skills, and alignment with 3E's values and mission.
- Final Interview: A meeting with senior leadership to review your qualifications, answer any remaining questions, and make a final hiring decision.
Portfolio Review Tips:
- Database Management: Highlight your experience with complex database environments, performance tuning, disaster recovery, and automation.
- Cloud Migration: Showcase your experience with cloud migration projects, including data migration, schema conversion, and infrastructure as code (IaC) implementation.
- AI/ML Integration: Emphasize your experience integrating AI/ML models into database workflows, improving performance, and driving operational efficiency.
- Team Leadership: Provide examples of your team leadership and mentoring skills, emphasizing your ability to grow and develop high-performing database teams.
Technical Challenge Preparation:
- Database Fundamentals: Brush up on your database fundamentals, including SQL, indexing, normalization, and transaction management.
- Performance Tuning: Review performance tuning techniques, query optimization, and database optimization strategies.
- AI/ML & Automation: Familiarize yourself with AI/ML-powered database optimization, anomaly detection, and intelligent workflows, and practice hands-on exercises to demonstrate your expertise.
ATS Keywords: [Comprehensive list of database engineering, management, and AI/ML-relevant keywords for resume optimization, organized by category: database technologies, cloud platforms, performance tuning, disaster recovery, automation, team leadership, and industry terms]
π Enhancement Note: 3E's interview process focuses on assessing your technical skills, problem-solving approach, and cultural fit, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation of your qualifications for the Database Engineering Manager role.
π Technology Stack & Web Infrastructure
Database Technologies:
- SQL Server: Proficient in SQL Server administration, performance tuning, and high-availability solutions.
- Oracle: Experienced in Oracle database administration, optimization, and migration strategies.
- PostgreSQL: Familiar with PostgreSQL administration, performance tuning, and cloud migration best practices.
- MongoDB: Proficient in MongoDB administration, data modeling, and aggregation pipeline development.
Cloud Platforms:
- AWS: Experienced with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and relevant services, such as Amazon RDS, Amazon Aurora, and Amazon Redshift.
- Azure: Familiar with Microsoft Azure and relevant services, such as Azure SQL Database, Azure Cosmos DB, and Azure Database Migration Service.
- GCP: Knowledgeable about Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and relevant services, such as Cloud Spanner, Cloud SQL, and BigQuery.
Development & DevOps Tools:
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Proficient in IaC tools, such as Terraform, Ansible, or CloudFormation, to automate database deployment and configuration.
- Version Control: Experienced with version control systems, such as Git, to manage database schema, scripts, and configuration files.
- Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD): Familiar with CI/CD pipelines and tools, such as Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, or Azure DevOps, to automate database deployment and testing processes.
AI/ML Tools:
- AI/ML Platforms: Experienced with AI/ML platforms, such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or AWS SageMaker, to develop and deploy AI/ML models for database optimization and anomaly detection.
- AI/ML Libraries & Frameworks: Familiar with AI/ML libraries and frameworks, such as scikit-learn, XGBoost, or LightGBM, to build and optimize predictive models for database performance and efficiency.
π Enhancement Note: 3E's technology stack includes a diverse range of database technologies, cloud platforms, and AI/ML tools, requiring a well-rounded database engineering professional with expertise in multiple areas.
π₯ Team Culture & Values
Database Engineering Values:
- Data-Driven Decision-Making: Emphasize data-driven approaches to database management, optimization, and automation.
- Continuous Learning & Improvement: Foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement, staying up-to-date with emerging trends and best practices in database engineering.
- Collaboration & Knowledge Sharing: Encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing, promoting a culture of learning and growth within the database engineering team.
- Performance Optimization: Prioritize performance optimization, ensuring optimal database performance, scalability, and availability.
Collaboration Style:
- Cross-Functional Integration: Work closely with cross-functional teams, including product, content, legal, HR, finance, and support, to ensure database engineering aligns with enterprise-wide priorities and delivers value across the organization.
- Code Review & Peer Programming: Implement a culture of code review and peer programming, fostering knowledge sharing and continuous learning within the database engineering team.
- Mentoring & Knowledge Transfer: Establish a mentoring program to facilitate knowledge transfer, skill development, and career growth within the database engineering team.
π Enhancement Note: 3E's database engineering values emphasize data-driven decision-making, continuous learning, and collaboration, providing a strong foundation for a strategic database engineering leader to drive operational excellence and cross-functional alignment.
π± Challenges & Growth Opportunities
Technical Challenges:
- Database Performance Optimization: Address complex database performance issues, optimizing queries, and implementing indexing strategies to improve response time and throughput.
- AI/ML Integration: Integrate AI/ML models into database workflows, improving performance, and driving operational efficiency through intelligent automation and anomaly detection.
- Cloud Migration: Lead the migration of on-premises databases to cloud-based platforms, ensuring data security, compliance, and optimal performance.
- Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity: Design and implement robust disaster recovery and business continuity solutions, ensuring minimal data loss and rapid recovery in case of system failures or natural disasters.
Learning & Development Opportunities:
- AI/ML Specialization: Deepen your expertise in AI/ML-powered database optimization, anomaly detection, and intelligent workflows, staying at the forefront of emerging trends and best practices.
- Cloud-Native Modernization: Lead the modernization of 3E's database ecosystem, adopting cloud-native principles and migrating to modern, scalable, and secure database platforms.
- Team Leadership & Development: Develop your team leadership skills, mentoring team members, and driving operational excellence across the database engineering function.
- Architecture & Design: Expand your architectural and design skills, working on complex database projects and contributing to 3E's long-term technology vision.
π Enhancement Note: 3E's technical challenges and learning opportunities provide a comprehensive roadmap for a strategic database engineering leader to drive operational excellence, adopt emerging technologies, and develop their skills in a dynamic and collaborative work environment.
π‘ Interview Preparation
Technical Questions:
- Database Fundamentals: Demonstrate your understanding of database fundamentals, including SQL, indexing, normalization, and transaction management.
- Performance Tuning: Explain your approach to database performance tuning, query optimization, and indexing strategies.
- AI/ML & Automation: Discuss your experience with AI/ML-powered database optimization, anomaly detection, and intelligent workflows, and provide practical examples of your hands-on expertise.
- Cloud Migration: Describe your experience with cloud migration projects, including data migration, schema conversion, and infrastructure as code (IaC) implementation.
- Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity: Outline your approach to disaster recovery and business continuity planning, highlighting your experience with backup strategies, recovery time objectives (RTOs), and recovery point objectives (RPOs).
Company & Culture Questions:
- Company Culture: Explain how your personal values and work style align with 3E's company culture, emphasizing your commitment to collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Describe your experience working with cross-functional teams, and provide examples of how you have driven alignment and delivered value across the organization.
- AI-First Vision: Discuss your understanding of 3E's AI-first vision, and explain how your database engineering expertise can contribute to the company's long-term technology strategy.
Portfolio Presentation Strategy:
- Database Management: Highlight your experience with complex database environments, performance tuning, disaster recovery, and automation, using live demos and responsive design principles to showcase your technical skills and achievements.
- Cloud Migration: Showcase your experience with cloud migration projects, including data migration, schema conversion, and infrastructure as code (IaC) implementation, using live demos and responsive design principles to demonstrate your technical expertise.
- AI/ML Integration: Emphasize your experience integrating AI/ML models into database workflows, improving performance, and driving operational efficiency, using live demos and responsive design principles to showcase your technical skills and accomplishments.
- Team Leadership: Provide examples of your team leadership and mentoring skills, emphasizing your ability to grow and develop high-performing database teams, using storytelling techniques and live demos to illustrate your impact and achievements.
π Enhancement Note: 3E's interview preparation focuses on assessing your technical skills, problem-solving approach, and cultural fit, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation of your qualifications for the Database Engineering Manager role.
π Application Steps
To apply for this database engineering manager position at 3E:
- Customize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to highlight your relevant database engineering and leadership experience, emphasizing your proficiency in SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
- Prepare Your Portfolio: Curate a portfolio showcasing your database management, performance tuning, disaster recovery, and automation skills, as well as your experience with AI/ML integration, cloud migration, and team leadership.
- Research 3E: Thoroughly research 3E's company culture, AI-first vision, and database engineering values to ensure a strong fit and alignment with your personal values and career goals.
- Prepare for Technical Interviews: Brush up on your database fundamentals, performance tuning techniques, AI/ML & automation, and cloud migration best practices, and practice hands-on exercises to demonstrate your expertise.
- Prepare for Behavioral & Cultural Fit Interviews: Reflect on your cross-functional collaboration experiences, team leadership skills, and commitment to 3E's company culture, and be ready to discuss your alignment with the company's AI-first vision and database engineering values.
β οΈ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and web technology industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.
Application Requirements
Candidates should have a strong background in database engineering and administration with at least 5 years of leadership experience managing global teams. Proficiency in various database technologies and cloud platforms is essential, along with a passion for modernizing operations using agile and AI/ML practices.