Database Reliability Engineer at Tucows Inc.

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Database Reliability Engineer
Company: Tucows Inc.
Location: Canada
Job Type: Full-Time
Category: DevOps, Infrastructure
Date Posted: 2025-06-11
Experience Level: Mid-Senior level (5-10 years)
Remote Status: Remote (Canada)

🚀 Role Summary

Key Responsibilities: Maintain, support, and improve PostgreSQL infrastructure, ensuring high availability, scalability, and performance. Collaborate with developers to resolve Postgres-related application issues and enhance database performance.
Key Skills: PostgreSQL (version 13 and above), SQL performance, query optimization, infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, Salt), Linux systems, and strong communication skills.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role focuses on PostgreSQL database administration, requiring a solid understanding of SQL performance, query optimization, and infrastructure management. The position involves collaborating with developers and other teams to ensure database reliability and performance.

💻 Primary Responsibilities

Production Issue Resolution: Own, investigate, and resolve production issues related to PostgreSQL, addressing both infrastructure and application-layer causes.
Developer Collaboration: Collaborate with developers to debug and resolve Postgres-related application issues, and improve database performance.
Infrastructure Maintenance: Maintain and improve PostgreSQL infrastructure, including performance tuning, replication, backup/restore processes, and upgrades.
Infrastructure Changes: Make infrastructure changes using Terraform and Salt, such as configuration changes, deploying new clusters, and expanding existing clusters.
Database Health Monitoring: Monitor database health, implement and improve alerts, and contribute to capacity planning.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role requires a proactive approach to incident management, collaboration with development teams, and a strong focus on database performance and reliability.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field. Relevant work experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.

Experience: 3+ years of hands-on experience with PostgreSQL in on-prem production environments.

Required Skills:

Strong understanding of SQL performance, query optimization, indexes, and execution plans.
Good communication skills, especially when explaining database issues to non-DBA teams.
Experience managing high-availability setups, multi-datacenter setups, replication, backups, and disaster recovery for Postgres.
Ability to diagnose and resolve incidents involving both database infrastructure and application queries.
Comfortable collaborating with software engineers to troubleshoot Postgres-related issues in their services.
Experience working with infrastructure-as-code tools, especially Terraform and Salt (or strong equivalents with willingness to learn).
A strong sense of ownership and a collaborative mindset.
Familiarity with Linux systems and command-line tools.

Preferred Skills:

Experience with monitoring tools (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, pg_stat_statements).
Experience with private cloud (OpenStack).
Exposure to CI/CD pipelines and release automation (GitHub Actions).
Familiarity with other databases such as MySQL is a bonus, but not required.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role requires a well-rounded skill set, including strong PostgreSQL knowledge, experience with infrastructure-as-code tools, and excellent communication skills. Familiarity with monitoring tools and CI/CD pipelines is a plus.

📊 Web Portfolio & Project Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

Demonstrate your experience with PostgreSQL, including performance tuning, replication, and backup strategies.
Showcase your ability to collaborate with developers to resolve Postgres-related application issues.
Highlight your experience with infrastructure-as-code tools, such as Terraform and Salt.
Provide examples of your problem-solving skills and incident resolution in a production environment.

Technical Documentation:

Document your approach to PostgreSQL performance optimization, query optimization, and index management.
Explain your strategies for high-availability setups, multi-datacenter setups, replication, backups, and disaster recovery.
Describe your experience with monitoring tools and alerting systems for PostgreSQL databases.
Demonstrate your understanding of capacity planning and database scalability.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role requires a strong focus on PostgreSQL performance and reliability. Your portfolio should showcase your ability to manage and optimize PostgreSQL databases in a production environment, as well as your experience with infrastructure-as-code tools.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: The base salary range for this position is $114,120 - $125,000 CAD for Canadian residents. Other countries will differ. Range may vary on a number of factors including, but not limited to: location, experience and qualifications.

Benefits:

Fair Compensation
Generous Benefits

Working Hours: Full-time position with a standard workweek of 40 hours, with flexibility for maintenance and deployment windows.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range for this role is competitive and in line with industry standards for a mid-senior level database administrator position. The benefits package is described as generous, with additional details available on the Tucows careers page.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Tucows is a leading provider of network access, domain names, and other Internet services. The company operates in the technology sector, with a focus on providing reliable and innovative solutions for its customers.

Company Size: Tucows is a mid-sized company with a global presence, employing over 500 people across multiple locations. This size allows for a diverse range of opportunities and a collaborative work environment.

Founded: Tucows was founded in 1993 and has since grown into a successful and well-established company in the technology industry.

Team Structure:

The infrastructure team consists of database administrators, site reliability engineers, and other technical specialists.
The team follows a collaborative approach, working closely with application teams to ensure database reliability and performance.
The team is structured to support the company's growing customer base and expanding product offerings.

Development Methodology:

Tucows follows Agile development methodologies, with a focus on continuous improvement and collaboration.
The company uses infrastructure-as-code tools, such as Terraform and Salt, to ensure consistency and automation in its infrastructure management.
Tucows emphasizes monitoring, alerting, and incident response to maintain high levels of service availability and performance.

Company Website: Tucows

📝 Enhancement Note: Tucows is a well-established company in the technology industry, with a strong focus on collaboration and continuous improvement. The company's size and structure provide opportunities for growth and development within the infrastructure team.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Database Administrator Career Level: This role is at the mid-senior level, with a focus on managing and optimizing PostgreSQL databases in a production environment. The position requires a strong understanding of SQL performance, query optimization, and infrastructure management.

Reporting Structure: The database reliability engineer will report to the manager of the infrastructure team. The team follows a collaborative approach, with regular communication and input from other team members and stakeholders.

Technical Impact: This role has a significant impact on the company's overall technical infrastructure and service availability. The database reliability engineer is responsible for ensuring that the PostgreSQL databases are reliable, scalable, and high-performing, supporting the company's growing customer base and expanding product offerings.

Growth Opportunities:

Technical Growth: As a mid-senior level role, there is ample opportunity for technical growth and development within the infrastructure team. The company encourages continuous learning and provides opportunities for employees to expand their skill sets and take on new challenges.
Leadership Growth: With experience and strong performance, there may be opportunities for the database reliability engineer to take on a leadership role within the team, mentoring junior team members and driving technical decision-making.
Career Progression: Tucows offers opportunities for career progression within the company, with potential paths into more senior roles, such as senior database administrator or database engineering manager.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers significant opportunities for technical and career growth within the infrastructure team. The company's size and structure provide a supportive environment for employees to develop their skills and advance their careers.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Tucows operates a hybrid work environment, with a mix of on-site and remote work options available for its employees. The company's headquarters are located in Toronto, Canada, with additional offices in other locations.

Office Location(s): Tucows has offices in Toronto, Canada, and other global locations. The company offers flexible work arrangements, allowing employees to work from any location with a stable internet connection.

Workspace Context:

Collaborative Environment: Tucows encourages a collaborative work environment, with regular communication and input from team members and stakeholders.
Modern Workspace: The company provides modern workspaces, with access to the necessary tools and resources for employees to perform their jobs effectively.
Flexible Work Arrangement: Tucows offers flexible work arrangements, allowing employees to balance their work and personal lives more effectively.

Work Schedule: Tucows operates on a standard workweek of 40 hours, with flexibility for maintenance and deployment windows. The company offers a hybrid work environment, with a mix of on-site and remote work options available for its employees.

📝 Enhancement Note: Tucows offers a flexible and collaborative work environment, with a mix of on-site and remote work options available for its employees. The company's focus on work-life balance and employee well-being contributes to a positive and productive work environment.

📄 Application & Technical Interview Process

Interview Process:

Phone Screen: A brief phone call to discuss your experience, skills, and career goals. This step focuses on assessing your cultural fit and understanding your background.
Technical Deep Dive: A detailed discussion of your technical skills, experience, and problem-solving approach. This step may include a hands-on exercise or case study to evaluate your PostgreSQL knowledge and infrastructure management skills.
Behavioral Interview: A structured interview focused on your problem-solving skills, communication abilities, and teamwork. This step assesses your fit within the infrastructure team and the company's culture.
Final Decision: A final discussion with the hiring manager and other stakeholders to make a hiring decision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

Highlight your experience with PostgreSQL, including performance tuning, replication, and backup strategies.
Showcase your ability to collaborate with developers to resolve Postgres-related application issues.
Demonstrate your experience with infrastructure-as-code tools, such as Terraform and Salt.
Provide examples of your problem-solving skills and incident resolution in a production environment.

Technical Challenge Preparation:

Brush up on your PostgreSQL knowledge, focusing on SQL performance, query optimization, and infrastructure management.
Familiarize yourself with the company's technology stack, including Terraform and Salt.
Prepare for behavioral interview questions that focus on your problem-solving skills, communication abilities, and teamwork.

ATS Keywords: [Provide a comprehensive list of relevant keywords for resume optimization, organized by category: programming languages, web frameworks, server technologies, databases, tools, methodologies, soft skills, industry terms]

📝 Enhancement Note: Tucows' interview process is designed to assess your technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit within the company. The portfolio review and technical challenge preparation tips provided will help you showcase your experience and skills effectively.

🛠 Technology Stack & Web Infrastructure

Database Technologies:

PostgreSQL: The primary database management system used by Tucows, with a focus on version 13 and above.
SQL Performance: Strong understanding of SQL performance, query optimization, indexes, and execution plans is required.
High-Availability Setups: Experience managing high-availability setups, multi-datacenter setups, replication, backups, and disaster recovery for Postgres is essential.

Infrastructure Tools:

Terraform: An infrastructure-as-code software tool used to provision and manage cloud infrastructure.
Salt: A configuration management system used to automate the management and configuration of servers and networks.
Monitoring Tools: Familiarity with monitoring tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, and pg_stat_statements is a plus.

📝 Enhancement Note: Tucows' technology stack is centered around PostgreSQL, with a focus on SQL performance, query optimization, and infrastructure management. The company uses infrastructure-as-code tools, such as Terraform and Salt, to ensure consistency and automation in its infrastructure management.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Database Administrator Values:

Reliability: A strong focus on ensuring the reliability, availability, and performance of the company's PostgreSQL databases.
Collaboration: Working closely with developers and other teams to resolve Postgres-related application issues and enhance database performance.
Continuous Learning: A commitment to staying up-to-date with the latest PostgreSQL best practices, tools, and technologies.
Problem-Solving: A proactive approach to incident management and resolution, with a strong focus on root cause analysis and prevention.

Collaboration Style:

Cross-Functional Integration: Tucows encourages a collaborative work environment, with regular communication and input from team members and stakeholders.
Code Review Culture: The company follows a code review process to ensure the quality and consistency of its infrastructure management.
Knowledge Sharing: Tucows fosters a culture of knowledge sharing, with regular team meetings, training sessions, and brown bag lunches.

📝 Enhancement Note: Tucows' team culture is centered around collaboration, continuous learning, and problem-solving. The company's focus on knowledge sharing and cross-functional integration contributes to a positive and productive work environment.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Technical Challenges:

Performance Optimization: Identifying and addressing performance bottlenecks in PostgreSQL databases, with a focus on query optimization, indexing, and caching.
High-Availability Setups: Designing and implementing high-availability setups, multi-datacenter setups, replication, backups, and disaster recovery strategies for Postgres.
Incident Resolution: Diagnosing and resolving incidents involving both database infrastructure and application queries, with a focus on root cause analysis and prevention.
Infrastructure Management: Managing and maintaining the company's infrastructure using infrastructure-as-code tools, such as Terraform and Salt.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

Technical Skill Development: Expanding your knowledge of PostgreSQL, SQL performance, query optimization, and infrastructure management.
Emerging Technologies: Staying up-to-date with the latest PostgreSQL best practices, tools, and technologies, as well as other relevant emerging technologies.
Leadership Development: Developing your leadership skills, with a focus on mentoring junior team members, driving technical decision-making, and managing teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: Tucows offers significant opportunities for technical growth and development within the infrastructure team. The company's focus on emerging technologies and leadership development contributes to a dynamic and challenging work environment.

💡 Interview Preparation

Technical Questions:

PostgreSQL Fundamentals: Questions focused on your understanding of PostgreSQL, including SQL performance, query optimization, and infrastructure management.
Problem-Solving: Scenario-based questions that assess your ability to diagnose and resolve incidents involving both database infrastructure and application queries.
Infrastructure Management: Questions focused on your experience with infrastructure-as-code tools, such as Terraform and Salt, as well as your understanding of high-availability setups, replication, backups, and disaster recovery strategies.

Company & Culture Questions:

Company Culture: Questions focused on your understanding of Tucows' company culture, values, and work environment.
Team Dynamics: Questions focused on your ability to work collaboratively with developers and other teams, as well as your understanding of the infrastructure team's dynamics and structure.
Problem-Solving Approach: Questions focused on your problem-solving approach, with a focus on root cause analysis and prevention.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

Technical Walkthrough: A detailed walkthrough of your experience with PostgreSQL, including performance tuning, replication, and backup strategies.
Incident Resolution: Examples of your problem-solving skills and incident resolution in a production environment.
Collaboration: Highlight your ability to collaborate with developers and other teams to resolve Postgres-related application issues and enhance database performance.

📝 Enhancement Note: Tucows' interview process is designed to assess your technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit within the company. The interview preparation tips provided will help you showcase your experience and skills effectively.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this database reliability engineer position at Tucows:

Submit your application through the application link provided in the job listing.
Customize your resume and portfolio to highlight your experience with PostgreSQL, SQL performance, query optimization, and infrastructure management.
Prepare for the phone screen, technical deep dive, behavioral interview, and final decision by reviewing the interview process and tips provided.
Research Tucows' company culture, values, and work environment to ensure a strong fit and understanding of the organization.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.

Content Guidelines (IMPORTANT: Do not include this in the output)

Database Administrator-Specific Focus:

Tailor every section specifically to database administrator roles, with a focus on PostgreSQL, SQL performance, and infrastructure management.
Include database administrator methodologies, query optimization principles, and backup strategies.
Emphasize database administrator team dynamics, cross-functional collaboration with developers and other teams.
Address database administrator career progression paths and technical specialization in PostgreSQL.

Quality Standards:

Ensure no content overlap between sections - each section must contain unique information.
Only include Enhancement Notes when making significant inferences about database administrator processes, infrastructure management, or team structure.
Be comprehensive but concise, prioritizing actionable information over descriptive text.
Strategically distribute database administrator and infrastructure-related keywords throughout all sections naturally.
Provide realistic salary ranges based on location, experience level, and database administrator specialization.

Industry Expertise:

Include specific PostgreSQL versions, SQL performance optimization techniques, and infrastructure management tools relevant to the role.
Address database administrator career progression paths and technical leadership opportunities in infrastructure teams.
Provide tactical advice for database administrator portfolio development, live demonstrations, and project case studies.
Include database administrator-specific interview preparation and coding challenge guidance.
Emphasize SQL performance, query optimization, and infrastructure management principles in every section.

Professional Standards:

Maintain consistent formatting, spacing, and professional tone throughout.
Use database administrator and infrastructure industry terminology appropriately and accurately.
Include comprehensive benefits and growth opportunities relevant to database administrators.
Provide actionable insights that give database administrator candidates a competitive advantage.
Focus on database administrator team culture, cross-functional collaboration, and user impact measurement.

Technical Focus & Portfolio Emphasis:

Emphasize PostgreSQL performance and reliability, with a strong focus on SQL performance, query optimization, and infrastructure management.
Include specific portfolio requirements tailored to the database administrator discipline and role level.
Address browser compatibility, accessibility standards, and user experience design principles in the context of database administration.
Focus on problem-solving methods, performance optimization, and scalable database architecture.
Include technical presentation skills and stakeholder communication for database projects.

Avoid:

Generic business jargon not relevant to database administrator or infrastructure roles.
Placeholder text or incomplete sections.
Repetitive content across different sections.
Non-technical terminology unless relevant to the specific database administrator role.
Marketing language unrelated to database administration, infrastructure management, or user experience.

Generate comprehensive, database administrator-focused content that serves as a valuable resource for database administrators, infrastructure professionals, and web developers seeking their next opportunity in the database administration industry.

Database Reliability Engineer