Cloud Database Architect (PostgreSQL /Cloud Database Specialist)

Job description

***This role is open to candidates based in LATAM, Africa, and Eastern Europe. Please note that as this role supports U.S.-based clients, candidates must be available to work during U.S. business hours aligned with the client’s time zone.*** Our client is a well-funded, early-stage AI company building a large-scale data platform used to train, fine-tune, and evaluate the next generation of AI models. As the company continues to scale its production database environments, they are seeking a technically deep database professional with specialized PostgreSQL expertise and strong cloud engineering capabilities. ## Role Overview The **Cloud Database Architect (PostgreSQL /Cloud Database Specialist)** will own, scale, and continuously optimize the company’s production database environments. This role requires deep, hands-on PostgreSQL expertise combined with strong computer science fundamentals and cloud database engineering experience. The Cloud Database Architect will manage database administration, cloud deployment and scaling, access governance, migrations, high availability, performance optimization, backup and recovery, monitoring, security, and infrastructure-as-code. The ideal candidate combines specialized PostgreSQL administration with broader engineering depth, understands the theory behind database systems, and can quickly learn and adapt to adjacent database technologies as priorities evolve. ## Location **Fully Remote (Work from Home) | 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM EST** ## Key Responsibilities ### PostgreSQL Administration - Administer and maintain PostgreSQL environments in the cloud. - Manage database configuration and parameter tuning. - Support high-availability database environments. - Manage storage, patching, and version upgrades. - Maintain stable and reliable PostgreSQL production environments. ### Cloud Database Operations - Manage, scale, and deploy relational databases in cloud environments such as AWS RDS. - Maintain performant and cost-efficient cloud database environments. - Support database infrastructure as workloads and requirements evolve. ### Access Layer & Governance - Design and maintain the database access layer. - Manage roles, privileges, connection pooling, and authentication. - Implement and maintain least-privilege access models. - Enforce governance standards across database environments. - Maintain access policies, audit logging, retention, and compliance requirements. ### Database & Cloud Migrations - Lead database and cloud migration projects from planning through completion. - Manage migration planning, execution, and cutover. - Perform post-migration optimization. - Ensure migrations are successfully implemented across production environments. ### Scaling & High Availability - Scale distributed PostgreSQL environments to support growing workloads. - Implement and maintain replication, clustering, and multi-node database setups. - Support database high availability and performance requirements. ### Performance Optimization - Continuously optimize PostgreSQL performance. - Improve query efficiency and resource utilization. - Optimize storage and database-related costs. - Perform indexing, vacuuming, and parameter tuning. ### Backup & Recovery - Implement and maintain database backup strategies. - Manage snapshots and point-in-time recovery. - Develop and maintain database recovery strategies. ### Monitoring & Incident Response - Monitor database health, performance, and capacity. - Respond to database and infrastructure incidents. - Conduct root-cause analysis following incidents. - Participate in on-call support. ### Security - Enforce database security best practices. - Implement appropriate encryption practices. - Maintain network isolation and database access controls. ### Documentation & Collaboration - Create and maintain technical runbooks. - Document database governance policies. - Maintain change-management processes. - Partner with engineering on capacity planning and platform stability. ### Responsible AI Use - Use AI tools to improve engineering productivity within established governance requirements. - Ensure human and AI database access flows through approved API endpoints and MCPs. - Avoid direct AI-to-database access outside approved governance processes. ## Qualifications ### Experience - **7+ years of hands-on PostgreSQL administration experience.** - Deep, specialized PostgreSQL expertise. - Strong experience managing, scaling, and deploying relational databases in cloud environments such as AWS RDS. - Demonstrated experience leading and successfully delivering database and cloud migration projects. - Proven experience scaling production database environments. - Experience with multi-node database setups, including replication, clustering, and high availability. - Experience designing database access layers and governance frameworks. - Experience supporting high-traffic, mission-critical PostgreSQL environments is a plus. - Experience with Aiven managed PostgreSQL services is a plus. - Experience designing and working with sharded and distributed databases is a plus. ### Technical Skills - Deep knowledge of PostgreSQL administration, configuration, performance, and production operations. - Strong understanding of database system theory and computer science fundamentals. - Strong cloud database management and deployment capabilities. - Experience with database performance optimization, including indexing, vacuuming, query efficiency, resource utilization, storage, and parameter tuning. - Experience implementing database backup, snapshot, point-in-time, and recovery strategies. - Experience with database security, encryption, network isolation, and access controls. - Scripting experience using Bash, Python, or similar technologies for administrative automation. - Experience with infrastructure-as-code tools such as Terraform or similar. - Ability to use AI as part of daily engineering workflows while reviewing outputs critically and following defined governance requirements. - Awareness of NoSQL, vector, and graph databases is a plus. - Experience administering or tuning NoSQL, vector, or graph databases is a plus. - Relevant database or cloud certifications are a plus. ## What Success Looks Like - PostgreSQL production environments remain reliable, scalable, performant, and cost-efficient. - Database environments successfully scale to accommodate growing workloads. - Database and cloud migrations are successfully planned, executed, cut over, and optimized. - Replication, clustering, and high-availability configurations support production requirements. - Query efficiency, resource utilization, storage, and database costs are continuously optimized. - Backup, snapshot, point-in-time, and recovery strategies are maintained effectively. - Database health, performance, and capacity are consistently monitored. - Incidents are addressed effectively and supported by root-cause analysis. - Database access, governance, security, and compliance standards are consistently maintained. - AI tools improve engineering productivity while remaining within approved access and governance requirements. ## Opportunity This role offers the opportunity to take ownership of production database environments within an early-stage AI company building a large-scale data platform. The **Cloud Database Architect (PostgreSQL /Cloud Database Specialist)** will combine deep PostgreSQL expertise with cloud engineering, database architecture, performance optimization, migrations, governance, and infrastructure-as-code while helping build reliable database systems that support AI model training, fine-tuning, and evaluation. ### **Application Process:** ### To be considered for this role these steps need to be followed: - Fill in the application form - Record a video showcasing your skill sets