Data Systems Specialist

Role Summary

We are seeking an experienced Database Administrator with a strong background in managing distributed systems, specifically AWS OpenSearch or Elasticsearch clusters. The ideal candidate will have expertise in in-memory databases (e.g., Redis, Memcached) or graph databases (e.g., Neo4j).

The successful candidate will possess excellent problem-solving and analytical skills for distributed systems, be a quick learner, adaptable to new tools and processes, and have excellent communication and collaboration skills.

Key Responsibilities

1. Cluster Management: Manage and optimize AWS OpenSearch/Elasticsearch, in-memory (e.g., Redis, Memcached), and graph database (e.g., Neo4j) clusters for high availability and performance.
2. Query Optimization: Optimize data distribution, sharding, caching, and graph traversals for efficient query performance.
3. Schema Design: Design schemas and data models for search, caching, and graph-based use cases.
4. Performance Tuning: Tune query performance and indexing strategies to meet SLAs for critical production systems.
5. DevOps Automation: Automate deployment, scaling, and monitoring using DevOps tools (e.g., Terraform, Ansible, Docker, Kubernetes).
6. Troubleshooting: Troubleshoot and resolve issues in real-time for revenue-impacting systems.
7. Monitoring and Alerting: Implement monitoring and alerting (e.g., CloudWatch, Prometheus) to detect performance issues.
8. Security and Compliance: Ensure security and compliance with encryption and access controls (IAM, VPC).
9. Collaboration: Collaborate with development and DevOps teams for application integration.

Requirements and Skills

• Overall 5 - 10 Years of experience in managing distributed systems.
• 5+ years managing AWS OpenSearch or Elasticsearch in production.
• 2+ years managing in-memory databases (e.g., Redis, Memcached) or graph databases (e.g., Neo4j).
• Proven track record with critical production systems impacting revenue.
• Expertise in data and index shard management, caching strategies, and node-relationship modelling.
• Strong experience in schema design and data modelling for search, caching, and graph use cases.

Technical Skills

• Proficient in AWS services (e.g., OpenSearch Service, EC2, ElastiCache, CloudWatch).
• Advanced knowledge of Elasticsearch/OpenSearch APIs, query DSL, and optimization.
• Experience with in-memory databases (e.g., Redis, Memcached) or graph databases (e.g., Neo4j Cypher).
• Skilled in DevOps tools: IaC (Terraform, CloudFormation), Configuration (Ansible, Chef, Puppet), CI/CD (Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions), Containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), Monitoring (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK Stack).

Soft Skills

• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills for distributed systems.
• Quick learner, adaptable to new tools and processes.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.

Certifications (Preferred)

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect, AWS Certified Database – Specialty, or Elastic Certified Engineer.
• Neo4j Certified Professional or Redis-related certifications.
• DevOps certifications (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).

Responsibilities Include

1. Serve as primary point of contact for advanced-level troubleshooting and perform hands-on DB/system administration.
2. Automate regular administrative tasks and ensure correctness.
3. Document data standards, procedures, and dictionary definitions.
4. Collaborate with SREs and developers on DB design, performance tuning, and production support.
5. Help evolve application/database architecture and support environment creation.
6. Respond to on-call incidents, and support technical queries from staff, management, and vendors.