Horace Mann is a purpose-driven company that is passionate about educators. We are seeking an experienced Manager of Distributed Database Services to lead a small, high-impact team responsible for the reliability, scalability, and performance of our enterprise database platforms. This role combines hands-on technical leadership with people management, ensuring our distributed data environments support critical business applications securely and efficiently.
Key Responsibilities
Team Leadership
- Lead, coach, and develop a team of 3 database engineers/administrators
- Set priorities, assign work, and ensure timely delivery of team objectives
- Conduct performance reviews and support career development
- Foster a collaborative, accountable, and continuous improvement culture
Database Platform Ownership
- Oversee administration of distributed database systems (e.g., MongoDB, Cassandra, PostgreSQL, or cloud-native databases)
- Ensure high availability, disaster recovery, backup, and data integrity processes
- Monitor performance, capacity, and system health; drive optimization efforts
- Lead incident response and root cause analysis for production issues
Architecture & Engineering
- Partner with architecture and application teams to design scalable, resilient data solutions
- Define standards and best practices for distributed data platforms
- Evaluate and implement new technologies to enhance performance and reliability
Project Delivery
- Lead database-related projects including upgrades, migrations, and platform enhancements
- Develop project plans, estimates, and timelines
- Coordinate cross-functionally with infrastructure, cloud, security, and development teams
Security, Compliance & Governance
- Ensure adherence to data security, governance, and regulatory requirements
- Implement and maintain access controls, encryption, and audit capabilities
- Maintain documentation for systems, processes, and controls
Financial & Vendor Management
- Support budget planning and cost optimization, including cloud spend
- Manage vendor relationships, licensing, and support agreements
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, MIS, or related field
- 3+ years of experience in IT, with a focus on database administration or engineering
- Experience with distributed or cloud-based database platforms
- Strong understanding of high availability, replication, backup/recovery, and performance tuning
Preferred
- 2+ years of leadership or supervisory experience
- Experience with cloud platforms (AWS and Azure)
- Familiarity with automation, scripting, and monitoring tools
- Experience supporting mission-critical, high-availability environments
Key Skills & Competencies
- Strong leadership and team development skills
- Excellent problem-solving and analytical abilities
- Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
- Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results
Work Environment & Expectations
- Hybrid or remote work environment with occasional on-site collaboration
- Participation in on-call rotation or off-hours support as needed
- Fast-paced, collaborative technology environment supporting critical business systems
Pay Range:
- $105,200.00 - $147,950.00
Salary is commensurate to experience, location, etc.
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Horace Mann was founded in 1945 by two Springfield, Illinois, teachers who saw a need for quality, affordable auto insurance for teachers. Since then, we’ve broadened our mission to helping all educators protect what they have today and prepare for a successful tomorrow. And with our broadened mission has come corporate growth: We serve more than 4,100 school districts nationwide, we’re publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: HMN) and we have more than $12 billion in assets.
We’re motivated by the fact that educators take care of our children’s future, and we believe they deserve someone to look after theirs. We help educators identify their financial goals and develop plans to achieve them. This includes insurance to protect what they have today and financial products to help them prepare for their future. Our tailored offerings include special rates and benefits for educators.
EOE/Minorities/Females/Veterans/Disabled. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status
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What We Do
Horace Mann was founded in 1945 by two educators in Springfield, Ill., who believed teachers deserved affordable auto insurance. Originally called the Illinois Education Association Mutual Insurance Company, our name was changed to honor the father of the American public education system, Horace Mann. We are proud to share his name. At Horace Mann, the hard work, commitment and dedication of our employees are the foundation of our success. And today we are the largest, national multiline insurance company dedicated to serving America’s educators and their families. Our purpose is to provide lifelong financial well-being for educators and their families through personalized service, advice, and a full range of tailored insurance and financial products. Through our professional agents and their staff, we offer insurance and financial products to the educational community across the United States.
