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Building a better future for this generation and the next.
The Role
Leads enterprise database strategy, administration, optimization, high availability, disaster recovery, and performance initiatives. Stabilizes on-premises databases and designs phased migrations to AWS. Provides technical authority on SQL Server, relational and NoSQL platforms, data architecture, CI/CD, observability, and resilient cloud-native systems. Collaborates with engineering and architecture teams, mentors database administrators, guides modernization efforts, and communicates technical trade-offs to stakeholders.
Summary Generated by Built In
The Principal Database Administrator will support multiple product teams across Dealer Solutions and play a key role in working on (managed and optimized enterprise database systems) cloud migration initiatives.This role will be responsible for managing, optimizing, and re-architecting the current on-premises database environment. As a key technical enabler of the organization's cloud strategy, the Senior Database Administrator will first stabilize and remediate the existing database infrastructure, then design and execute a safe, phased migration to AWS.
This position bridges the gap between the current aging, monolithic on-premises database environment running on on-prem infrastructure and a future-state scalable, cost-efficient, cloud-native database platform.
The ideal candidate is a technical leader who serves as the organization's primary database authority. They are responsible for defining database strategy, driving cloud modernization efforts, advising architects and software engineers on data architecture decisions, ensuring high availability and security of enterprise platforms, and leading complex migration, resiliency, and performance initiatives. They possess deep expertise across both traditional relational databases and modern cloud-native data platforms while influencing technical direction across multiple engineering teams.
Min Qualifications
USD 178,200.00 - 297,000.00
Compensation:
Compensation includes a base salary in the range of $178,200.00 - $297,000.00. The base salary may vary within the anticipated base pay range based on factors such as the ultimate location of the position and the selected candidate's knowledge, skills, and abilities. Position may be eligible for additional compensation that may include an incentive program.
Benefits:
The Company offers eligible employees the flexibility to take as much vacation with pay as they deem consistent with their duties, the company's needs, and its obligations; seven paid holidays throughout the calendar year; and up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually for their own wellness or that of family members. Employees are also eligible for additional paid time off in the form of bereavement leave, time off to vote, jury duty leave, volunteer time off, military leave, and parental leave.
Applicants must currently be authorized to work in the United States for any employer without current or future sponsorship.
EOE, including disability/vets
This position bridges the gap between the current aging, monolithic on-premises database environment running on on-prem infrastructure and a future-state scalable, cost-efficient, cloud-native database platform.
The ideal candidate is a technical leader who serves as the organization's primary database authority. They are responsible for defining database strategy, driving cloud modernization efforts, advising architects and software engineers on data architecture decisions, ensuring high availability and security of enterprise platforms, and leading complex migration, resiliency, and performance initiatives. They possess deep expertise across both traditional relational databases and modern cloud-native data platforms while influencing technical direction across multiple engineering teams.
Min Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related discipline with 10+ years of experience in database administration, database engineering, or related technical roles. The right candidate may also have a Master's degree with 8+ years of experience, a Ph.D. with 5+ years of experience, or 14+ years of directly related experience.
- Experience in database design, database code development, database administration, and systems engineering to build high-performance, fault-tolerant database systems and infrastructure for database-centric applications.
- 8+ years of experienced with multiple AWS RDS database technologies (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle) and NoSQL services such as DynamoDB, understanding trade-offs between AWS-managed variants.
- Experience supporting 24x7 production systems with strict SLAs and uptime requirements.
- Expertise in high-availability and disaster-recovery technologies (clustering, replication, failover, backup/restore strategies) to reduce risk and downtime across critical systems. Strong background in high-availability/disaster-recovery technologies (e.g., clustering, log shipping, GoldenGate, Always On, replica sets).
- Perform logical and physical database design, data modeling, performance management/monitoring architecting and building databases from business requirements through planning, testing, and production deployment.
- Provide expert-level leadership for Microsoft SQL Server environments, serving as the highest-level technical authority across database architecture, platform strategy, modernization, upgrades, migrations, cloud transformation, high availability, disaster recovery, replication, clustering, and backup/recovery ensuring resilient, scalable platforms with minimal business disruption and downtime.
- 8 years of performance tuning, indexing strategies, query optimization, and execution plan analysis.
- Drive innovation through implementation across functional teams, both internal and external, to meet business requirements.
- Ability to design and support solutions spanning relational databases and microservice architectures, selecting the right technology for the right workload.
- Strong collaboration with software engineers and architects on application and data architecture decisions, ensuring systems are built for scalability, resilience, and performance.
- Use of observability tools and operational intelligence platforms to proactively monitor database health and drive data-informed operational decisions.
- 8+ years Building and maturing CI/CD practices for database changes (schema migrations, deployment automation, version control, automated testing).
- Mentor database administrators, influence architects and developers, review complex technical designs, lead strategic initiatives, and define the long-term evolution of the database platform.
- Strong communication skills translating technical trade-offs for engineers and non-technical stakeholders.
- Experience working in Agile development environments (Scrum, Kanban, or similar), collaborating within sprint-based delivery cycles.
USD 178,200.00 - 297,000.00
Compensation:
Compensation includes a base salary in the range of $178,200.00 - $297,000.00. The base salary may vary within the anticipated base pay range based on factors such as the ultimate location of the position and the selected candidate's knowledge, skills, and abilities. Position may be eligible for additional compensation that may include an incentive program.
Benefits:
The Company offers eligible employees the flexibility to take as much vacation with pay as they deem consistent with their duties, the company's needs, and its obligations; seven paid holidays throughout the calendar year; and up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually for their own wellness or that of family members. Employees are also eligible for additional paid time off in the form of bereavement leave, time off to vote, jury duty leave, volunteer time off, military leave, and parental leave.
Applicants must currently be authorized to work in the United States for any employer without current or future sponsorship.
EOE, including disability/vets
Skills Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related discipline and 10+ years of database administration, database engineering, or related technical experience; alternatively, a master’s degree with 8+ years, a Ph.D. with 5+ years, or 14+ years of directly related experience.
- Experience in database design, database code development, database administration, and systems engineering for high-performance, fault-tolerant database systems.
- 8+ years of experience with AWS RDS technologies including PostgreSQL, MySQL, and Oracle, plus NoSQL services such as DynamoDB.
- Experience supporting 24x7 production systems with strict SLAs and uptime requirements.
- Expertise in high-availability and disaster-recovery technologies, including clustering, replication, failover, backup and restore, log shipping, GoldenGate, Always On, and replica sets.
- Experience with logical and physical database design, data modeling, performance monitoring, and database deployment from requirements through production.
- Expert-level leadership of Microsoft SQL Server architecture, modernization, upgrades, migrations, cloud transformation, high availability, disaster recovery, replication, clustering, and backup and recovery.
- 8 years of experience with performance tuning, indexing strategies, query optimization, and execution plan analysis.
- Ability to design and support solutions spanning relational databases and microservice architectures.
- Experience using observability tools and operational intelligence platforms to monitor database health.
- 8+ years building and maturing CI/CD practices for database changes, including schema migrations, deployment automation, version control, and automated testing.
- Experience mentoring database administrators, reviewing technical designs, influencing architects and developers, and leading strategic initiatives.
- Strong communication skills for explaining technical trade-offs to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Experience working in Agile development environments such as Scrum or Kanban.
- Current authorization to work in the United States for any employer without current or future sponsorship.
What the Team is Saying
Belinda
Manager of Network Automation
Tonya
Director of Agile Delivery
Chris
Manager of Engineering Support & Delivery
John Chapman
National Client Sales Director, Cox Automotive
Kib Yahyehyrab
Audit Analysis, Cox Enterprises
Jenny Arias
Marketing & Events Assistant, Cox Farms
Cox Enterprises Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage is positioned as robust with multiple medical plan options (PPOs and an HSA‑eligible HDHP), in‑network preventive care at 100%, and expanded mental health and virtual care access. Specialized offerings such as fertility benefits, gender‑affirming care, and wellness programs (e.g., Calm, FitnessOnDemand, Hinge Health) further bolster breadth.
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Retirement Support — The 401(k) program features an enhanced employer contribution for most newer hires—dollar‑for‑dollar matching up to 6% and an automatic 2% contribution after 90 days, with legacy formulas for earlier hire dates. Financial tools and student‑debt support via Candidly deepen long‑term savings support.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave of eight weeks, adoption assistance (up to $5,000 per adoption), and resources like backup care and childcare discounts are highlighted. Family‑building and caregiving supports (e.g., fertility coverage, Milk Stork, Care.com access) are emphasized across materials.
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The Company
What We Do
Cox Enterprises is a family-owned enterprise spanning 125+ years of innovation. Through our diverse network of businesses, our people are shaping the future with bold thinking, cutting-edge technology and an unwavering commitment to doing what’s right. Across a range of industries — including automotive, agriculture, cleantech, journalism and more — we’re building a better future for this generation and the next. Make your mark at Cox!
Why Work With Us
Founded in 1898, Cox Enterprises is a community of kind, grounded individuals who work together to drive positive change across vital industries. At Cox, employees experience meaningful work, great benefits, work-life balance and a supportive team environment, plus ample opportunities for career growth across our family of businesses.
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About our Teams
Cox Enterprises Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
Typical time on-site:
Flexible
