Senior Database Reliability Engineer

Optum is a global organization that delivers care, aided by technology to help millions of people live healthier lives. The work you do with our team will directly improve health outcomes by connecting people with the care, pharmacy benefits, data and resources they need to feel their best. Here, you will find a culture guided by diversity and inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits and career development opportunities. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health equity on a global scale. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

As a Senior Database Reliability Engineer (DBRE), you'll play a critical role in ensuring the availability, performance, and scalability of our AWS Aurora PostgreSQL and MySql databases along with other AWS services. If you thrive in a dynamic environment and love solving complex database challenges, read on!

You will enjoy the flexibility to telecommute* from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with software engineers and architects to design and optimize database schemas, indexes, and queries
• Evaluate and implement best practices for database performance, security, and scalability
• Monitor and maintain the health of production and development databases
• Troubleshoot performance bottlenecks, query optimization, and replication issues
• Implement backup and disaster recovery strategies
• Leverage infrastructure as code (IaC) tools (Terraform, CloudFormation) to provision and manage database infrastructure; write and maintain reusable Terraform modules, manage state, and support CI/CD-based deployments
• Automate routine tasks using scripts (Python, Bash) and configuration management tools (Ansible, Puppet)
• Implement and enforce security policies for data access, encryption, and authentication
• Ensure compliance with industry standards (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA)
• Work closely with cross-functional teams (DevOps, Development, QA) to improve database reliability
• Document procedures, runbooks, and incident response processes

What are the reasons to consider working for UnitedHealth Group?   Put it all together - competitive base pay, a full and comprehensive benefit program, performance rewards, and a management team who demonstrates their commitment to your success. Some of our offerings include:

• Paid Time Off which you start to accrue with your first pay period plus 8 Paid Holidays
• Medical Plan options along with participation in a Health Spending Account or a Health Saving account
• Dental, Vision, Life& AD&D Insurance along with Short-term disability and Long-Term Disability coverage
• 401(k) Savings Plan, Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Education Reimbursement
• Employee Discounts
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Referral Bonus Program
• Voluntary Benefits (pet insurance, legal insurance, LTC Insurance, etc.)

You'll be rewarded and recognized for your performance in an environment that will challenge you and give you clear directions on what it takes to succeed in your role as well as provide development for other roles you may be interested in.

Required Qualifications:

• 6+ years of proven experience managing AWS RDS/Aurora PostgreSQL and MySQL databases in a production environment
• 4+ years of Terraform experience (writing modules, managing state, and building reusable IaC for AWS)
• 4+ years of experience in Infrastructure SRE / Platform Engineering (on-call, incident response, SLIs/SLOs, and reliability improvements)
• 4+ years of experience with monitoring tools (e.g., CloudWatch, Datadog, Prometheus)
• 4+ years of Scripting and automation skills (Python, Bash)
• Advanced level of proficiency with communication and collaboration skills
• Intermediate level of proficiency with SQL skills and expertise in query optimization
• Intermediate level of proficiency with PostgreSQL extensions, replication, and high availability configurations

Preferred Qualification:

• AWS certifications (e.g., AWS Certified Database - Specialty
• Knowledge of other database/datastore systems (MongoDB, MySQL, Redis, Elasticsearch, Kafka, RabbitMQ)
• Experience with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes)

*All Telecommuters will be required to adhere to UnitedHealth Group's Telecommuter Policy.

Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. In addition to your salary, we offer benefits such as, a comprehensive benefits package, incentive and recognition programs, equity stock purchase and 401k contribution (all benefits are subject to eligibility requirements). No matter where or when you begin a career with us, you'll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives. The salary for this role will range from $91,700 to $163,700 annually based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. 

Application Deadline: This will be posted for a minimum of 2 business days or until a sufficient candidate pool has been collected. Job posting may come down early due to volume of applicants.

At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and make the health system work better for everyone. We believe everyone-of every race, gender, sexuality, age, location, and income-deserves the opportunity to live their healthiest life. Today, however, there are still far too many barriers to good health which are disproportionately experienced by people of color, historically marginalized groups, and those with lower incomes. We are committed to mitigating our impact on the environment and enabling and delivering equitable care that addresses health disparities and improves health outcomes - an enterprise priority reflected in our mission.

UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer under applicable law and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.

UnitedHealth Group is a drug - free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.

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