Departmental OverviewThis unit brings together and integrates the engineering and implementation of core, foundational campus IT infrastructure, delivering essential IT services that support UC Berkeley's continually evolving needs.
Position SummaryThe Database Administrator provides database administration services for both enterprise and open-source database platforms. This position involves the concepts of schema planning, architectural design, and operational continuity of campus database systems. Responsibilities include regular system patching, system upgrades, performance tuning, data and platform backups, data and platform recovery, and system monitoring.
Application Review DateThe First Review Date for this job is: 9/1/2026. For full consideration, please apply before 9/17/2026.
ResponsibilitiesHigh Availability & Disaster Recovery (HADR) - 10%
- Design and Implement HADR Solutions: Architect and manage enterprise-grade high availability solutions (e.g., SQL Server Always On Availability Groups, Oracle HA, or Multi-availability zone deployments in AWS/Azure).
- Disaster Recovery Planning: Develop, document, and regularly test comprehensive disaster recovery (DR) plans to ensure business continuity and meet strict RPO (Recovery Point Objective) and RTO (Recovery Time Objective) targets.
- Backup Strategy: Oversee complex backup and restoration strategies across the enterprise, ensuring data integrity and retention compliance.
Performance Tuning & Optimization - 15%
- System-Wide Tuning: Monitor and optimize database performance at the instance and OS level, including memory allocation, I/O throughput, and CPU utilization.
- Query Optimization: Identify and resolve complex performance bottlenecks, including long-running queries, blocking/deadlocking, and suboptimal execution plans.
- Index & Statistics Management: Proactively manage indexes and statistics to maintain peak query performance as data scales.
Security, Governance & Compliance - 20%
- Data Security & Encryption: Implement and manage security protocols, including TDE (Transparent Data Encryption), data masking, and row-level security.
- Access Control: Define and enforce the principle of least privilege through robust identity and access management (IAM) and database-level permissions.
- Auditing & Compliance: Ensure databases meet regulatory requirements (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, SOX) by conducting regular security audits and maintaining detailed logs of data access and changes.
Cloud & Hybrid Infrastructure - 10%
- Cloud Migration: Lead the migration of on-premises databases to cloud-native platforms (RDS, Azure SQL, OCI) or hybrid environments.
- Cloud Resource Management: Optimize cloud database costs and performance by right-sizing instances and leveraging serverless or auto-scaling features.
- Cross-Platform Integration: Manage data flow and synchronization between disparate systems (e.g., legacy on-prem systems and modern cloud applications).
Automation & DevOps Integration - 10%
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Use tools like Terraform or Ansible to automate the provisioning and configuration of database environments.
- CI/CD Pipeline Support: Collaborate with DevOps teams to integrate database schema changes and deployments into automated pipelines (e.g., using Flyway or Liquibase).
- Scripting: Develop and maintain advanced scripts (Python, PowerShell, Bash) for routine tasks, health checks, and alerting.
Strategic Architecture & Lifecycle Management - 10%
- Capacity Planning: Perform long-term forecasting for storage and compute needs to prevent performance degradation or outages.
- Roadmapping: Research and recommend emerging database technologies (e.g., NoSQL, vector databases for AI) that align with organizational goals.
- Lifecycle Management: Manage the entire lifecycle of database assets, from initial installation and configuration to patching, upgrading, and eventual decommissioning.
Leadership & Collaboration - 20%
- Cross-Functional Partnership: Act as a technical consultant for application developers, data engineers, and business analysts to provide guidance on database design and data modeling.
- Mentorship: Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior DBAs and system administrators.
- On-Call Support: Participate in a 24/7 on-call rotation to resolve production incidents and ensure mission-critical uptime.
Professional Development - 5%
- Training: Engage in continuous professional development exercises through coursework, or other training opportunities to keep abreast of new technologies or trends.
Required Qualifications- 7-10+ years experience in DBA roles, with at least 5 years in an enterprise-scale environment.
- Proficiency in at least two major systems (e.g., MSSQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL).
- Thorough knowledge of Structured Query Language (SQL) for manipulating and retrieving data in relational database management systems (RDBMS).
- Minimum 4 years using scripting tools like Bash, PowerShell, PERL, Python, or similar.
- Must demonstrate technical leadership and project management skills which include the ability to negotiate and clearly communicate the scope of database projects while providing regular status reports on deliverables.
- Candidate must have the ability to participate in after-hours and weekend on-call rotations.
- Candidate must possess strong triage and troubleshooting skills for quick problem identification and resolution.
- Demonstrable interpersonal and written/verbal communication skills, and the ability to create clear publications and presentations on technical concepts for customers, business units, or vendor groups.
- Must successfully pass State of California criminal background check.
- Must be able to provide technical training to customers and peers on database techniques.
Preferred Qualifications- Experience in working with outside vendors and VARs for product licensing and support escalation.
- Experience with ticketing or other issue tracking products such as ServiceNow, Jira, or SolarWinds.
- Experience with the Salesforce/PeopleSoft application.
- Java, Ruby, IIS, Apache, or other web development skills.
Education / Training- Bachelor's degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training
Licenses / Certifications- Professional-level cloud (AWS Solutions Architect, Azure Data Engineer) or vendor-specific (Oracle OCP, Microsoft MCSE) certifications (Preferred)
Salary & BenefitsFor information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California's Compensation & Benefits website.
Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.
The budgeted annual salary range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $115,800.00 - $168,100.00.
- This is an exempt, monthly-paid position.
- This is a full-time (40 hours/week) Career position eligible for UC benefits.
How to ApplyTo apply, please submit your resume and cover letter.
Other Information- This is not a visa opportunity. This position does not include sponsorship of a new consular H-1B visa petition that would require payment of the $100,000 supplemental fee.
Conviction History BackgroundThis is a designated position requiring fingerprinting and a background check due to the nature of the job responsibilities. Berkeley does hire people with conviction histories and reviews information received in the context of the job responsibilities. The University reserves the right to make employment contingent upon successful completion of the background check.
MisconductAs a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.
Misconduct means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:
UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
Abusive Conduct in the Workplace
