Principal Database Engineer

Job Title: Principal Engineer – Database Platform (DBaaS) Location: Sheffield, England, United Kingdom (Hybrid) Employment Type: Contract / Permanent (as applicable) We are seeking an experienced Principal Engineer – Database Platform to lead the strategy, architecture, and delivery of enterprise-scale database solutions within a leading banking environment. This is a senior technical leadership role where you will influence platform strategy, drive engineering excellence, and co-design next-generation on-premise DBaaS platforms supporting critical banking services. About the Role The EI Database Platform team is accelerating the delivery and adoption of on-prem DBaaS solutions across four strategic database technologies by 2026. We are: • Well-established with Oracle Exadata Cloud at Customer (ExaCC) • Making strong progress with PostgreSQL on containers • Exploring platform solutions for Microsoft SQL Server • Evaluating enterprise adoption of MongoDB We’re looking for a hands-on, proactive Platform Engineering leader to co-design and drive the successful rollout and adoption of these platforms. Key Responsibilities 🔹 Strategic & Technical Leadership • Define and maintain the long-term database infrastructure strategy aligned with enterprise IT and business goals • Act as SME and trusted advisor to senior leadership on database technologies • Co-lead the architecture and implementation of shared DBaaS/PaaS solutions • Drive engineering standards around availability, resiliency, security, and performance 🔹 Platform Engineering & Delivery • Lead the design and rollout of scalable, secure on-prem DBaaS platforms • Oversee performance tuning, capacity planning, and infrastructure optimization • Identify automation opportunities and reduce operational hand-offs • Close engineering gaps through cross-functional capability development 🔹 Engineering Excellence • Champion SRE, DevOps, and Infrastructure as Code practices • Strengthen CI/CD/CT pipelines, automated testing, and code scanning • Evaluate and recommend emerging database and platform technologies • Ensure regulatory alignment within a financial services environment 🔹 Stakeholder Engagement • Partner with Product Owners, Architects, and Engineering teams • Act as the key technical decision authority from engineering and risk perspectives • Communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders • Influence senior executives with credibility and technical gravitas Required Skills & Experience • 10+ years of engineering experience (5+ years at Senior/Principal level) • Deep expertise in: • Relational, NoSQL, and Distributed SQL databases • IaaS-based and DBaaS database deployments • Strong knowledge of: • Microservices architecture • Infrastructure automation • API development • Application system design fundamentals • Hands-on experience with: • Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) • DevOps practices (CI/CD/CT, automation, testing) • Infrastructure as Code • Proven track record delivering enterprise-scale technology platforms • Experience in global matrix organisations • Strong understanding of financial services regulatory environments Qualifications • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related discipline