Database Administrator

Job Description

A Database Administrator (DBA) in the Database Services Team will design, develop and deliver common processes and automate technical tasks for the Unified Support teams to use in their daily duties, act as an experienced DBA resource to help address issues to ensure the availability, security, latency, performance, efficiency, monitoring of client database systems, act as a final point of escalation for challenging issues with our database services, support Cloud Services and other teams during investigations and corrective actions during problem management investigations.

DBAs in the CCOE Database Services Team at IFS proactively interact and work alongside other resolver groups (R&D, Solutions Architects, Monitoring, Network, platform vendors, etc) as appropriate to resolve issues and requests related to the Cloud platform and also provide guidance and feedback to improve the IFS product set in future releases.  The DBAs also provide database advice to IFS remote and on-premise customers where required.

A DBA in the CCOE Database Services Team at IFS is key to ensuring highly available, robust and secure database systems and own the overall design, build, availability, performance and general support of all databases which underpin the applications offered by IFS.  The DBAs support existing database engines whilst engaging in the design, deployment & delivery of new database tools and services to further enhance availability, performance and security of our database platforms in order to provide an outstanding experience and reliable database services for all our customers.

Common to DBAs in the CCOE Database Services Team at IFS is their pride in building robust database systems, desire to support & collaborate with other IFS teams, focus on customer experience to respond within SLAs, curiosity to fix root cause problems, thinking with an engineering mindset to constantly drive improved performance and security underpinned by standardization, engineering automation of database tasks to avoid ad-hoc/human error, as well as ambition to deliver new tools and technology to support making the IFS enterprise software services in the Cloud robust and self-supportive.

The responsibilities include:

• Daily DB Operations
  • Design common processes for Unified Support teams to use in their day to day duties supporting and maintaining our Cloud database services.
  • Act as an experienced DBA resource to help perform some of those daily duties when the need arises to address issues with client systems
  • Act as a point of escalation for challenging issues with our database services
  • Work as needed to support Unified Support teams during investigations and corrective actions during problem management investigations.
  • Work with R&D alongside the CSA to provide guidance and feedback to improve the IFS product set in future releases.
• Backup Solutions
  • Implement, in conjunction with Unified Support teams, agreed backup solutions for the IFS Application suite to satisfy our own and our customers’ needs
• Performance Tuning
  • Design processes and approaches for the Unified Support teams to manage performance issues in our cloud environments
  • Work with the CSA and R&D teams to address performance issues through both short term and long-term methods
• Disaster Recovery
  • Implement and test regularly, in conjunction with the CSA, RnD and Unified Support teams, any agreed disaster recovery solutions and ensure the solution suits the needs of IFS and our customers
• Monitoring
  • Implement appropriate tooling to monitor and manage the database availability within our cloud services.
  • Design processes and approaches for the Unified Support teams to manage availability issues in production environments.
• Automation and Tooling
  • Work with the Unified Support, CSA and Automation teams to design automation to reduce time and overhead for common tasks wherever possible.

Qualifications

Experience

• Mandatory
  • At least 5 years’ in-depth experience performing Oracle Database administration functions in cloud computing or enterprise IT service delivery
  • At least 3 years’ experience writing shell scripts to automate repeatable tasks
  • Demonstrated knowledge of cloud computing services or IT service management methodologies and best practices
  • Experience in a modern ticket/service desk tooling such as ServiceNow, Jira Service Desk or a similar tool
• A formal qualification (degree, HND, etc.) in Computer Science/Information Technology is useful but not mandatory.
• ITIL qualifications would be useful but are not mandatory.
• Vendor provided technical certification (CCNA, OCP, MCSA, etc.) would be useful though not mandatory.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work to deadlines, targets and needs of the role
• Ability to manage own time, efficiently and effectively

Technical Skills

• Experience of implementing and managing critical production systems, especially in the cloud, including a strong awareness of customer-driven priorities and commercial pressures is essential. 
• Experience of supporting multi-tenant Oracle databases (CDB/PDB)
• Experience administering Oracle databases (minimum 19c) on Linux and Windows operating systems
• Strong technical experience with performance tuning - AWR/ASH/ADDM/TKPROF/tracing sessions, etc – in a multi-tier architecture
• Good technical experience using OEM for various database administration purposes.
• Strong technical experience with backup/restore – RMAN, data pump export/import.
• Strong technical experience with disaster recovery; dataguard – setup and troubleshooting.
• Experience with database cloning – RMAN active duplicate
• Strong technical experience writing linux shell scripts: bash (knowledge of powershell scripting and windows command also nice to have)
• Technical experience with database upgrades (12c to 19c and above) and patching
• Knowledge of database encryption – row level, backups, etc
• Exposure to 3rd party monitoring systems, e.g. Nagios, Prometheus, ELK
• Exposure to Java driven Cloud/SaaS systems including the following technologies is essential: Oracle WebLogic middleware, Oracle/Apache HTTP Servers, etc.
• Experience working with ticketing systems, such as Service Now, JIRA, etc
• Experience working within a strict change management framework.
• Exposure to DevOps CI/CD tools – GitHub, GitLab, BitBucket, etc.
• Knowledge of Container technology – Kubernetes (AKS)
• Basic understanding of Cloud Technologies – Azure, AWS or GCP

NEC-IFS Strategic Partnership

Required

• Excellent English and Japanese communication skills, both written and oral
• Must live in Japan (within commutable distance to Tokyo)

The successful candidate will have a proven track record working with a wide range of teams including operations, R&D, consulting and support services.  They will work effectively in an internationally distributed, multi-discipline team and must be highly self-motivated and proactive, with excellent problem solving and communication skills.

Additional Information

Working Environment 

• The role is primarily working 24/7 on an 9hrs shift pattern

• Extra hours may be needed to discharge all associated duties
• The role includes remote working as part of its role, with office attendance from time to time

Note: This role profile serves to provide objective criteria for selecting a candidate who best fits the requirements.  This document summarizes the main duties and responsibilities of the role and is not intended as an exhaustive list.

We embrace flexibility and hybrid work opportunities to support diverse needs and lifestyles, while also valuing inclusive workplace experiences. By fostering a sense of community, we drive innovation, strengthen connections, and nurture belonging. Our commitment ensures you can work in a way that suits you best, while also engaging with colleagues to share ideas and build meaningful relationships.