Vice President Database Administration

LGBT Great; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A global financial services firm is hiring a Vice President of Database Administration to lead their database platforms. The role requires overseeing global operations, driving innovation, and ensuring compliance. Candidates should have at least 8 years of experience in database administration, along with technical proficiency in various platforms and tools. The position offers a hybrid work model and a comprehensive benefits package including support for physical health, emotional well-being, and educational reimbursement.

Benefits

Retirement investment tools

Education reimbursement

Family support programs

Flexible Time Off

Qualifications

• 8+ years in enterprise database administration and engineering.
• Ability to manage complex projects effectively.
• Strong strategic thinking and operational excellence mindset.

Responsibilities

• Lead operations and engineering strategy for database platforms.
• Ensure 24x7 availability and resiliency for global systems.
• Drive automation and optimize performance across environments.
• Engage with teams to deliver seamless service.

Skills

Enterprise database administration

Leadership in global environments

Influencing senior stakeholders

Operational excellence

Education

Bachelor’s in computer science or related field

Tools

Sybase ASE/IQ

Microsoft SQL Server

Oracle

PostgreSQL

Snowflake

Cassandra

Cosmos DB

Python

Perl

Java

Go

Ansible/AWX

Git

Azure DevOps

Job description

About this role

Vice President, Database Administration

The Team

The Database Hosting Team, part of Platform Hosting Services under Aladdin Platform Engineering, is responsible for the reliability, stability, and performance of BlackRock’s financial systems. We operate globally, delivering engineering and operational excellence across:

• OLTP and OLAP systems for transactional and analytical workloads
• Data warehousing and distributed platforms for large-scale processing
• Replication and high availability solutions ensuring resiliency and business continuity

Role & Strategic Impact

As VP of Database Administration, you will:

• Lead global operations and engineering strategy for mission-critical database platforms supporting Aladdin and other financial systems.
• Drive innovation and automation to scale operations and reduce complexity across hybrid environments (on-prem and cloud).
• Partner with senior technology and business leaders to align database strategy with firm-wide objectives.
• Champion performance optimization, security, and compliance, ensuring platforms meet evolving regulatory and business needs.

Core Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

• Oversee administration and engineering of OLTP, OLAP, data warehousing, and distributed NoSQL platforms.
• Ensure 24x7 availability and resiliency for global investment systems.

Strategic Collaboration

• Engage with infrastructure, application, and business teams across regions to deliver seamless service.
• Influence technology roadmaps and participate in architecture reviews.

Automation & Efficiency

• Scale operations through advanced automation frameworks and custom toolsets.
• Drive adoption of DevOps practices for database deployments and monitoring.

Governance & Risk Management

• Own configuration, capacity planning, security, disaster recovery, and audit compliance.
• Establish robust incident management processes with root-cause analysis and long-term remediation.

Project Delivery & Innovation

• Lead major upgrades, migrations, and consolidation initiatives.
• Contribute to monitoring and maintenance utilities using Python, Perl, Java, and modern frameworks.

Qualifications & Expertise

• Education: Bachelor’s in computer science or related field (preferred).
• Experience: 8+ years in enterprise database administration and engineering, with proven leadership in global environments.
• Technical Depth:
• Platforms: Sybase ASE/IQ, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, Snowflake, Cassandra, Cosmos DB.
• Replication: Sybase Replication, MSSQL HA, HVR/Fivetran.
• Cloud: Azure, AWS, GCP.
• Automation & DevOps: Python, Perl, Java, Go, Ansible/AWX, Git, Azure DevOps.
• OS: Linux, Windows; advanced shell scripting and system performance analysis.
• Leadership Skills: Ability to influence senior stakeholders, manage complex projects, and foster a culture of innovation.
• Mindset: Strategic thinker with a passion for operational excellence, continuous learning, and data-driven decision-making.

Personal Attributes

• Integrity and highest ethical standards.
• Strong learning agility and adaptability.
• Self-starter with a drive for superior performance.
• Natural curiosity and commitment to innovation.

Our benefits

To help you stay energized, engaged and inspired, we offer a wide range of employee benefits including: retirement investment and tools designed to help you in building a sound financial future; access to education reimbursement; comprehensive resources to support your physical health and emotional well-being; family support programs; and Flexible Time Off (FTO) so you can relax, recharge and be there for the people you care about.

Our hybrid work model

BlackRock’s hybrid work model is designed to enable a culture of collaboration and apprenticeship that enriches the experience of our employees, while supporting flexibility for all. Employees are currently required to work at least 4 days in the office per week, with the flexibility to work from home 1 day a week. Some business groups may require more time in the office due to their roles and responsibilities. We remain focused on increasing the impactful moments that arise when we work together in person – aligned with our commitment to performance and innovation. As a new joiner, you can count on this hybrid model to accelerate your learning and onboarding experience here at BlackRock.

About BlackRock

At BlackRock, we are all connected by one mission: to help more and more people experience financial well-being. Our clients, and the people they serve, are saving for retirement, paying for their children’s educations, buying homes and starting businesses. Their investments also help to strengthen the global economy: support businesses small and large; finance infrastructure projects that connect and power cities; and facilitate innovations that drive progress.

This mission would not be possible without our smartest investment – the one we make in our employees. It’s why we’re dedicated to creating an environment where our colleagues feel welcomed, valued and supported with networks, benefits and development opportunities to help them thrive.

For additional information on BlackRock, please visit @blackrock | Twitter: @blackrock | :

BlackRock is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to age, disability, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation and other protected characteristics at law.