Role Description We are redefining the data foundation that powers Dayforce. As a Distinguished Database Platform Engineer, you will set the technical direction for how we design, scale, and operate our data platforms—spanning transactional systems and modern lakehouse architectures. This is a hands-on architectural role for a technical leader who thrives on solving complex data challenges, influencing engineering at scale, and modernizing data platform engineering through cloud, automation, and AI. - Define and drive the architecture of highly scalable, resilient data platforms across OLTP and analytical systems - Lead the evolution of Lakehouse architecture, supporting unified data and analytics - Own performance, reliability, and scalability across critical database platforms through deep, hands-on expertise - Guide adoption of modern platforms and tooling (e.g., Databricks, cloud-native services, automation frameworks) - Partner with engineering and data teams to shape data models, access patterns, and platform capabilities - Influence technical strategy and raise engineering standards across the organization - Lead hands-on investigation and resolution of complex customer database and data lake performance, reliability, and data consistency issues, including direct analysis of production systems when needed Qualifications - Expert-level experience with large-scale database platforms (e.g., SQL Server, PostgreSQL) in production environments - Strong background in modern data architecture and distributed data systems - Experience with Databricks and cloud data platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) - Familiarity with both relational and NoSQL systems (e.g., MongoDB) - Deep expertise in performance tuning, scalability, and high-availability design - Proven ability to operate as a technical leader—setting direction while remaining hands-on - Comfort leveraging AI and automation to improve database platform operations and engineering productivity - 10+ years of experience designing, operating, and optimizing large-scale production database platforms - Deep hands-on expertise with enterprise relational database technologies such as Microsoft SQL Server and PostgreSQL - Strong experience with distributed data systems and modern data architectures, including Data Lake, Delta Lake, or Lakehouse platforms - Experience troubleshooting complex database performance, scalability, reliability, and data consistency issues in production environments - Experience with cloud platforms and cloud-native data services (AWS, Azure, or GCP) - Strong understanding of high availability, disaster recovery, backup/recovery, indexing, query optimization, performance tuning, Change Data Capture, and Event Driven systems. - Experience working with automation, observability, and infrastructure-as-code approaches for platform operations - Proven ability to influence technical direction and collaborate effectively across engineering, infrastructure, and data teams - Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience Requirements - Experience with Databricks and modern Lakehouse implementations supporting unified analytics and operational workloads - Experience with NoSQL technologies such as MongoDB or other distributed document/key-value databases - Experience designing and operating platforms that support both transactional and analytical workloads at enterprise scale - Experience modernizing legacy database environments into cloud-native or hybrid architectures - Demonstrated technical leadership in architecting shared platform capabilities, standards, and engineering best practices - Experience leveraging AI-assisted tooling or automation to improve operational efficiency, troubleshooting, and engineering productivity - Experience mentoring senior engineers and leading cross-functional technical initiatives - Experience designing secure data platforms with strong governance and access-control models - Familiarity with compliance frameworks and data residency requirements (SOC2, GDPR, HIPAA, etc.) - Expertise with encryption, secrets management, auditing, and zero-trust approaches - Advanced cloud, database, or data engineering certifications are considered an asset - Experience in large-scale SaaS, HCM, fintech, or other highly regulated enterprise software environments is an asset Benefits - Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance - 401k plan (plus match) - Global Employee Stock Purchase Plan - Unlimited Time Away From Work (in lieu of accrued vacation time) - 10 paid US holidays - Up to 80 hours of paid sick time - 17 weeks of paid parental leave, subject to the terms of the applicable policy or program - Opportunities for community impact, including volunteer days and charity initiatives