Database Architect at Pagatech Limited

Location: Yaba, Lagos
Sector:  Financial Services / FinTech
Reports to: Lead Software Architect

Summary

• Our purpose at Paga is to make it simple for 1 billion people to access and use money. We do that by delivering innovative financial services to the mass market across large, underserved markets.
• At Paga we value above all else, Collaboration, Ownership, Results Orientation, Integrity and Innovation (CORII).
• Database engineering team activities at Paga fall within the Product Development group along the software engineering, platform, and software support teams.
• As a Senior Database Architect, you will own primary responsibility for the architecture, performance, security and reliability of the core relational databases and no-relational data stores on the Paga platform. You will work closely with the software engineering teams (including database engineers) and the platform team (infrastructure and devops) to achieve this. This means:
  • Engaging in strategic data and software design decision making
  • Leading data architectural innovation design, availability and reliability implementations and operations
  • Working with teams to embed best-of-kind development practices to maintain data storage solution cohesion, reliability and performance
  • Developing and maintain data storage solution performance monitoring solutions in collaboration with the platform team
  • Delivering of best practice instruction/training to database engineering and software development team to help maintain data reliability, performance and integrity
  • Overall curation of platform data stores from a performance and reliability and security perspective
• The senior database architect is a key, senior member of the Product Development Team, which is responsible for all aspects of development and management of the Paga product platform. Database architecture activities usually span several technical areas so database architects will work closely with all of these teams while reporting directly to the lead software architect (application side) in the Paga development team structure.
• This role owns primary responsibility for the effective operation and growth of the Paga core data storage solutions which at present exists in both Microsoft SQL Server and PostgreSQL deployments.

Knowledge And Skill Requirements

• 10+ working with relevant DBMSs and 4+ years of database administration experience with relevant DMBSs
• Experience administering MS SQL Server required
• Experience administering PostgreSQL highly desirable
• Experience with cloud-based database service platforms a plus
• Experience with no-sql data storage solutions a plus

Technical Responsibilities:

• Database design and software strategy input - Collaborating with other software architecture functions to advice on database-related design concerns.
• Database performance management – Managing live and other database environments to optimize performance
• Database reliability management – Leading database reliability practices including configuration, replication, archiving, backup etc. and collaborating with platform team to maintain excellent database performance monitoring solutions
• Database security administration – Overseeing database security management
• Database data integrity management – Overseeing database integrity management implementations
• Database development best practices sharing – Engaging in knowledge sharing to provide best practice instruction/training to database engineering and software development team to help maintain data reliability, performance and integrity

Non-Technical Values & Traits:

• Leadership - Supports and grows a team of capable and motivated database engineers with a focus on developing individual capacity and institutional capability.
• Initiative - Independently identifies technical priorities related to their area of ownership and aligns team efforts with business strategic goals. Consistently seeks out ways to improve the system and product development practice and executes them in collaboration with other team leadership. Seeks out opportunities to improve the work-products of their peers and their team. Own the technical testing and performance planning side of their projects
• Follow Through/Scrappiness/Grit/Availability - Drives high-quality completion of their team independently. Influences stakeholders across the organization to effectively bring solutions to life. Is highly available in urgent moments to solve technical problems.
• Mastery/Depth of Understanding - Is the go-to expert for issues related to the Paga platform data solutions. Has strong business-knowledge across much of the business functional areas. Thoroughly understand company processes and methodology well.
• Business Impact Awareness, Pragmatism - Fully understands the trade-offs between technical, analytical and product goals, and applies them to technical strategy
• Vision & Strategic Perspective - Engages in the strategic decision-making process and provides useful input to strategy. Consistently provides strategic context and understanding to junior team members
• Collaboration – Courteous, tactful and diplomatic. Responds positively to request for help from internal and external partners. Fosters a strong collaborative practice within their team
• Ownership & Results Orientation – Independently takes broad ownership for the data solutions on the Paga platform and develops a similar attitude within their team. Is a performance “maven”, focused on key metrics around high availability and customer experience. Takes decisive and accurate action to deliver value. Accepts responsibility for outcomes even when elements are not within his/her control, providing a balanced and objective explanation. Supports and encourages others to adopt a constructive attitude to the successful completion of work responsibilities. Share own successes and praise others for motivation. Motivates colleagues through their own enthusiasm and willingness to learn.
• Integrity – Is honest without fail. Treats everyone with respect. Expresses an interest in the way people behave, recognizing the importance of attitudes and motives. Acknowledges the good work of others. Pays close attention to the needs of others.
• Policy Adherence - Keeps up to date with rules and regulations. Applies policies, processes and procedures to daily working. Identifies and proposes solutions for improvements to ways of working.
• Communication – Expresses ideas and designs clearly. Fosters an environment of excellent communication within their team to consistently maintain clarity and transparency about the software delivery process across the broader team and company stakeholders. Communicates in a non-threatening way. Shows empathy.