Director, Database Services

Job Description

The Director, Database Services (Sub-Pocket Of Accountability lead) in the AppDev Platform Engineering POA, will lead a department with global accountability for the architecture, design and engineering of technology services covering SPE’s database platforms such as Oracle, Marklogic, MS SQL, Enterprise DB and various Cloud RDS services.

We are looking for an experienced IT professional who will support a complex, multi-national business enterprise. The Director will provide strategic and tactical leadership for engineering, implementation and operations of SPE’s Global Database Technology, and must have the ability to define and lead rapid IT responses to changing marketplace situations and changing business conditions. The Director will work closely with members of management including senior business management to design, develop, and implement IT Database platform strategies to improve SPE’s global capability and profitability. Primary accountabilities are managing a staff of Database Engineers and Administrators who are responsible for the day-to-day operations, design and implementation, architecture and technology strategy for SPE’s Global Database infrastructure.

This position requires a strong emphasis on project, offshore managed service provider, and staff management, as well as building and maintaining a positive business relationship with clients and vendors. The responsibilities outlined below must be performed with a minimum amount of supervision.

Key responsibilities:

• Database Management: Managing all aspects of the organization's databases, including data modeling, schema design, capacity planning, and data integration. Director is responsible for ensuring data integrity, availability, and reliability while optimizing performance and minimizing downtime.
• Database Administration: Overseeing the installation, configuration, and maintenance of database management systems (DBMS) and related software. This includes managing user access, security, backup and recovery, and performance tuning. The director is responsible for implementing disaster recovery plans and ensuring compliance with data protection regulations.
• Team Leadership: Managing a team of database administrators and other database professionals (FTE and offshore MSP team). This involves hiring and training staff, setting performance goals, providing guidance and support, and fostering a collaborative and efficient work environment. Provides coaching, mentoring, and training opportunities to staff members. Administers performance appraisals, merit increases, promotions, development plans and opportunities, training and vacation tracking for direct reports. The Director also collaborates with other IT teams and departments to ensure effective database integration with other systems. Has the ability to think strategically and align the database strategy with the overall business goals and objectives of the multinational company. This involves understanding the company's long-term vision, anticipating future database needs, and making informed decisions to support growth and scalability.
• Collaboration and Communication: Collaborating with stakeholders, such as software developers, data analysts, and business leaders, to understand their database needs and provide technical guidance. They also communicate database strategies, updates, and issues to senior management and other relevant parties in a clear and concise manner. Responsible for developing effective working relationships with clients and all other IT and InfoSec departments.
• Performance Monitoring and Optimization: Monitoring database performance and identifying opportunities for optimization. This includes analyzing query performance, identifying and resolving bottlenecks, implementing indexing and caching strategies, and staying updated with emerging database technologies and best practices.
• Security and Compliance: Ensuring the security and compliance of the organization's databases. This involves implementing and maintaining access controls, encryption, and auditing mechanisms to protect sensitive data. The director also works with legal and regulatory teams to ensure compliance with relevant data protection laws and industry standards.
• Project Development: Develops all project plans, budgets, staffing and tools/architectures for new projects. Ensure the quality, accuracy, and timelines of project deliverables. Responsible for staff adherence and competency in database platform standards and guidelines. Communicate project issues and status on a regular basis to project team members and Sr. Management. Reviews of Key/High Risk Projects, Post Implementation and “lessons learned” with team members and Sr. Management.

Required Experience:

• 15 years experience m anaging on-shore and off-shore database teams
• Database Management Systems (DBMS): In-depth knowledge and experience with various DBMS platforms such as Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB or various Cloud RDS services. Familiarity with the strengths, weaknesses, and features of different database systems is crucial for making informed decisions and optimizing database performance.
• Data Architecture and Modeling: Expertise in data architecture principles and data modeling techniques. This includes designing efficient and scalable database schemas, understanding different data models (relational, NoSQL, etc.), and ensuring data integrity and consistency.
• Database Administration and Performance Tuning: Proficiency in database administration tasks, including installation, configuration, backup and recovery, security management, and performance tuning. Experience in optimizing query execution, indexing, caching, and other techniques to enhance database performance is essential.
• Data Security and Compliance: Knowledge of data security best practices, encryption methods, access controls, and data protection regulations (such as GDPR or CCPA). Understanding compliance requirements and implementing security measures to protect sensitive data is crucial, particularly in multinational companies dealing with cross-border data transfers.
• Cloud Database Services: Familiarity with cloud-based database services such as Amazon RDS, Microsoft Azure SQL Database, or Google Cloud SQL. Understanding how to leverage cloud infrastructure for scalability, availability, and disaster recovery is important in a multinational company with distributed operations.
• Data Integration and ETL: Expertise in data integration techniques, ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes, and tools for seamless data movement between different systems and databases. This includes knowledge of data integration platforms, data warehousing, and real-time data synchronization.
• Leadership and Team Management: Strong leadership skills and the ability to manage a diverse team of database administrators and professionals across multiple locations. Experience in hiring, training, setting goals, and fostering a collaborative work environment is essential.
• Strategic Planning and Business Acumen: The ability to align database strategies with overall business objectives, understand the company's industry and market trends, and make informed decisions on technology investments and database initiatives.
• Communication and Stakeholder Management: Excellent communication skills to effectively collaborate with stakeholders across different departments and locations, including senior management, software developers, data analysts, and business leaders. The ability to translate technical concepts into non-technical language and articulate the value of database solutions is vital.

The anticipated base salary for this position is $196,000-$215,000. This role may also qualify for annual incentive and/or comprehensive benefits. The actual base salary offered will depend on a variety of factors, including without limitation, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and if applicable, the location of the position.

*Sony Pictures Entertainment is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other protected characteristics.