Sql Database Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

We Put the World on Vacation

The Database Engineer III (Lead Engineer) leads engineering delivery, technical execution, and platform improvement across the enterprise Microsoft SQL Server environment. This role provides lead-level, hands-on SQL Server expertise and frequently serves as the database technical lead for projects - coordinating design, implementation, migration, integration, testing, deployment, and transition to operations.

The position partners with Database Engineering, Architecture, Application, Security, Infrastructure, Project Management, and MSP Operations teams to deliver database solutions that are scalable, supportable, secure, resilient, and aligned with enterprise standards. Candidates must have strong hands-on Microsoft SQL Server capability plus practical working knowledge of at least one additional platform domain (Oracle or Distributed Data Platforms - PostgreSQL, MySQL, Snowflake, Databricks).

This role does not typically carry direct people-management responsibility but is expected to lead technical work, coordinate deliverables, mentor engineers, guide MSP resources, support standards adoption, and act as a primary technical escalation point for SQL Server platforms and projects.

How You'll Shine:

• Lead Database Engineering Delivery - Lead design, implementation, upgrade, migration, optimization, and lifecycle management of assigned platforms. Coordinate tasks, validate approaches, identify risks, and ensure solutions align with enterprise standards, security, operational needs, and business expectations.

• Provide Senior-Level Expertise & Escalation Support - Serve as a senior escalation point for performance, availability, backup/recovery, security, capacity, configuration, and integration issues. Troubleshoot complex problems, support incident resolution, contribute to root cause analysis, and recommend durable remediations.

• Drive Performance, Reliability & Operational Improvement - Improve database performance, reliability, automation, monitoring, capacity planning, and backup validation. Partner with MSP Operations and internal teams to raise service quality and strengthen platform health across production and non-production.

• Guide MSP Operations & Cross-Functional Execution - Provide technical direction to MSP DBAs during changes, incidents, maintenance, upgrades, and migrations. Validate operational execution against engineering standards and ensure work is sound, documented, and compliant with approved processes.

• Mentor Engineers & Promote Knowledge Sharing - Mentor Senior Engineers and other team members through design discussions, troubleshooting, peer reviews, and documentation. Support cross-platform learning and improve overall technical maturity and consistency.

• Contribute to Platform Modernization & Lifecycle Planning - Support modernization, cloud/hybrid adoption, consolidation, automation, technical-debt reduction, and lifecycle planning. Provide engineering input into roadmaps, upgrade strategies, and migration plans.

What You'll Bring:

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, IT, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related technical field preferred. Equivalent professional experience may be accepted in lieu of the degree.

Technical Leadership & Delivery

• Strong technical leadership in enterprise-scale environments.

• Ability to coordinate execution across internal, MSP, application, infrastructure, and security teams.

• Ability to lead implementation, manage technical risk, and drive work through completion.

Database Engineering & Operational Understanding

• Strong grasp of database engineering, administration, lifecycle management, and operational support models.

• Ability to connect engineering decisions to operational needs - monitoring, patching, backup/recovery, supportability, documentation, and change control.

• Understanding of how database platforms interact with applications, infrastructure, identity, storage, network, security, and cloud.

Platform Domain Understanding

• Understanding of the platform domain model: Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, and Distributed Data Platforms.

• Ability to distinguish platform-specific depth from domain-level breadth.

• Recognition that Distributed Data Platforms (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Snowflake, Databricks) are a grouped capability area requiring exposure to most/all technologies, not a single product.

• Ability to support decisions across traditional relational, open-source relational, cloud data warehouse, and lakehouse/distributed analytics platforms.

Problem Solving & Technical Judgment

• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills in complex environments.

• Ability to assess technical risk, operational impact, business priority, and platform constraints.

• Demonstrated sound technical recommendations during incidents, changes, migrations, upgrades, and performance issues.

Standards & Technical Quality

• Ability to follow, apply, and improve engineering standards, documentation, design patterns, and procedures.

• Ability to identify gaps in implementation plans, configuration standards, monitoring, backup validation, resiliency, and support processes.

• Strong focus on repeatability, consistency, maintainability, automation, and long-term platform health.

Mentoring & Knowledge Sharing

• Ability to mentor engineers and support skill development across the team.

• Ability to clearly explain platform concepts, troubleshooting methods, and engineering practices.

• Ability to contribute to documentation, peer reviews, and cross-platform knowledge sharing.

• Communication & Collaboration (Soft Skills)

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to communicate technical issues, risks, recommendations, and status to technical teams, leadership, vendors, and application stakeholders.

• Ability to collaborate effectively across multiple teams, priorities, platforms, and support models.

• Core Platform: Microsoft SQL Server

• Secondary Domains: Oracle Database; Distributed Data Platforms - PostgreSQL, MySQL, Snowflake, Databricks

• Cloud Platforms & Services: Amazon RDS, Amazon Aurora, Amazon EC2

• DB Availability, Recovery & Performance: Always On Availability Groups, Query Store, Extended Events

• Administration & Engineering Tools: SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)

• Supporting Tools: ServiceNow, PowerShell, Python, Ansible, GitHub

• Minimum 8 years with enterprise database platforms, engineering, and administration.

• Minimum 5 years hands-on Microsoft SQL Server.

• Minimum 3 years with at least one additional platform domain (Oracle or Distributed Data Platforms).

• For candidates whose primary/secondary domain is Distributed Data Platforms, experience must span most/all of PostgreSQL, MySQL, Snowflake, and Databricks - a single product does not satisfy the full domain requirement.

• Experience leading technical delivery for upgrades, migrations, performance remediation, high availability, backup/recovery improvements, automation, or lifecycle projects.

• Experience supporting production environments requiring availability, recoverability, performance, security, compliance, and change control.

• Experience mentoring engineers, supporting standards adoption, contributing to design reviews, and providing technical escalation support.

• Experience automating day-to-day database activities.

Experience equivalent to the education requirement may be accepted in lieu of the education requirement.

How You'll Be Rewarded:

We offer a diverse range of comprehensive health and welfare benefits to associates who work 30 or more hours per week to meet your needs and support you throughout your career with us. Certain benefits may be available to associates working fewer hours where required by applicable law. Travel + Leisure Co. benefits include:

Note: Temporary and/or seasonal associates are ineligible for Paid Time Off.

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Flexible spending accounts
• Life and accident coverage
• Disability
• Depending on position, paid time off, parental leave and holidays (speak to your recruiter for additional information)
• Wish day paid time to volunteer at an approved organization of your choice
• 401k with employer match (subject to eligibility requirements, including tenure - speak to your recruiter for additional information)
• Legal and identify theft plan
• Voluntary income protection benefits
• Wellness program (subject to provider availability)
• Employee Assistance Program

Where Memories Start with You

Hospitality is at the heart of all we do at Travel + Leisure Co. Here, you'll find an inclusive environment where we deliver excellence and take time to have fun, celebrate together, and support one another. We're always looking ahead to what's next and how we can strengthen our business, its neighboring communities, and the customer experience. Join our global team and build a career where memories start with you.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all applications will be considered for employment without attention to their membership in any protected class. If you require any reasonable accommodation to complete your application or any part of the recruiting process, please email your request to MyCareer@travelandleisure.com, including the title and location of the position for which you are applying.