What are the responsibilities and job description for the Principal Database Administrator - Cassandra, Postgres SQL position at Abbott?
Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 114,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.
Working at Abbott
At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and family, be your true self and live a full life.You’ll also have access to :
Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of.
Free medical coverage for employees
- via the Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO
An excellent retirement savings plan with high employer contribution
Tuition reimbursement, the student debt program and education benefit- an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree.
A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries around the world and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.
A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as a best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists.
We are seeking an experienced Cassandra Database Administrator (DBA) to design, manage, optimize, and maintain Cassandra and Postgres SQL database infrastructure. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in database administration, particularly with Apache Cassandra, Postgres SQL and will be responsible for ensuring the performance, availability, and security of our database systems. This role requires a proactive individual who can troubleshoot issues, implement best practices, and collaborate with development and operations teams to support business-critical applications.
What you'll work on :
Database Management
Install, configure, and maintain Apache Cassandra clusters.
Monitor database performance, troubleshoot issues, and optimize queries for efficiency.
Perform regular backups, recovery, and disaster recovery planning.
Manage database security, including access control, encryption, and auditing.
Performance Tuning
Optimize Cassandra configurations for high availability and scalability.
Monitor and tune database performance, including read / write operations, compaction, and garbage collection.
Identify and resolve bottlenecks in the database environment.
Cluster Maintenance
Plan and execute Cassandra cluster upgrades and patches.
Manage node additions, removals, and replacements in the cluster.
Ensure data replication and consistency across nodes.
Monitoring and Alerting
Implement and maintain monitoring tools (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, Datadog) to track database health and performance.
Set up alerts for critical issues such as node failures, disk space, and latency spikes.
Collaboration and Support
Work closely with development teams to design and implement efficient database schemas and queries.
Provide 24 / 7 support for production databases and resolve issues promptly.
Collaborate with DevOps and infrastructure teams to ensure seamless integration of Cassandra with other systems.
Documentation and Best Practices
Document database configurations, processes, and procedures.
Establish and enforce best practices for database administration and usage.
Train and mentor junior team members on Cassandra administration.
Capacity Planning
Analyze database growth trends and plan for capacity scaling.
Recommend hardware and infrastructure improvements to support database needs.
Required Qualifications
Education :
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
Experience
10 years of experience as a Database Administrator
At least 5 years of experience with a focus on Apache Cassandra
Hands-on experience with Cassandra cluster management, performance tuning, and troubleshooting.
Familiarity with distributed database systems and NoSQL concepts.
Proficiency in Cassandra Query Language (CQL).
Experience with Linux / Unix environments and shell scripting.
Knowledge of monitoring tools like Prometheus, Grafana, or Kibana.
Familiarity with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and containerization (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).
Understanding of networking, storage, and security concepts.
Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
Excellent communication and collaboration abilities.
Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
Preferred Qualifications
Certification in Apache Cassandra or related technologies.
Experience with other NoSQL databases (e.g., MongoDB, DynamoDB).
Knowledge of DevOps practices and tools (e.g., Terraform).
Experience with data modeling and schema design for Cassandra.
Experience with Druid and spark
Experience with MySQL database.
