STEM OPT Senior Database Reliability Engineer Jobs
Senior Database Reliability Engineer roles sit squarely within STEM-designated CIP codes, making them eligible for the 24-month STEM OPT extension beyond your initial 12 months. Your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify, and you'll need an I-983 training plan tied to your database engineering or computer science degree.
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Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
The Senior Database Administrator will support multiple product teams across Dealer Solutions and play a key role in working on (managed and optimized enterprise database systems) cloud migration initiatives.
This role will be responsible for managing, optimizing, and re-architecting the current on-premises database environment. As a key technical enabler of the organization's cloud strategy, the Senior Database Administrator will first stabilize and remediate the existing database infrastructure, then design and execute a safe, phased migration to AWS.
This position bridges the gap between the current aging, monolithic on-premises database environment running on on-prem infrastructure and a future-state scalable, cost-efficient, cloud-native database platform.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Manage and support enterprise-scale Microsoft SQL Server environments, including databases in the 10+ terabyte range across development, QA, and production.
- Lead and participate in SQL Server upgrades, version migrations, patching, and maintenance efforts with minimal disruption to business-critical applications.
- Design, implement, and maintain high-availability and disaster recovery solutions, particularly Always On Availability Groups.
- Monitor and optimize database performance, availability, and reliability, including tuning queries, indexes, and stored procedures.
- Perform and validate database backup, recovery, and maintenance activities to ensure data integrity and operational continuity.
- Advanced SQL Server administration options (trace flags, DB options, and query hints).
- Develop automation using PowerShell, T-SQL, CI/CD pipelines, and Infrastructure as Code.
- Support enterprise monitoring, alerting, and observability solutions tailored to SQL Server health, availability, and performance metrics.
- Establish operational standards, runbooks, and incident response procedures.
- Expertise in SQL Server replication across multiple databases; troubleshoot replication latency, distribution bottlenecks, and data consistency issues.
- Troubleshoot and resolve complex database issues related to performance, connectivity, storage, security, and application integration.
- Contribute to the planning and execution of database migration and cloud transformation initiatives, with a focus on migrating to AWS (RDS for SQL Server, EC2-hosted SQL Server).
- Implement database security best practices, including user access management, encryption, auditing, and compliance controls.
- Create and maintain automation scripts, monitoring solutions, operational procedures, and technical documentation.
- Collaborate with software engineering, DevOps, infrastructure, product, and security teams to support business-critical applications and modernization efforts.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's degree in a related discipline and 4 years' experience in a related field. The right candidate could also have a different combination, such as a master's degree and 2 years' experience; a Ph.D. and up to 1 year of experience; or 8 years' experience in a related field.
- Requires 2+ years of AWS database migration experience.
- Requires 5+ years of experience with Microsoft SQL Server database platform in the 10+ terabyte range.
- Strong hands-on experience with SQL Server replication, including troubleshooting latency and consistency issues.
- Demonstrated experience with SQL Server upgrades, migrations, and patching across multiple environments.
- Solid understanding of Windows Server administration as it relates to SQL Server hosting and configuration.
- Proven experience with SQL Server clustering and high-availability solutions (e.g., failover clustering).
PREFERRED QUALIFICATION
- Nice to have in Atlas MongoDB and PostgreSQL.
COMPENSATION
- Salary Range: $121,800.00 - $203,000.00 per year
Compensation includes a base salary in the range of $121,800.00 - $203,000.00. The base salary may vary within the anticipated base pay range based on factors such as the ultimate location of the position and the selected candidate's knowledge, skills, and abilities. Position may be eligible for additional compensation that may include an incentive program.
BENEFITS
The Company offers eligible employees the flexibility to take as much vacation with pay as they deem consistent with their duties, the company's needs, and its obligations; seven paid holidays throughout the calendar year; and up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually for their own wellness or that of family members. Employees are also eligible for additional paid time off in the form of bereavement leave, time off to vote, jury duty leave, volunteer time off, military leave, and parental leave.
EOE, including disability/vets
INTRODUCTION
The Senior Database Administrator will support multiple product teams across Dealer Solutions and play a key role in working on (managed and optimized enterprise database systems) cloud migration initiatives.
This role will be responsible for managing, optimizing, and re-architecting the current on-premises database environment. As a key technical enabler of the organization's cloud strategy, the Senior Database Administrator will first stabilize and remediate the existing database infrastructure, then design and execute a safe, phased migration to AWS.
This position bridges the gap between the current aging, monolithic on-premises database environment running on on-prem infrastructure and a future-state scalable, cost-efficient, cloud-native database platform.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Manage and support enterprise-scale Microsoft SQL Server environments, including databases in the 10+ terabyte range across development, QA, and production.
- Lead and participate in SQL Server upgrades, version migrations, patching, and maintenance efforts with minimal disruption to business-critical applications.
- Design, implement, and maintain high-availability and disaster recovery solutions, particularly Always On Availability Groups.
- Monitor and optimize database performance, availability, and reliability, including tuning queries, indexes, and stored procedures.
- Perform and validate database backup, recovery, and maintenance activities to ensure data integrity and operational continuity.
- Advanced SQL Server administration options (trace flags, DB options, and query hints).
- Develop automation using PowerShell, T-SQL, CI/CD pipelines, and Infrastructure as Code.
- Support enterprise monitoring, alerting, and observability solutions tailored to SQL Server health, availability, and performance metrics.
- Establish operational standards, runbooks, and incident response procedures.
- Expertise in SQL Server replication across multiple databases; troubleshoot replication latency, distribution bottlenecks, and data consistency issues.
- Troubleshoot and resolve complex database issues related to performance, connectivity, storage, security, and application integration.
- Contribute to the planning and execution of database migration and cloud transformation initiatives, with a focus on migrating to AWS (RDS for SQL Server, EC2-hosted SQL Server).
- Implement database security best practices, including user access management, encryption, auditing, and compliance controls.
- Create and maintain automation scripts, monitoring solutions, operational procedures, and technical documentation.
- Collaborate with software engineering, DevOps, infrastructure, product, and security teams to support business-critical applications and modernization efforts.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's degree in a related discipline and 4 years' experience in a related field. The right candidate could also have a different combination, such as a master's degree and 2 years' experience; a Ph.D. and up to 1 year of experience; or 8 years' experience in a related field.
- Requires 2+ years of AWS database migration experience.
- Requires 5+ years of experience with Microsoft SQL Server database platform in the 10+ terabyte range.
- Strong hands-on experience with SQL Server replication, including troubleshooting latency and consistency issues.
- Demonstrated experience with SQL Server upgrades, migrations, and patching across multiple environments.
- Solid understanding of Windows Server administration as it relates to SQL Server hosting and configuration.
- Proven experience with SQL Server clustering and high-availability solutions (e.g., failover clustering).
PREFERRED QUALIFICATION
- Nice to have in Atlas MongoDB and PostgreSQL.
COMPENSATION
- Salary Range: $121,800.00 - $203,000.00 per year
Compensation includes a base salary in the range of $121,800.00 - $203,000.00. The base salary may vary within the anticipated base pay range based on factors such as the ultimate location of the position and the selected candidate's knowledge, skills, and abilities. Position may be eligible for additional compensation that may include an incentive program.
BENEFITS
The Company offers eligible employees the flexibility to take as much vacation with pay as they deem consistent with their duties, the company's needs, and its obligations; seven paid holidays throughout the calendar year; and up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually for their own wellness or that of family members. Employees are also eligible for additional paid time off in the form of bereavement leave, time off to vote, jury duty leave, volunteer time off, military leave, and parental leave.
EOE, including disability/vets
See all STEM OPT Senior Database Reliability Engineer Jobs
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding STEM OPT Authorization as a Senior Database Reliability Engineer
Verify your CIP code matches the role
Check that your degree's CIP code falls under computer science, information technology, or a related STEM category recognized by USCIS. Database engineering roles typically align with CIP 11.0701 (computer science) or 14.0901 (computer engineering), but your DSO confirms the exact match.
Confirm E-Verify enrollment before applying
Ask hiring managers directly whether the company is enrolled in E-Verify before you invest time in interviews. STEM OPT authorization depends on this, and not every employer in database infrastructure has completed enrollment, even at large tech organizations.
Build an I-983 training plan around database reliability work
Your I-983 must map specific learning objectives to your STEM degree. For this role, document how tasks like chaos engineering, failover testing, and query optimization connect to your academic coursework in systems design, distributed computing, or data architecture.
Target employers with active database infrastructure teams
Use Migrate Mate to filter for employers who have sponsored STEM OPT and H-1B visa candidates in database and systems reliability roles. This shows you which companies already understand the I-983 process and won't need educating on STEM OPT compliance obligations.
Use the OFLC Wage Search to benchmark your offer
STEM OPT requires employers to pay you the same wage as similarly situated U.S. workers. Pull the prevailing wage for your SOC code and metro area from the OFLC Wage Search before your offer conversation so you can flag any gap with your employer's HR team.
File your STEM OPT extension 90 days before OPT expires
USCIS recommends filing the I-765 extension at least 90 days before your initial OPT end date. Your authorization continues during the pending period only if you filed on time, so coordinate your start date with your employer's onboarding timeline accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Senior Database Reliability Engineer role qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
Yes, if your degree is in a STEM-designated field such as computer science, computer engineering, or information systems. The role itself must also connect to that degree. Your DSO will confirm the CIP code match when approving your I-983 training plan. USCIS ultimately adjudicates the extension, but a strong degree-to-role connection is the foundation of a clean application.
How do I know if a Senior Database Reliability Engineer employer is enrolled in E-Verify?
Ask the recruiter or HR contact directly and request written confirmation before signing an offer. You can also reference the E-Verify employer search tool to look up participating employers by company name. STEM OPT authorization is void if your employer isn't enrolled, so confirming this early in the interview process protects your timeline and avoids last-minute complications.
What should my I-983 training plan include for a database reliability role?
Your I-983 must describe how the job's practical training relates to your STEM degree. For a Senior Database Reliability Engineer, list specific learning goals tied to your coursework: designing high-availability systems, implementing automated failover, optimizing query performance, and managing incident response. Your employer's supervisor signs the plan, and your DSO approves it before you can begin or extend work.
Where can I find Senior Database Reliability Engineer jobs that sponsor STEM OPT students?
Migrate Mate filters job listings for employers with verified E-Verify enrollment and a track record of sponsoring F-1 students in technical roles. Searching there narrows your list to companies already set up to support your I-983 and STEM OPT compliance requirements, rather than having to manually verify each employer's eligibility status yourself.
What happens to my STEM OPT authorization if my H-1B is selected in the lottery before my extension ends?
If your H-1B petition is filed before your STEM OPT expires and your status is still valid on April 1, cap-gap protection extends your OPT authorization through September 30 of that fiscal year. You can continue working for the same E-Verify-enrolled employer during this period. USCIS issues an updated EAD reflecting the cap-gap extension once your petition receipt is confirmed.