Sr. Database Platform Manager

Requisition Number: 79361

Position Title:

External Description:

Role Summary

The Sr. Database Platform Manager is a strategic leadership position in the Platform Engineering Team responsible for ensuring the reliability, scalability, and optimal performance of T. Rowe Price’s global technology and services. This role offers a unique opportunity to shape and execute the platform strategy, vision, and roadmap for cloud and hybrid-cloud environments.

As a key contributor to the resilience and efficiency of T. Rowe Price’s technology infrastructure, this position drives organizational success and supports ongoing growth. The Sr Manager will lead dynamic teams and champion transformational change in a fast-paced, evolving landscape.

Responsibilities

Leadership & Strategic Vision:

• Drive infrastructure platform modernization to support always-on enterprise applications and services.
• Develop and implement strategies that ensure performance, security, scalability, and efficiency, advancing the cloud-first initiative.
• Partner with IT stakeholders to craft, communicate, and execute multi-year technology roadmaps aimed at simplifying architecture and delivery models.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with software development, IT operations, architecture, security, and product management to ensure seamless service integration and delivery.
• Lead major enterprise initiatives to migrate data platforms and applications from on-premises data centers to the cloud.
• Build, mentor, and expand a high-performing platform engineering team, fostering a collaborative, innovative, and continuously improving culture.

Reliability & Performance:

• Oversee the design, implementation, and operation of database systems to maintain high availability, reliability, and peak performance.
• Set and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and service level objectives (SLOs) to drive system reliability improvements.
• Proactively identify and mitigate system risks, including capacity planning, incident management, and disaster recovery.
• Enhance monitoring and alerting systems to track resource utilization, query performance, and overall system health.
• Establish processes for trend analysis within monitoring data to anticipate and address potential issues.
• Lead cross-functional efforts to diagnose root causes of instability and implement short- and long-term improvements.

Automation & Efficiency:

• Champion automation tools and practices to boost operational efficiency and reduce manual work.
• Implement and refine CI/CD processes to accelerate delivery, enhance developer experience, and minimize downtime.
• Promote infrastructure as code (IaC) and other modern practices to streamline operations and support scalability.
• Measure and report on the impact of automation initiatives, demonstrating productivity, reliability, and cost-effectiveness gains.

Innovation & Continuous Improvement:

• Stay current with industry trends and emerging technologies to identify opportunities for innovation.
• Lead initiatives to optimize system architecture and infrastructure for scalability and future adaptability.
• Foster a culture of experimentation and learning, encouraging the team to explore new approaches.
• Use metrics and feedback loops to measure the impact of innovation efforts and guide future investments.

Communication & Collaboration:

• Facilitate clear, effective communication and collaboration between the database engineering team and other departments.
• Advocate for best practices in database platform engineering across the organization.
• Demonstrate a proven track record of developing, communicating, and executing multi-year technology strategies and roadmaps.
• Utilize Jira to organize work, document requirements, assign responsibilities, and track project and operational progress.
• Leverage reporting and dashboard capabilities in Jira to communicate updates, highlight risks, and ensure timely delivery to stakeholders.

Vendor Management:

• Establish and maintain strong relationships with database technology vendors and service providers to ensure optimal support and alignment with organizational goals.
• Oversee the evaluation, selection, and renewal of third-party solutions, ensuring compliance with technical, budgetary, and regulatory requirements.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for vendor escalations, contract negotiations, and issue resolution.
• Monitor vendor performance through regular reviews, SLA tracking, and feedback collection, driving continuous improvement.
• Work closely with procurement, legal, and risk management on contracts, licensing, renewals, and regulatory adherence.
• Stay informed on vendor roadmaps and product updates, communicating relevant information to stakeholders and incorporating it into strategic planning.

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree (or equivalent experience) plus 12+ years in database engineering, cloud engineering, software development, and/or IT operations, including 8+ years of technical leadership and team management.
• 8+ years of data solution architecture, design, development, and platform engineering experience.
• 8+ years of progressive leadership experience in large, global financial institutions.
• Proven experience leading database platform transformations on-premises and in cloud environments (e.g., SQL Server, Snowflake, Oracle, AWS Aurora PostgreSQL, AWS RDS, RedShift).
• Demonstrated expertise in architecting modern data integration frameworks, data modeling, ETL/ELT workflows, and scalable distributed systems using open source and emerging architectures.
• Successful implementation and scaling of DevOps practices, tools, and frameworks (e.g., IaC, CI/CD, Agile).
• Advanced knowledge of cloud computing, distributed systems, and modern infrastructure technologies.
• Proven experience deploying and supporting cloud platforms at scale (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Strong problem-solving skills and data-driven decision-making abilities.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate across teams.

Preferred:

• Deep expertise in financial services, specifically investment management.
• Relevant certifications (e.g., SRECP, CRP).

FINRA Requirements

FINRA licenses are not required and will not be supported for this role.

Work Flexibility

This role is eligible for hybrid work, with up to three days per week from home.

City:

State:

Community / Marketing Title: Sr. Database Platform Manager

Company Profile:

Location_formattedLocationLong: Maryland, US

CountryEEOText_Description: Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: We strive for equity, equality, and opportunity for all associates. When we embrace the power of diversity and create an environment where people can bring their authentic and best selves to work, our firm is stronger, and we create greater value for our clients. Our commitment and inclusive programming aim to lift the experience for each associate and builds allies for our global associate community. We know that a sense of belonging is key not only to your success at the firm, but also to your ability to bring your best each day. Benefits: We invest in our people through a wide range of programs and benefits, including: • Competitive pay and bonuses as well as a generous retirement plan and employee stock purchase plan with matching contributions • Flexible and remote work opportunities • Health care benefits (medical, dental, vision) • Tuition assistance • Wellness programs (fitness reimbursement, Employee Assistance Program) Our policies may change as our working lives evolve. Yet, our commitment to supporting our associates’ well-being and addressing the needs of our clients, business, and communities is unwavering. T. Rowe Price is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity of thought, gender, and race. We believe our continued success depends upon the equal treatment of all associates and applicants for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, religion, creed, color, national origin, sex, gender, age, mental or physical disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, citizenship status, military or veteran status, pregnancy, or any other classification protected by country, federal, state, or local law.