Staff Software Engineer- Database Systems
Why UKG:
At UKG, the work you do matters. The code you ship, the decisions you make, and the care you show a customer all add up to real impact. Today, tens of millions of workers start and end their days with our workforce operating platform. Helping people get paid, grow in their careers, and shape the future of their industries. That's what we do.
We never stop learning. We never stop challenging the norm. We push for better, and we celebrate the wins along the way. Here, you'll get flexibility that's real, benefits you can count on, and a team that succeeds together. Because at UKG, your work matters-and so do you
About the Role
UKG is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Staff Software Engineer - Database Systems to join our engineering organization. In this role, you will design, develop, optimize, and support enterprise-scale database infrastructure powering our cloud-native SaaS solutions.
As a Lead Staff Software Engineer, you will provide technical leadership in building highly available, scalable, and performant Microsoft SQL Server database platforms. You will collaborate with software engineers, architects, production DBAs, and operations teams to deliver resilient database solutions while driving engineering best practices, automation, and operational excellence.
Key Responsibilities
Database Engineering
• Design, develop, and maintain SQL Server-based database infrastructure supporting enterprise SaaS applications.
• Develop clean, maintainable, and efficient T-SQL and automation scripts.
• Design scalable database architectures that support high availability, performance, and reliability.
Technical Leadership
• Partner with engineering teams to perform SQL code reviews and database design reviews.
• Establish and promote database engineering standards, best practices, and development guidelines.
• Mentor engineers and provide technical leadership across database initiatives.
Performance & Optimization
• Analyze and optimize database performance through query tuning, indexing strategies, and capacity planning.
• Recommend and implement performance improvements across development and production environments.
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• Troubleshoot complex database issues and drive root cause analysis.
Reliability & Operations
• Maintain the health, availability, and reliability of development and QA database environments.
• Monitor database performance using observability and monitoring tools.
• Participate in incident response and on-call rotations.
• Lead post-incident reviews and implement preventive measures to improve long-term system stability.
DevOps & Automation
• Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines supporting database development and deployments.
• Automate database administration tasks and operational workflows.
• Plan and execute SQL Server version upgrades, high-availability configuration (e.g., Always On Availability Groups), and replication strategies.
• Utilize Infrastructure as Code tools to provision and manage database environments.
Documentation & Engineering Excellence
• Create and maintain technical documentation, including SOPs, runbooks, architecture decision records, and best practice guides.
• Champion operational excellence through automation, standardization, and continuous process improvement.
Innovation
• Stay current with emerging database technologies and cloud-managed database services.
• Evaluate and recommend new technologies that improve scalability, reliability, developer productivity, and operational efficiency.
Basic Qualifications
• 7+ years of experience as a Database Engineer, Database Administrator, or Database Developer supporting enterprise relational database systems.
• Strong expertise with Microsoft SQL Server and Always On Availability Groups and SSIS/SSRS/SSAS, replication.
• Strong experience administering Windows Server environments - experience with Linux/UNIX is a plus
• Proficiency with Python and/or Shell/PowerShell scripting.
• Proven expertise in database performance tuning, query optimization, indexing, and capacity planning.
• Experience supporting large-scale, multi-tenant production SaaS environments.
• This position requires working onsite 3 days a week out of the UKG office location
Preferred Qualifications
• Experience with Cloud-based infrastructures like Microsoft Azure and GCP
• Experience with Git-based version control systems and CI/CD automation tools, including GitHub, Jenkins, and GitHub Actions.
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code and configuration management tools such as Terraform and Ansible.
• Experience with monitoring and observability platforms such as Splunk and Grafana.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and leadership skills with demonstrated mentoring experience.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.
Company Overview:
UKG is the Workforce Operating Platform that puts workforce understanding to work. With the world's largest collection of workforce insights, and people-first AI, our ability to reveal unseen ways to build trust, amplify productivity, and empower talent, is unmatched. It's this expertise that equips our customers with the intelligence to solve any challenge in any industry - because great organizations know their workforce is their competitive edge. Learn more at ukg.com.
Equal Opportunity Employer
UKG is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, disability, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, and other legally protected categories.
View The EEO Know Your Rights poster
UKG participates in E-Verify. View the E-Verify posters here.
It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.
Disability Accommodation in the Application and Interview Process
For individuals with disabilities that need additional assistance at any point in the application and interview process, please email UKGCareers@ukg.com.
The pay range for this position is $129,500 to $186,100. The actual base pay offered may vary depending on skills, experience, job-related knowledge and work location. In addition to base pay, employees may be eligible to participate in a performance-based bonus plan and to receive restricted stock unit awards as part of total compensation. Learn more about UKG's benefits and rewards at https://www.ukg.com/about-us/careers/benefits
Perks and Benefits
Health and Wellness
- Health Insurance
- Health Reimbursement Account
- Dental Insurance
- Vision Insurance
- Life Insurance
- Short-Term Disability
- Long-Term Disability
- FSA
- FSA With Employer Contribution
- HSA
- HSA With Employer Contribution
- Fitness Subsidies
- On-Site Gym
- Virtual Fitness Classes
Parental Benefits
- Birth Parent or Maternity Leave
- Non-Birth Parent or Paternity Leave
- Adoption Assistance Program
- Family Support Resources
- Adoption Leave
Work Flexibility
- Flexible Work Hours
- Remote Work Opportunities
- Hybrid Work Opportunities
Office Life and Perks
- Casual Dress
- Happy Hours
- Company Outings
- Holiday Events
Vacation and Time Off
- Paid Vacation
- Unlimited Paid Time Off
- Paid Holidays
- Personal/Sick Days
- Volunteer Time Off
Financial and Retirement
- 401(K) With Company Matching
- Company Equity
- Performance Bonus
- Profit Sharing
Professional Development
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Mentor Program
- Shadowing Opportunities
- Access to Online Courses
- Internship Program
Diversity and Inclusion