IT Manager - Distributed Database Services

Horace Mann is a purpose-driven company that is passionate about educators. We are seeking an experienced Manager of Distributed Database Services to lead a small, high-impact team responsible for the reliability, scalability, and performance of our enterprise database platforms. This role combines hands-on technical leadership with people management, ensuring our distributed data environments support critical business applications securely and efficiently.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of 3 database engineers/administrators
• Set priorities, assign work, and ensure timely delivery of team objectives
• Conduct performance reviews and support career development
• Foster a collaborative, accountable, and continuous improvement culture

Database Platform Ownership

• Oversee administration of distributed database systems (e.g., MongoDB, Cassandra, PostgreSQL, or cloud-native databases)
• Ensure high availability, disaster recovery, backup, and data integrity processes
• Monitor performance, capacity, and system health; drive optimization efforts
• Lead incident response and root cause analysis for production issues

Architecture & Engineering

• Partner with architecture and application teams to design scalable, resilient data solutions
• Define standards and best practices for distributed data platforms
• Evaluate and implement new technologies to enhance performance and reliability

Project Delivery

• Lead database-related projects including upgrades, migrations, and platform enhancements
• Develop project plans, estimates, and timelines
• Coordinate cross-functionally with infrastructure, cloud, security, and development teams

Security, Compliance & Governance

• Ensure adherence to data security, governance, and regulatory requirements
• Implement and maintain access controls, encryption, and audit capabilities
• Maintain documentation for systems, processes, and controls

Financial & Vendor Management

• Support budget planning and cost optimization, including cloud spend
• Manage vendor relationships, licensing, and support agreements

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, MIS, or related field
• 3+ years of experience in IT, with a focus on database administration or engineering
• Experience with distributed or cloud-based database platforms
• Strong understanding of high availability, replication, backup/recovery, and performance tuning

Preferred

• 2+ years of leadership or supervisory experience
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS and Azure)
• Familiarity with automation, scripting, and monitoring tools
• Experience supporting mission-critical, high-availability environments

Key Skills & Competencies

• Strong leadership and team development skills
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical abilities
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results

Work Environment & Expectations

• Hybrid or remote work environment with occasional on-site collaboration