Senior Database Administrator - SDSCountry: Spain
IT STARTS HERE
Santander () is evolving from a global, high-impact brand into a technology-driven organization, and our people are at the heart of this journey. Together, we are driving a customer-centric transformation that values bold thinking, innovation, and the courage to challenge what’s possible.
This is more than a strategic shift. It’s a chance for driven professionals to grow, learn, and make a real difference.
Our mission is to contribute to help more people and businesses prosper. We embrace a strong risk culture and all our professionals at all levels are expected to take a proactive and responsible approach toward risk management.
Santander Digital Services is the team of technology and operations at Santander. We are convinced of the importance of technology that is aligned with the requirements of the business and that out work not only brings value to users, people and communities but also fosters individual creativity. Our team of over, people in countries (Spain, Portugal, Poland, UK, USA, Mexico, Chile and Brazil) develops and/or implements financial solutions across a broad spectrum of technologies (including Blockchain, Big Data and Angular among others) on all kinds of on-premise and cloud-based platforms.
THE DIFFERENCE YOU MAKE
Santander Digital Services is looking for a Senior Database Administrator based out of Boadilla del Monte office, Madrid
As a Senior Database Administrator, you will ensure our databases remain reliable, secure, and performant at scale, driving operational excellence across the full lifecycle.
We’re shaping the way we work through innovation, cutting-edge technology, collaboration and the freedom to explore new ideas. To succeed in this role, you will be responsible for:
1. Own the full database lifecycle (design reviews, provisioning, upgrades, patching, backups, recovery testing, and performance tuning).
2. Engineer and operate HA/DR solutions (replication, failover, disaster recovery runbooks, and regular resiliency drills).
3. Lead performance engineering across PostgreSQL/MySQL: query optimization, indexing strategy, vacuum/maintenance, and workload forecasting.
4. Define and enforce database security standards (least privilege, encryption in transit/at rest, auditing, data protection, and compliance).
5. Implement strong observability and SRE practices for databases (monitoring, alerting, SLOs, incident response, RCA, and prevention).
6. Drive complex migrations and modernization initiatives (including heterogeneous migrations and minimal-downtime cutovers).
7. Automate database operations using scripting and Infrastructure as Code; continuously improve reliability, repeatability, and time-to-deliver.
WHAT YOU’LL BRING
Our people are our greatest strength. Every individual contributes unique perspectives that make us stronger as a team and as an organization. We’re enabling teams to go beyond by valuing who they are and empowering what they bring.
The following requirements represent the knowledge, skills, and abilities essential for success in this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Professional Experience
8. + years of hands-on experience as a DBA/DBRE in production environments (Required)
9. Deep expertise in PostgreSQL, MySQL and at least one additional RDBMS (Oracle), including troubleshooting and tuning (Required)
10. Experience leading database standards, mentoring others, or acting as a technical owner for a large estate (Preferred)
Education
11. Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience (Required)
12. Relevant certifications and/or postgraduate studies in databases, systems, or security (Preferred)
Languages
13. High Level of English (B/C+) (Required)
14. Spanish (Professional working proficiency)
Hard Skills
15. PostgreSQL, MySQL administration at scale: HA/DR, backups & recovery, performance tuning, and capacity planning (Required)
16. Linux administration + scripting/automation (Bash/Python) and CI/CD-friendly operational practices (Required)
17. Public cloud database platforms (e.g., RDS/Aurora) and infrastructure as code (Terraform/CloudFormation) (Preferred)
Soft Skills
18. Strong ownership mindset and calm, structured approach during incidents
19. Clear communication with engineers and stakeholders; able to explain trade-offs
20. Proactive, continuous-improvement attitude; collaborative and mentorship-oriented
WE VALUE YOUR IMPACT
Your contribution matters, and it’s recognized. You can expect a fair, competitive reward package that reflects the impact you create and the value you deliver. But we know rewards go beyond numbers.
21. We’re enable our teams to go beyond through global opportunities and broad career paths.
22. Flexibility that works. Enjoy hybrid working models—some days remote, some days onsite with your team—along with flexible hours.
23. Learning for life. Access hundreds of courses on our platforms, including exclusive access to our global learning space: Santander Open Academy ()
24. Competitive rewards. Receive a highly competitive salary with performance-based bonuses, motivating you to keep growing with us.
25. Financial advantages. Benefit from preferential banking terms, special interest rates on loans, life insurance, and more.
26. Your health is our priority. Through BeHealthy, our global wellness programme, we promote Holistic wellbeing.
27. We know family is everything. That’s why we offer childcare support and family-friendly programmes tailored to each life stage.
28. Always by your side. Get access to Santander Contigo, our program for employees and their families offering legal, emotional, and administrative advisory services.
29. Extra benefits. Gym/WellHub membership, medical centers in some of our facilities, meal subsidy, parking, shuttle service from various points in Madrid, as well as exclusive discounts and offers for Santander employees. And that’s only the beginning—we’ll tell you more when you join!
We’re here to keep you motivated, help you reach your goals, and celebrate your progress, every step of the way.
LOCAL COMPLIANCE
Santander is proud of being an organization where there are equal opportunities regardless of age, gender, disability, civil status, race, religion or sexual orientation. We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible application process for all candidates.
WHAT TO DO NEXT