Database Engineer

South College•Knoxville, TN

About The Position

Position Overview At South College, we are committed to providing a high-quality education that prepares students for success in their careers. As a data engineer on our team, you’ll play a key role in helping us harness the power of data to improve student outcomes, optimize operations, and drive innovation. You’ll have the opportunity to work in a dynamic and collaborative environment while continuing to grow and advance in your career. The Database Engineer (DBA) is responsible for the design, implementation, security, maintenance, and performance optimization of the college’s databases and related systems. This role supports administrative, academic, and student-facing systems by ensuring data integrity, availability, and security. The DBA will collaborate with IT staff, institutional research, and various campus departments to ensure that data systems effectively support institutional goals and compliance requirements. If you’re passionate about technology and want to make an impact at a forward-thinking institution, we encourage you to apply!

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Systems, Statistics, or a related field.
3-5 years' experience as a Database Engineer, Data Architect, or similar role, with hands-on experience in designing and implementing data solutions.
Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, SQL, or Scala, with experience in data manipulation, transformation, and analysis.
Strong understanding of database systems, data modeling, and ETL principles, with experience in relational databases (e.g., MS SQL Server, MySQL) and NoSQL databases
Experience working with cloud platforms and services (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) and big data technologies (e.g., Hadoop, Spark, Kafka).
Familiarity with data visualization tools and BI platforms (e.g., Tableau, Power BI) and statistical analysis tools (e.g., R, Python libraries).
Excellent problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage complex data engineering projects.
Effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Experience in the education sector or knowledge of academic systems and processes is a plus

Responsibilities

Data Warehouse Management & Architecture: Design, build, and maintain the college's data warehouse (schemas, dimensions, fact tables) to support institutional reporting and analytics.
Develop and manage ETL/ELT pipelines to consolidate data from source systems into the warehouse.
Install, configure, and maintain database management systems (e.g., SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL) supporting the warehouse and operational databases.
Query Performance Tuning & Optimization: Analyze query execution plans and implement indexing, partitioning, and query rewrite strategies to resolve bottlenecks.
Tune database and warehouse performance to support high-volume reporting and analytics workloads.
Establish performance benchmarks and monitoring to detect and address degradation proactively.
Data Security & Integrity: Implement and maintain security protocols safeguarding student, employee, and institutional data per FERPA and other regulations.
Manage access controls and monitor database/warehouse activity for unauthorized use.
Ensure compliance with institutional policies and accreditation requirements.
Data Integration & Reporting: Support integrations between the SIS, LMS, CRM, and other applications, feeding the MDM framework and data warehouse.
Maintain documentation for warehouse architecture, MDM processes, and database procedures.
Partner with BI/reporting teams to ensure the warehouse supports dashboards and institutional research needs.
System Development & Collaboration: Work with developers and vendors to optimize database-driven applications and warehouse performance.
Participate in system upgrades, migrations, and new software implementations affecting the warehouse and MDM.
Automate data quality checks, ETL jobs, and MDM matching routines.