Practice Lead: AWS

Percona

3d•Remote

About The Position

The Practice Lead for AWS is a hands-on leader dedicated to helping customers get the most out of open-source databases running on AWS and the broader AWS ecosystem around them (EKS, Aurora, RDS, ElastiCache, MSK, and the like). While the primary focus is on database environments, the Lead provides architectural guidance across the surrounding infrastructure whenever it affects database performance, cost, or reliability. As a recognized thought leader, the Practice Lead stays at the forefront of how the AWS platform is evolving, offering strategic advice and direct assistance with complex implementations and migrations. This is a dedicated, AWS-specific role. We may stand up equivalent practices for other hyperscalers (Azure, GCP) down the road, but for now, the scope is intentionally focused on AWS, and we want deep, real expertise in that ecosystem rather than shallow coverage across three clouds at once. Our Philosophy: Meet the Customer Where They Are This role is built around a simple idea: we meet customers where they are, and for a large and growing number of them, that's AWS. The Practice Lead should default to AWS solutions wherever they're the natural, appropriate fit for the customer, and be genuinely enthusiastic about it, not begrudgingly supportive of it. At the same time, "natural fit" is doing real work in that sentence. If a fully managed AWS service isn't the right call for a given customer's cost, portability, or technical requirements, the Practice Lead should say so plainly and recommend the better path, even if that path runs through self-managed or Percona-supported open-source instead. The job isn't to force AWS onto customers who don't need it, and it isn't to steer people away from AWS out of some reflexive preference for open source either. It's to give customers a straight, technically grounded recommendation and let the right answer win. That's our value of putting the customer ahead of Percona, in practice.

Requirements

Deep expertise in open-source databases (MySQL, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, MariaDB).
Extensive experience with AWS services, particularly those relevant to databases (EKS, Aurora, RDS, ElastiCache, MSK).
Architectural guidance skills across surrounding infrastructure affecting database performance, cost, or reliability.
Thought leadership in the AWS platform and its evolution.
Strategic advice and direct assistance with complex implementations and migrations.
Genuine enthusiasm for AWS solutions.
Ability to provide technically grounded recommendations, even if they don't favor AWS.
Customer advocacy and prioritizing customer outcomes.
Experience with performance tuning and cost optimization in AWS environments.
Ability to support customers migrating to AWS.
Strategic advisory skills for internal teams.
Experience working with partnership teams on formal relationships (co-sell, partner programs, go-to-market).
Results-oriented with a focus on revenue and profitability.
Content creation, professional networking, and speaking engagement experience.
Ability to architect professional service offerings.
Experience as a Solutions Architect in pre-sales cycles.
Ability to enable sales and marketing teams.
Experience in hiring and mentoring teams.

Nice To Haves

Experience with other hyperscalers (Azure, GCP) is not the primary focus but may be beneficial.
Percona software and services expertise.

Responsibilities

Customer Advocacy: Act in the best interest of the customer. You will champion Percona's expertise and, where it fits, Percona software and services, but the customer's outcome always comes first, regardless of which tools or platform features get them there.
Existing Customer Growth: This role isn't just about net-new logos. A meaningful part of the job is looking after Percona's existing customer base as it relates to AWS, in two directions. First, customers already running in AWS environments today: helping them get more value out of that setup, whether that's performance tuning, cost optimization, or adopting additional AWS or Percona services they aren't using yet. Second, customers who aren't on AWS today but are actively migrating there: making sure that transition goes smoothly, that Percona's support and services move with them, and that we don't lose ground with a customer just because their infrastructure is changing.
Product & Partnership Influence: Act as a strategic advisor to internal Percona teams to improve our software and services for customers running on AWS. You will work closely with our internal Cloud Partnership team on our formal relationship with AWS (co-sell motions, partner programs, joint go-to-market), while you own the technical depth and credibility that makes that partnership valuable in the first place.
Business Growth: This is a results-oriented role. Success is measured by the revenue and profitability of the AWS Practice, its contribution to Percona subscriptions (Support, Managed Services, etc.), partnership revenue, and overall customer satisfaction.
Thought Leadership: Drive Percona's presence in the AWS and open source database space through content creation, professional networking, and speaking engagements at industry conferences and AWS-specific events (re:Invent and the like).
Service Design: Architect professional service offerings and packages, such as migration assessments, cost optimization reviews, and architecture audits, designed for high market impact and successful customer adoption.
Sales & Marketing Enablement: Serve as a "Super Expert" Solutions Architect during pre-sales cycles. You will work closely with Marketing on technical campaigns and enable the Sales team to win deals with significant AWS components.
Practice Building: As the business scales, you will be responsible for hiring and mentoring a dedicated team to expand the AWS Practice.