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Principal Database Administrator

Cox
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Long Island, New York, USA
Aug 21, 2026
Information Technology Full time

Company

Cox Automotive - USA

Job Family Group

Information Technology

Job Profile

Principal Database Administrator

Management Level

Director

Flexible Work Option

Hybrid - Ability to work remotely part of the week

Travel %

No

Work Shift

Day

Compensation

Compensation includes a base salary in the range of $178,200.00 - $297,000.00. The base salary may vary within the anticipated base pay range based on factors such as the ultimate location of the position and the selected candidate’s knowledge, skills, and abilities. Position may be eligible for additional compensation that may include an incentive program.

Job Description

The Principal Database Administrator will support multiple product teams across Dealer Solutions and play a key role in working on (managed and optimized enterprise database systems) cloud migration initiatives.This role will be responsible for managing, optimizing, and re-architecting the current on-premises database environment. As a key technical enabler of the organization’s cloud strategy, the Senior Database Administrator will first stabilize and remediate the existing database infrastructure, then design and execute a safe, phased migration to AWS.

This position bridges the gap between the current aging, monolithic on-premises database environment running on on-prem infrastructure and a future-state scalable, cost-efficient, cloud-native database platform.

The ideal candidate is a technical leader who serves as the organization's primary database authority. They are responsible for defining database strategy, driving cloud modernization efforts, advising architects and software engineers on data architecture decisions, ensuring high availability and security of enterprise platforms, and leading complex migration, resiliency, and performance initiatives. They possess deep expertise across both traditional relational databases and modern cloud-native data platforms while influencing technical direction across multiple engineering teams. ​

Min Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related discipline with 10+ years of experience in database administration, database engineering, or related technical roles.  The right candidate may also have a Master's degree with 8+ years of experience, a Ph.D. with 5+ years of experience, or 14+ years of directly related experience. 

  • Experience in database design, database code development, database administration, and systems engineering to build high-performance, fault-tolerant database systems and infrastructure for database-centric applications. 

  • 8+ years of experienced with multiple AWS RDS database technologies (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle) and NoSQL services such as DynamoDB, understanding trade-offs between AWS-managed variants. 

  • Experience supporting 24x7 production systems with strict SLAs and uptime requirements. 

  • Expertise in high-availability and disaster-recovery technologies (clustering, replication, failover, backup/restore strategies) to reduce risk and downtime across critical systems. Strong background in high-availability/disaster-recovery technologies (e.g., clustering, log shipping, GoldenGate, Always On, replica sets). 

  • Perform logical and physical database design, data modeling, performance management/monitoring architecting and building databases from business requirements through planning, testing, and production deployment. 

  • Provide expert-level leadership for Microsoft SQL Server environments, serving as the highest-level technical authority across database architecture, platform strategy, modernization, upgrades, migrations, cloud transformation, high availability, disaster recovery, replication, clustering, and backup/recovery ensuring resilient, scalable platforms with minimal business disruption and downtime. 

  • 8 years of performance tuning, indexing strategies, query optimization, and execution plan analysis. 

  • Drive innovation through implementation across functional teams, both internal and external, to meet business requirements. 

  • Ability to design and support solutions spanning relational databases and microservice architectures, selecting the right technology for the right workload. 

  • Strong collaboration with software engineers and architects on application and data architecture decisions, ensuring systems are built for scalability, resilience, and performance. 

  • Use of observability tools and operational intelligence platforms to proactively monitor database health and drive data-informed operational decisions. 

  • 8+ years Building and maturing CI/CD practices for database changes (schema migrations, deployment automation, version control, automated testing). 

  • Mentor database administrators, influence architects and developers, review complex technical designs, lead strategic initiatives, and define the long-term evolution of the database platform. 

  • Strong communication skills translating technical trade-offs for engineers and non-technical stakeholders. 

  • Experience working in Agile development environments (Scrum, Kanban, or similar), collaborating within sprint-based delivery cycles. 

Drug Testing

To be employed in this role, you’ll need to clear a pre-employment drug test. Cox Automotive does not currently administer a pre-employment drug test for marijuana for this position. However, we are a drug-free workplace, so the possession, use or being under the influence of drugs illegal under federal or state law during work hours, on company property and/or in company vehicles is prohibited.

Benefits

The Company offers eligible employees the flexibility to take as much vacation with pay as they deem consistent with their duties, the company’s needs, and its obligations; seven paid holidays throughout the calendar year; and up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually for their own wellness or that of family members. Employees are also eligible for additional paid time off in the form of bereavement leave, time off to vote, jury duty leave, volunteer time off, military leave, and parental leave.

About Us

Through groundbreaking technology and a commitment to stellar experiences for drivers and dealers alike, Cox Automotive employees are transforming the way the world buys, owns, sells – or simply uses – cars. Cox Automotive employees get to work on iconic consumer brands like Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book and industry-leading dealer-facing companies like vAuto and Manheim, all while enjoying the people-centered atmosphere that is central to our life at Cox. Benefits of working at Cox may include health care insurance (medical, dental, vision), retirement planning (401(k)), and paid days off (sick leave, parental leave, flexible vacation/wellness days, and/or PTO). For more details on what benefits you may be offered, visit our benefits page. Cox is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer – All qualified applicants/employees will receive consideration for employment without regard to that individual’s age, race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, physical or mental disability, veteran status, genetic information, ethnicity, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by law. Cox provides reasonable accommodations when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with disability, unless such accommodations would cause an undue hardship.

EOE, including disability/vets

 

 

Applicants must currently be authorized to work in the United States for any employer without current or future sponsorship. No OPT, CPT, STEM/OPT or visa sponsorship now or in future.


 


 

About Cox

Service matters

At Cox, we put a lot of stock in our values. We built our business on integrity, leadership and community. It’s no surprise that these are some of the same values shared by the brave people who have served our country — veterans, reservists and military spouses. That’s why we’re such a natural fit for many who have been a part of the United States Armed Forces. In fact, Cox has been named one of the best workplaces for military members, past and present.

Proud recipient of the Employer Support Freedom Award

Cox Enterprises has earned the U.S. Department of Defense's highest employer recognition — the Employer Support Freedom Award — for going above and beyond to support National Guard and Reserve employees. It's a powerful reflection of our values and our deep commitment to the people who protect our freedoms.

 a group of men posing for a photo

Opportunities support for veterans

The vast scope of our industries and locations means there are ample chances for you to contribute and grow — and we’re here to help you. At Cox, you’ll find:

  • Our employee resource group, Salute, dedicated to supporting our military veterans and reservists
  • Mentoring and leadership training
  • Thousands of free online courses
  • Many career opportunities including ones in technology, sales, automotive tech, security and recruiting
  • Corporate fellowship opportunities through Hiring Our Heroes

a person shaking hands with another person

 

Transfer skills from your service

Many veterans find their next career journey at Cox. Veterans' skills are well suited for work across our businesses, including supply chain, cybersecurity, finance and vehicle technician. If you are ready to explore opportunities with a company that cares, connect with Cox at events in your area.

Cox Automotive mechanic working under hood of car

 

“It’s incredibly meaningful to be alongside Student Veterans of America, helping student veterans navigate that pivotal moment between college and their careers. We’re proud to be by their side—not just opening doors to opportunities, but helping them see what’s possible for their futures. This partnership is about investing in their potential, believing in their strengths, and making sure they have the guidance, support, and confidence to take their next step. We’re truly honored to be part of that journey and to support these remarkable students as they build the next chapter of their careers.”

-Carly Williams, Senior Director of Talent Acquisition, Head of Future Talent

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