Sr Manager, Database Administration

Welcome to Warner Bros. Discovery… the stuff dreams are made of. Who We Are… When we say, “the stuff dreams are made of,” we’re not just referring to the world of wizards, dragons and superheroes, or even to the wonders of Planet Earth. Behind WBD’s vast portfolio of iconic content and beloved brands, are the storytellers bringing our characters to life, the creators bringing them to your living rooms and the dreamers creating what’s next… From brilliant creatives, to technology trailblazers, across the globe, WBD offers career defining opportunities, thoughtfully curated benefits, and the tools to explore and grow into your best selves. Here you are supported, here you are celebrated, here you can thrive. Your New Role: Our Media Platform Operations team is looking for a highly capable Sr. DBA manager that can manage and lead a team of DBA members. You will manage a team of professionals to design and develop database systems, provide guidance to database team on database structures and features. You will create standard procedures to enhance scalability and performance of existing database architecture. Troubleshoot complex database issues in accurate and timely manner. Maintain database disaster recovery procedures to ensure continuous availability and speedy recovery. Develop best practices for performance and operational efficiency. Provide regular updates to management on database project status. Stay updated with new database technologies and analyze such technologies to bring into scope of existing infrastructure. This role requires a strategic thinker with excellent leadership skills and in-depth technical expertise to ensure the reliability, security, and performance of our data infrastructure. Your Role Accountabilities: OPERATIONS/PROJECT MANAGEMENT Provide visionary leadership, direction, and mentorship to a global team of Database Administrators (DBAs), fostering a high-performance culture built on continuous improvement and advanced technical excellence. Drive organizational talent development by overseeing performance reviews, individualized coaching, goal setting, and succession planning, in partnership with HR, across a multi-level, geographically diverse team. Serve as the organization’s foremost expert in advanced database architecture, performance optimization, data modeling, backup and recovery, guiding the team through the most complex challenges and emerging threats. Lead end-to-end troubleshooting and root cause analysis of highly complex database issues, ensuring rapid resolution and optimization for large-scale, mission-critical systems. Evaluate and implement cutting-edge database technologies and industry best practices, recommending strategic solutions that drive innovation, business agility, and market differentiation. Build and sustain cross-functional partnerships with development, infrastructure, and security leaders to align database strategy and execution with broad business objectives. Act as the primary authority for all database-related regulatory and compliance audits, ensuring full adherence to complex data protection mandates and risk management frameworks. Define, track, and report on executive-level key performance indicators (KPIs) for all database operations and provide strategic reporting and recommendations to senior and executive management. Oversee the strategic planning and successful delivery of enterprise-wide database projects including migrations, major upgrades, and greenfield deployments, ensuring alignment with organizational roadmaps, budgets, and timelines. Own resource planning and allocation for concurrent projects, optimizing capacity to balance delivery, scalability, and operational excellence. Provide 24/7 operational oversight, crisis management, and escalation leadership for all critical database incidents and business continuity scenarios. STRATEGY Architect, champion, and continually evolve a strategic roadmap for enterprise-wide database management, anticipating future business needs and technology trends. Oversee the global deployment and governance of high-availability, disaster recovery, and multi-cloud solutions to minimize risk and maximize uptime. Establish and enforce rigorous enterprise standards for database design, performance, scalability, and security, ensuring systems exceed organizational and regulatory requirements. Proactively assess and develop the skillset of the database management team, designing advanced training, certification paths, and mentorship programs to support professional growth and the evolving needs of the organization. Serve as the senior technical liaison between IT, business stakeholders, and executive leadership, helping to shape enterprise architecture and strategic initiatives for current and future database platforms. Drive the organization’s adoption of new and emerging database technologies, guiding the team through the assessment, piloting, and enterprise rollout of innovative solutions. Lead senior-level communications and collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to ensure transparency, alignment, and business value delivery across all initiatives. ANALYTICS Implement and oversee enterprise-level monitoring and alerting frameworks, leveraging analytics to drive proactive database health management and optimization. Lead the continuous review, enhancement, and enforcement of database standards—including Oracle, SQL Server, SAP Hana, DB2, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Snowflake, and Databricks—across platforms and business lines. Direct architecture and engineering teams to design, develop, and deploy scalable, highly available database solutions supporting complex and evolving business needs. Ensure consistent, comprehensive, and up-to-date technical and operational documentation for use by the global 24/7 support team and junior staff. Oversee major upgrades, platform migrations, and technical refreshes, ensuring alignment with organizational vision, security best practices, and operational requirements. Qualifications & Experiences: Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Systems, Information Technology, or a related field. Master’s degree or relevant certifications preferred. 12+ years of progressive experience in database management, including leadership of large, cross-functional DBA teams in enterprise environments. Advanced proficiency in SQL and expertise with diverse relational and non-relational platforms including Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, etc. Deep technical understanding of data architecture, enterprise data integration strategies, and ETL processes. Expert experience with cloud and hybrid database environments, including AWS RDS, Azure SQL, Google Cloud Spanner, and related services. Demonstrated success in architecting and managing complex, high-availability, and disaster recovery solutions at scale. Significant hands-on experience with automation, scripting, and process optimization (Unix shell scripting, Windows BAT, etc.) Track record of standardizing and optimizing database delivery via processes, procedures, and automation. Outstanding ability to solve highly complex technical problems with innovative, enterprise-focused solutions. Exceptional ability to translate complex technical information for senior business and executive audiences. Extensive documentation and project planning experience, with ability to communicate and deliver precise technical information to diverse teams. Must have legal authorization to work in the United States. Ability and willingness to provide executive oversight and support for a 24/7 operational environment. Not Required but preferred experience: Public speaking and presentation skills. Warner Bros. Discovery embraces the opportunity to build a workforce that reflects a wide array of perspectives, backgrounds and experiences. Being an equal opportunity employer means that we take seriously our responsibility to consider qualified candidates on the basis of merit, regardless of sex, gender identity, ethnicity, union status, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, disability or any other category protected by law. If you’re a qualified candidate with a disability and you require adjustments or accommodations during the job application and/or recruitment process, please visit our accessibility page for instructions to submit your request. #J-18808-Ljbffr