Database Platforms Specialist at Absa Bank Limited

Key accountabilities

• The prime responsibility is for maintaining the availability and reliability Database platforms platforms that support business critical financial services for the Bank and ensure that IT can effectively meet service targets in accordance with planned business objectives.
• Conceptually design a fit-for-purpose database and refine the logical design so that it can be translated into a specific data model, and the physical design to meet system storage requirements
• Develop, manage and test back-up and recovery plans
• Ensure that storage and archiving procedures are functioning correctly
• Carry out capacity planning to meet future storage requirements
• Establish the needs of users and monitor user access and security
• Monitor performance and manage parameters in order to provide fast responses to front-end users

Key Activities

• Responsible for ensuring 99.99% uptime of Database platforms.
• Accountable for installing, configuring, maintaining, and supporting high-performance, fault-tolerant, scalable Database platforms
• Manage changes impacting the team, effectively minimizing risk and exposure.
• Maintain regular contact with stakeholders during incident and problem resolution
• Responsible for interfacing with application development teams to ensure applications fit within the Oracle database systems with scalability, reliability and security designed and implemented from the onset.
• Perform database performance analysis, tuning, capacity planning, system sizing and ongoing maintenance to ensure maximum performance.
• Implement database backup and recovery strategies that meet ABSA recovery and availability requirements.
• Setup and document database related processes and procedures   for Business Continuity.
• Recommend best practices and ensure they are implemented and incorporated into DBA procedures.
• Diagnose and solve complex problems including non-functional problems such as performance issues with Database Engineered Systems by identifying workarounds and driving resolution.
• Provide technical guidance for design, development, integration and testing of production databases systems.
• Responsible for ensuring conformance to security standards for all databases.
• Design BCP and HA solutions for database systems in order to achieve required uptime SLA for mission critical applications.

Accountability:  Business Liaison

Single point of contact for one or more business units to represent IT services.

Key Activities

• Identify service needs for the Business Units represented to IT
• Escalate Business unit service issues to the Service Manager
• Communicate service status on service issues to the Business Unit
• Assist in SLA negotiation efforts with Business Unit(s)
• Report on quality of services rendered to Business Unit(s)

Accountability: Risk Management

• Ensure that all Database platforms are fully cyber compliant.
• Build relationship with country Technology Risk and Compliance team and provide support wherever required.
• Ensure that processes and controls are executed in daily work and understand the reasons for the controls and the consequences for failing to adhere to prescribed processes.
• Test a sample of activities on a weekly, monthly basis by reviewing documentation and checking work completed by team members to see if control requirements are being adhered to.
•  Coach the team members on areas for improvement and highlight major failures to the manager of the area
• Provide evidence/supporting documents to auditors or management assurance consultants during formal reviews
• Make team members aware of all changes to policies, processes and procedures that are being planned for the area and ensure that they are able to incorporate the changes on the effective date.
• Contribute and deliver to the improvement of the risk profile by delivering improved governance, risk management, controls and compliance requirements.
• Devise and implement an effective plan to deliver a satisfactory risk and audit profile for Operations & IT and achieve audit and assurance targets.

Accountability: People Management

• Team leader for the Incountry Database Platform team.
• Work closely with IT colleagues (service desk, other third line teams, and project managers) and a variety of stakeholders to ensure required outcomes are achieved.
• Positively impact a high performing continuous improvement culture.
• Encourage frequent knowledge sharing between team members.