Data Platform System Administrator

Role Overview

This position centers on keeping a complex, multi-paradigm data platform healthy, fast, and secure. On a typical day, you will tune query performance, verify replication and backups, oversee batch and streaming data movement, and help shape the infrastructure that powers analytics dashboards, operational reporting, and AI-assisted workflows. Your work directly supports the organization’s mission by ensuring that every team—from engineering to field operations—has trustworthy data available when and where they need it.

Key Responsibilities

• Administer and tune relational, NoSQL, OLAP, and vector databases, including MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, Elasticsearch, ClickHouse, and embedding stores such as pgvector, Milvus, or Pinecone.
• Design and maintain indexes, schemas, data models, and semantic layers to keep storage efficient and query response times predictable.
• Own backup, recovery, and lifecycle processes, including periodic restore drills, schema migrations, and capacity planning across all data platforms.
• Build and support ETL/ELT pipelines that feed business intelligence, analytics, and automated agent systems, ensuring data quality and consistency from source to consumption.
• Implement event-driven data flows using Kafka, Pulsar, or CDC mechanisms so that downstream systems receive timely, reliable updates.
• Set up monitoring and observability for databases, pipelines, and automated workflows, and respond to incidents with root-cause analysis and lasting corrective measures.
• Enforce access controls, permissions, encryption, and audit trails to meet security, privacy, and compliance requirements while keeping automated actions traceable.
• Automate infrastructure and deployment tasks using Bash, Python, Terraform, Ansible, Docker, and Kubernetes, and maintain clear documentation for schemas, workflows, and governance policies.

Requirements & Qualifications

• At least 5 years of hands-on system administration experience, with a strong focus on database operations and data infrastructure.
• Deep SQL proficiency and demonstrated skill in relational database optimization, including indexing, normalization, and query tuning.
• Practical experience with vector databases and embedding-based search systems, plus an understanding of how to serve AI-driven retrieval workloads.
• Proven ability to manage NoSQL platforms such as MongoDB, Redis, and Elasticsearch, and familiarity with OLAP systems like ClickHouse for analytical workloads.
• Experience with event streaming technologies, asynchronous task execution, and distributed data workflows.
• Solid scripting skills in Bash and Python (PowerShell is a plus), with comfort writing and maintaining infrastructure as code.
• Working knowledge of containerized deployments and orchestration, specifically Docker and Kubernetes.
• Familiarity with configuration-level support for ExtJS or Django-based applications, and the ability to troubleshoot issues at the platform layer.
• Understanding of data security best practices, role-based or attribute-based access control, and compliance-driven auditing requirements.
• Ability to manage metadata catalogs, data dictionaries, and semantic layers that make data discoverable and trustworthy for cross-functional teams.

What We Offer / Why Join

• An opportunity to apply your technical expertise in a mission-driven social enterprise focused on sustainable livelihoods and job creation in East and Central Africa.
• Competitive compensation with the potential for a performance-based bonus.
• A collaborative, inclusive culture with colleagues from across the region and a genuine commitment to equity and professional development.
• Health insurance coverage for you and your family, plus staff savings and provident fund arrangements with negotiated bank rates for long-term team members.
• Generous annual leave, parental leave, and sabbatical options to support long-term wellbeing.