Senior Database Engineer

Overview

About the team : The Database Engineering (DBE) team is responsible for designing, building, and supporting the mission critical database infrastructure that powers Zillow’s products and services. We manage a diverse portfolio of databases including AWS Aurora (PostgreSQL & MySQL) and SQL Server on EC2, with a strong focus on automation, performance, scalability, and cost-efficiency. The team is part of the Platform & Infrastructure Engineering (PIE) organization, supporting Zillow’s move to a modern, cloud-native architecture. As we complete the final aspect of our data center exit, we are focused on building a developer-first, API-driven platform that enables self-service and scalable operations while maintaining strong operational and security standards.

This role is a high-impact engineering position that blends deep database expertise with platform thinking, collaboration, and customer empathy. You will work closely with developers, system engineers, data engineers, and other platform teams to create reliable, scalable, and secure database solutions, while driving standards, reducing operational overhead, and solving tough infrastructure challenges.

Role and responsibilities

As a Senior Database Engineer at Zillow, you will :

Own the full lifecycle of Aurora (PostgreSQL / MySQL) and SQL Server databases in AWS, from design and provisioning to monitoring, tuning, and retirement.

Develop and maintain automation for provisioning, scaling, and managing databases using Terraform and Python / Bash scripting.

Partner with developers and system engineers to support modern application patterns, including real-time replication, read replicas, CI / CD workflows, and temporary on-demand environments.

Champion observability by integrating performance insights, slow query logs, and cost data into a centralized metrics and alerting framework.

Contribute to and evolve our API-first database platform, exposing key database workflows through self-service portals and internal developer tooling.

Participate in on-call rotations, incident response, and root cause analysis for critical production issues, owning outcomes and continuously improving reliability.

Act as a mentor, technical resource, and collaborative partner to engineers across Zillow, helping to raise the bar in database operations and cloud-native design.

Explore and pilot AI-powered agents and recommendations for query tuning, anomaly detection, cost optimization, and access governance.

This role has been categorized as a teleworker position. Teleworkers do not have a permanent corporate office workplace and, instead, work from a location of their choice which must be identified to the Company. Employees may live in any part of Mexico, but preferably in Mexico City, as attendance for occasional in-office events is encouraged.

In addition to a competitive base salary and benefits, this position is also eligible for equity awards based on factors such as experience, performance and location.

Who you are

Deep expertise in at least one core database engine (PostgreSQL, MySQL, or SQL Server), with hands-on experience in cloud-managed database services like AWS RDS and Aurora.

A track record of building secure, resilient, and performant database infrastructure in production environments.

Proficiency with infrastructure-as-code, ideally Terraform, and strong scripting skills (Python, Bash, PowerShell).

Experience troubleshooting complex query performance, replication, or availability issues using native database tools and cloud metrics (e.g., CloudWatch, pg_stat_statements, Perf Insights).

A customer-first mindset and clear communication skills—you listen, guide, and educate with humility.

A bias for action, continuous improvement, and building systems that reduce friction and increase developer productivity.

Get to know us

Zillow is reimagining real estate to make it easier to unlock life’s next chapter. As the most-visited real estate website in the United States, Zillow and its affiliates help movers find and win their home through digital solutions, first class partners, and easier buying, selling, financing and renting experiences. Millions of people visit Zillow Group sites every month to start their home search, and now they can rely on Zillow to help make it easier to move. The work we do is helping people move from dreaming to transacting — and no matter what job you're in, you will play a critical role in making this vision a reality.

Our efforts to streamline the real estate transaction are supported by a deep-rooted culture of innovation, our passion to redefine the employee experience, and a fundamental commitment to Equity and Belonging. We’re also setting the standard for work experiences of the future, where our employees are supported in doing their best work and living a flexible, well-balanced life. Read recent reviews on Glassdoor and recent recognition from multiple organizations, including the 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2022, Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Award, and other listed recognitions.

Zillow Group is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive, innovative environment with the best employees. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, and gender identity. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please contact your recruiter directly.

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable state and local law.

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