C004622 Database MySQL Assistant (NS) - WED 11 Feb

Deadline Date: Wednesday 11 February 2026

Requirement: Database MySQL Assistant

Location: Brussels, BE

Full Time On-Site: Yes

Time On-Site: 100%

Total Scope of the request (hours): 1500

Required Start Date: 19 March 2026

End Contract Date: 31 December 2026

Required Security Clearance: NATO SECRET

Duties & Role:

Operational DBA Duties

• Install, configure, maintain, and upgrade MySQL instances (standalone and/or clustered).
• Perform routine maintenance (schema housekeeping, index maintenance, statistics updates, data retention support).
• Manage users, roles, privileges, and authentication methods according to least-privilege principles.
• Manage storage growth and capacity forecasting (disk usage, table growth trends, partitioning/archiving recommendations).
• Maintain environment consistency across DEV/UAT/PROD where applicable.

Performance & Query Optimization

• Analyze and optimize performance using tools and logs (slow query log, performance_schema, EXPLAIN/EXPLAIN ANALYZE).
• Provide indexing strategy and implement approved indexes/changes.
• Tune MySQL/InnoDB parameters (buffer pool, redo logs, flush behaviour, connection/thread settings, temp tables, etc.).
• Identify and remediate lock contention, deadlocks, replication delays, and inefficient access patterns.

Availability, Replication & Disaster Recovery

• Design and operate backup strategies (logical/physical backups, binlog retention, encryption where required).
• Execute and document restore tests on a defined cadence to validate RPO/RTO objectives.

Security & Compliance

• Apply MySQL hardening standards (secure configs, TLS in transit, encryption at rest if supported, restricted remote access).
• Manage patching and upgrades including risk/impact assessment and change planning.
• Support audit/compliance requirements (access reviews, evidence gathering, logging and retention).

Monitoring, Incident Response & Problem Management

• Implement/maintain monitoring and alerting (e.g., PMM, Prometheus/Grafana, cloud-native monitoring).
• Define alert thresholds and reduce noise (actionable alerts, escalation paths).
• Provide incident triage and resolution within agreed service hours and severity targets.
• Conduct root cause analysis for major incidents and deliver corrective/preventive actions.
• Maintain operational documentation (backup/restore, failover, replication fixes, common performance issues).

Skill, Knowledge & Experience:

• The candidate must have a currently active NATO SECRET security clearance
• Strong administration of MySQL (preferably 8.0+).
• Knowledge of SQL optimization, indexing, and query execution plans.
• Expert knowledge on backup/restore (e.g., mysqldump, mysqlpump, Percona XtraBackup or equivalent) and point-in-time recovery.
• Linux fundamentals (system resources, I/O, file systems, network basics) relevant to database performance.
• Security best practices (TLS, privilege management, audit/logging, secure configuration).
• Knowledge on a second database technology like PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server
• Automation/SRE mindset: scripting (Bash/Python/Perl).
• 5+ years hands-on MySQL DBA experience in production environments.
• Demonstrated experience supporting business-critical systems with defined SLAs.
• Proven track record in performance troubleshooting and incident handling.