The genesis of Gulf African Bank (GAB) can be traced back to 2005, when a group of motivated Kenyans envisioned establishing an Islamic bank as an alternative to conventional banking in the country. By conducting business on the principles of Shari'ah, the bank would provide an ethical and fair mode of banking for all. Gulf African Bank is the first a...

Job Description

To ensure the stability, integrity, and optimal performance of the Bank’s database environments by managing, securing, and optimizing all enterprise databases across Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and other supported platforms. The role is responsible for database design, performance tuning, high availability, backup and recovery,and compliance with regulatory and security standards to support critical banking operations.

Key Responsibilities:

Database Administration

• Administer, maintain, and support Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, and PostgreSQL database systems.
• Install, configure, and upgrade database servers and related tools.
• Implement database security, encryption, and user access controls in compliance with internal and regulatory requirements.
• Perform regular database health checks, integrity verification, and maintenance activities.

Performance and Optimization

• Monitor database performance, identify bottlenecks, and optimize SQL queries, indexes, and storage.
• Conduct capacity planning and implement tuning strategies to ensure optimal performance and scalability.
• Analyse trends and recommend improvements to database architecture and processes.

Backup, Recovery, and High Availability

• Implement and manage backup and disaster recovery strategies using RMAN, or equivalent tools.
• Ensure databases are configured for high availability and replication between Production and DR sites.
• Regularly test and document restore and recovery procedures.

Security and Compliance

• Enforce database security policies, including data encryption, audit logging, and leastprivilege access.
• Support compliance with CBK, PCI-DSS, GDPR, and internal IT security frameworks.
• Apply security patches and address vulnerabilities in coordination with the IT Security team.

Automation and Scripting

• Automate routine administrative tasks using PowerShell, Python, Bash, or SQL scripting.
• Develop scripts for monitoring, alerting, and reporting on database performance and availability.

Collaboration and Support

• Work closely with application developers, system administrators, and network engineers to ensure seamless integration and system stability.
• Provide advanced technical support for database-related incidents and participate in root cause analysis.
• Participate in IT projects including system upgrades, migrations, and application deployments.

Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity

• Support and test database recovery procedures as part of the BCP/DR drills.
• Maintain DR documentation and ensure replication and synchronization between production and standby databases.

Qualifications, experience and job specific competencies

Qualifications and experience

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related discipline.

Experience

• 5 years of experience in database administration within a complex, mission-critical environment.
• Proven experience managing Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server databases preferably in a financial or banking setup.
• Experience with MySQL, PostgreSQL, and other RDBMS platforms.
• Exposure to cloud-based databases (Azure SQL, AWS RDS) is an added advantage.

• Administer, maintain, and support Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, and PostgreSQL database systems.
• Install, configure, and upgrade database servers and related tools.
• Implement database security, encryption, and user access controls in compliance with internal and regulatory requirements.
• Perform regular database health checks, integrity verification, and maintenance activities.
• Monitor database performance, identify bottlenecks, and optimize SQL queries, indexes, and storage.
• Conduct capacity planning and implement tuning strategies to ensure optimal performance and scalability.
• Analyse trends and recommend improvements to database architecture and processes.
• Implement and manage backup and disaster recovery strategies using RMAN, or equivalent tools.
• Ensure databases are configured for high availability and replication between Production and DR sites.
• Regularly test and document restore and recovery procedures.
• Enforce database security policies, including data encryption, audit logging, and leastprivilege access.
• Support compliance with CBK, PCI-DSS, GDPR, and internal IT security frameworks.
• Apply security patches and address vulnerabilities in coordination with the IT Security team.
• Automate routine administrative tasks using PowerShell, Python, Bash, or SQL scripting.
• Develop scripts for monitoring, alerting, and reporting on database performance and availability.
• Work closely with application developers, system administrators, and network engineers to ensure seamless integration and system stability.
• Provide advanced technical support for database-related incidents and participate in root cause analysis.
• Participate in IT projects including system upgrades, migrations, and application deployments.
• Support and test database recovery procedures as part of the BCP/DR drills.
• Maintain DR documentation and ensure replication and synchronization between production and standby databases.

• Database Administration
• Performance Tuning
• High Availability
• Backup and Recovery
• Security and Compliance
• Automation and Scripting
• Oracle
• Microsoft SQL Server
• MySQL
• PostgreSQL
• PowerShell
• Python
• Bash
• SQL Scripting
• CBK Compliance
• PCI-DSS Compliance
• GDPR Compliance
• Cloud-based databases (Azure SQL, AWS RDS)

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related discipline.
• 5 years of experience in database administration within a complex, mission-critical environment.
• Proven experience managing Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server databases preferably in a financial or banking setup.
• Experience with MySQL, PostgreSQL, and other RDBMS platforms.
• Exposure to cloud-based databases (Azure SQL, AWS RDS) is an added advantage.