Senior Database Architect

• Location(s):
• Dresden, SN, DE, 01129
• Swindon, Wiltshire, GB, SN5 6PB
  Essen, NW, DE, 45141

RWE Technology International GmbH

To start as soon as possible, full time, permanent

About the role

• Architect and Optimize TimescaleDB for large-scale time-series workloads, including schema design, indexing strategies, and advanced query tuning to ensure peak performance under high-volume ingestion.
• Fine-tune Kafka brokers, topics, and consumer configurations to maximize throughput, resilience, and operational efficiency across all streaming pipelines.
• Validate, monitor, and improve data flows from Kafka into TimescaleDB, ensuring data integrity, consistency, and reliable real-time delivery.
• Enhance and optimize Go-based consumers, implementing performance improvements, scalability enhancements, and best practices for clean, maintainable code.
• Audit, refactor, and streamline the existing solution, improving maintainability, readability, and long-term architectural alignment with industry standards.
• Collaborate closely with Ignition SCADA systems to guarantee accurate, low-latency data ingestion into Kafka and early detection of data flow disruptions.
• Monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot the entire data pipeline, including TimescaleDB, Kafka, Go applications, and SCADA integration points, while ensuring high availability, rapid issue resolution, and comprehensive technical documentation.

Job requirements and experience

• 8+ years of industry experience in database architecture, data engineering, or distributed systems.
• Strong expertise in TimescaleDB and PostgreSQL as well as time-series optimization, along with deep experience in Kafka producer–consumer design and tuning.
• Proficient in Go, capable of writing efficient, modular, production-grade services.
• Hands-on experience with Linux, containers, like Docker, Kubernetes, and modern DevOps practices, including tools like Ansible, Terraform, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Solid understanding of distributed systems, asynchronous messaging, and performance monitoring using tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, and ELK.
• Familiarity with industrial systems, ideally Ignition SCADA, and comfort working with real-time operational data flows.
• Analytical, solution-focused mindset with strong ownership, excellent communication, and business-fluent English and good German skills.

RWE is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment – we value your passion, your willingness to learn and your desire to thrive. So, if you don't display all the skills above but think this is the job for you, need flexible working arrangements or adjustments which aren't outlined already, we would still like to hear from you.

Your Benefits

• A salary from approximately £65,000 to £85,000 depending on experience, a bonus opportunity of 15% according to scheme rules and a personal retirement savings plan – if you put in 5% we will top up by a further 10% and you will get life assurance worth 4 x annual salary.
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, pro-rata.
• Company Paid Private Medical Insurance for you and your family.
• Enhanced parental leave from day 1 of you joining #TeamRWE – For primary care givers, weeks 1-29 will be fully paid and 30-39 paid via SMP. For secondary care givers, you'll get 12 weeks of fully paid leave.
• One free professional membership subscription.
• Access to flexible benefits such as Critical Illness, Dental Plan, Health Cash Plan, Share Incentive Plan, Cycle2Work, Electric Car Lease Scheme, Buy Additional Annual Leave and retail savings scheme.
• Occupational Health support services for your wellbeing.
• Access to our employee assistance programme in times of need.
  Up to 2 days volunteering a year.

Apply with just a few clicks: ad code 91428 , application period:

Any questions? Contact HR: Lisa Merryweather,

We look forward to meeting you. Of course, you can find us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Xing, too.

We value diversity and therefore welcome all applications - regardless of gender, disability, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion/belief, age, sexual orientation, and identity. #inclusionmatters

RWE Generation provides a flexible mix for a powerful future. With a team of around 3,500 employees, the division operates flexible gas power plants, bioenergy facilities, and hydropower stations in Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, and Turkey. These assets play a vital role in balancing the supply of renewable energy during periods of fluctuation, thereby ensuring the stability of the power grid. Recognising the importance of energy storage, RWE Generation is integrating battery systems into its operations and pioneering hydrogen-powered technologies — an essential element for storing renewable energy for when it is needed most. As a long-standing partner for the regions in which we operate, our reliable, clean and flexible assets enable us to play a key role in decarbonising the energy system. Our team continues to be inventive, using their experience, talent and sunrise technologies to be the cornerstone our society can rely on.