AVP, Enterprise Database Platforms & Operations at NAC Voya Services Company — Hartford, CT

AVP, Enterprise Database Platforms & Operations

The AVP, Enterprise Database Platforms & Operations is a senior technology leadership role responsible for the end-to-end strategy, architecture, engineering, operations, and product lifecycle management of Voya’s enterprise database platforms.

This role is accountable for delivering highly available, resilient, and scalable database platforms that directly support mission-critical business applications and client-facing services.

This leader will drive platform reliability, resiliency, security, automation, AIOps adoption, cloud transformation, and cost optimization across a diverse portfolio of database technologies.

Success in this role will be measured by platform stability (uptime and SLAs), modernization progress, automation maturity, and reduction of operational risk and cost.

This role requires a strong technical and people leader with proven experience building Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC), CI/CD and Database-as-Code platforms, implementing automation and AIOps, leading on-prem to cloud migrations (Azure), and operating platforms through robust ITSM, governance, and product-centric operating models.

Why This Role Matters

This role ensures Voya’s database platforms operate as strategic, resilient, and cost-effective products. It is critical to enabling cloud transformation, reducing operational risk, and ensuring consistent performance for customer-facing and internal business applications.

Responsibilities

Enterprise Database Strategy & Architecture

• Define and own the enterprise database platform strategy across relational, NoSQL, in-memory, engineered systems, and cloud-native platforms
• Translate business and application needs into standardized, scalable database platform capabilities
• Establish reference architectures, standards, patterns, and multi-year roadmaps aligned to business, security, and regulatory requirements

Provide architectural leadership across:

• Oracle, SQL Server, DB2 UDB, Sybase ASE
• PostgreSQL, MySQL
• MongoDB, Redis
• Oracle Exadata / Exadata Cloud@Customer (ExaCC)
• Oracle ZDLRA and Oracle Enterprise Manager (OEM)
• Azure database platforms (IaaS, PaaS, and managed services)
• Drive capacity planning, performance engineering, scalability, and resiliency design across on-prem and Azure environments

Database Engineering, Automation & AIOps

• Lead enterprise adoption of automation-first and self-service database platforms
• Stand up standardized, repeatable database provisioning and configuration pipelines to reduce manual intervention
• Build and govern Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) and CI/CD pipelines for Database-as-Code
• Enable automated provisioning, configuration, schema versioning, and standardized builds
• Advance AIOps capabilities for predictive insights and proactive incident detection
• Drive measurable reduction in incident volume and MTTR through automation and observability integration
• Integrate automation and AIOps with observability and ITSM workflows

Cloud, Hybrid & Migration Leadership

• Lead large-scale database migrations from on-premises to Azure and hybrid cloud platforms in partnership with key stakeholders
• Define migration strategies including re-hosting, re-platforming, modernization, and consolidation
• Prioritize and sequence migration initiatives based on business impact, risk, and cost optimization opportunities
• Optimize cloud platforms for availability, security, scalability, and cost efficiency
• Establish cloud operational, resiliency, and security standards

Operations, ITSM & Platform Reliability

• Own 24x7 production operations with strict SLAs
• Ensure clear ownership models, escalation paths, and accountability across global support teams
• Ensure adherence to ITSM processes including incident, problem, and change management
• Govern CI/CD-driven change and release processes
• Lead post-incident reviews and systemic issue remediation
• Drive a proactive reliability model rather than reactive support

Business Continuity, Resiliency & Cyber Recovery

• Ensure platforms meet RTO/RPO and resiliency standards
• Define cyber-recovery and ransomware readiness strategies in partnership with the Business Resiliency office
• Implement immutable backups, clean-room recovery, and scenario testing
• Continuously validate recovery readiness through testing and measurable outcomes

Product Lifecycle & Platform Management

• Manage platform lifecycle from ideation through retirement
• Drive refresh, upgrades, standardization, and technical debt reduction
• Rationalize platforms and reduce unnecessary technology sprawl where possible
• Align platform roadmaps with modernization and cloud initiatives

Metrics, KPIs & Executive Reporting

• Establish platform health, reliability, cost, and automation metrics
• Provide executive dashboards for availability, utilization, cost, and efficiency
• Regularly communicate platform health, risks, and trade-offs to senior leadership in business terms
• Use data insights to drive investment and prioritization

Financial Management & Cost Optimization

• Own financials including budgeting, forecasting, and multi-year planning
• Drive FinOps practices including license optimization and capacity right-sizing
• Deliver measurable cost savings while maintaining reliability
• Balance cost optimization with performance and risk tolerance expectations

People Leadership, Talent & Global Delivery

• Lead large global onshore/offshore teams
• Drive skills modernization and workforce transformation
• Foster a culture of innovation, automation, and accountability
• Build a leadership bench and succession pipeline within the organization

Stakeholder Partnership

• Serve as a trusted advisor to Application, Cloud, Infrastructure, Security, and Business leaders
• Translate business objectives into scalable, secure, and resilient database solutions
• Communicate with executives on risk, roadmap, and operational health

Required Experience & Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive experience in enterprise database architecture, engineering, and operations
• Proven experience operating in a senior leadership role with accountability for large-scale, 24x7 production environments
• Deep hands-on expertise across enterprise database platforms including Oracle, SQL Server, DB2, Sybase, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, and Redis
• Proven success building and scaling Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC), CI/CD, and Database-as-Code capabilities
• Demonstrated experience leading database modernization and migration programs across on-premises, hybrid, and Azure environments
• Strong expertise in performance tuning, resiliency engineering, cyber recovery, observability, ITSM, security controls, and governance practices
• Excellent executive communication, stakeholder management, and people leadership skills
• Ability to balance strategic leadership with hands-on technical credibility

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in financial services or regulated industries
• Background in FinOps and cloud cost governance
• Strong observability, automation, and DevOps tooling expertise
• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s preferred

#LI-ND1

Compensation Pay Disclosure:

$171,300 - $214,120 USD

Be Well. Stay Well.

What We Offer

• Health, dental, vision and life insurance plans
• 401(k) Savings plan – with generous company matching contributions (up to 6%)
• Voya Retirement Plan – employer paid cash balance retirement plan (4%)
• Tuition reimbursement up to $5,250/year
• Paid time off – including 20 days paid time off, nine paid company holidays and a flexible Diversity Celebration Day.
• Paid volunteer time — 40 hours per calendar year

Critical Skills

• Customer Focused: Passionate drive to delight our customers and offer unique solutions that deliver on their expectations.
• Critical Thinking: Thoughtful process of analyzing data and problem solving data to reach a well-reasoned solution.
• Team Mentality: Partnering effectively to drive our culture and execute on our common goals.
• Business Acumen: Appreciation and understanding of the financial services industry in order to make sound business decisions.
• Learning Agility: Openness to new ways of thinking and acquiring new skills to retain a competitive advantage.

Learn more about Critical Skills

Equal Employment Opportunity

Reasonable Accommodations

Voya is committed to the inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, Voya will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please reference resources for applicants with disabilitie