Sr. Database Engineer I

Description:
Onsite in Washington dc, DC

The organization seeks a Sr. Database Engineer with PostgreSQL expertise to support mission-critical federal applications. The role will design, administer, and optimize databases across on-premises and cloud environments, with a focus on performance, availability, and security. The engineer will manage Kubernetes-enabled, containerized operations and CI/CD automation, and will support production with disciplined operational practices. The position requires clear communication of technical risks and strong stakeholder trust through reliable delivery.

This is a full-time, permanent opportunity, offering a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package. Qualified applicants must be willing and able to work on a w2 basis.

Salary: $180,000 - $250,000/ yr. w2

Responsibilities:

• Design, administer, and optimize databases in on-premises and cloud environments.
• Perform database performance tuning, backups, replication, and recovery.
• Enforce access controls, auditing, governance, and retention policies.
• Manage schemas, indexes, stored procedures, and permissions.
• Manage Kubernetes clusters and support containerized database and application operations.
• Administer CI/CD pipelines and automation supporting database and application delivery.
• Participate in Agile ceremonies and collaborative delivery activities.
• Support production operations with urgency and operational discipline.
• Communicate technical risks, issues, and recommendations clearly to stakeholders.
• Build and maintain strong customer trust through technical expertise, responsiveness, and reliability.

Experience Requirements:

• Active Top Secret with current or previously held SCI access.
• 5+ years of experience as a database administrator or engineer.
• Experience designing, implementing, managing, and tuning PostgreSQL databases in enterprise environments.
• Experience ensuring database performance, availability, and reliability, including capacity planning and performance tuning.
• Experience implementing and managing database security controls, including access management and auditing.
• Experience performing database backups, recovery, and restore operations, including support for high-availability configurations.
• Experience with distributed PostgreSQL solutions (e.g., pgEdge or similar).
• Ability to contribute immediately with minimal ramp-up in a mission-critical operational environment.

Education Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field is preferred.
• Certification meeting DoD 8140 (e.g., Security+ or GSEC, or higher).
• Certification for database platform (e.g., DP-300, Oracle OCP, or equivalent).