SQL Database Specialist

Job description

• Experience: 8+ years of Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL[DNNC(1] , and Oracle database administration (DoD IT experience preferred)

• Security Clearance: Secret (Top Secret preferred)

• Work Location: Government site in Annapolis, MD and/or Fort Meade, MD

• Advanced knowledge of DoD cybersecurity requirements, including CIS Benchmarks, DISA STIGs, and Risk Management Framework compliance

• Proven leadership and mentoring skills that drive teams to technical innovation

Desired Technical Skills: 

(a) In-depth, hands-on experience with Microsoft SQL Server[FF2] , MySQL, and Oracle databases necessary to perform all installation, administration, protection, and data recovery duties

(b) Advanced experience with relational database management systems (RDBMS), system design and analysis, Microsoft Windows and Linux operating systems, including advanced SQL CLI usage

(c) Communicates and collaborates well with the engineering team to develop, build, and maintain current production application databases and future application releases

(d) Evaluates and analyzes the customer’s functional business requirements, workflows, processes, and interfaces to the existing database and recommends improvements

(e) Advises the engineering team in planning, preparation, load analysis, data backup and recovery - recommends the use of specific database features or add-on components towards providing optimal application performance for end-users

(f) Works with engineering team to prepare and deliver presentations on future RDBMS courses of action and applicable tradeoffs - ensuring that proposed action objectives are clear, concise, technically correct, represent singular concepts, and are consistent with data and process models[FF3] 

Contract-Specific Skills: 

(a) Comfortable working in virtual environments such as VMware vSphere and vCloud Director and working in commercial cloud environments such as AWS (commercial, GovCloud, and Secret regions)[DNNC(4]  and Microsoft Azure (Commercial and Government regions)

(b) Experience in database recovery operations for Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, and Oracle – activities such as patch roll-back, data restoration from backup, recovery from synchronization failures, etc.

(c) Knowledgeable of the best practices for the installation and configuration of Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, and Oracle databases including data storage principles to achieve optimal performance and data recovery

(d) Experience with database backup and recovery operations for Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, and Oracle including the use of VM/instance snapshots and database archives

(e) Experience with database security hardening and vendor-specific security best practices including how these security configurations affect database operations and end-user application performance

(f) Hands-on experience with the setup, operation, monitoring, maintenance, troubleshooting, and problem resolution of Oracle GoldenGate software - knowledge of best practices for its use in intermittent connectivity and low-bandwidth situations

(g) Knowledge of the proper startup and shutdown sequence of databases and add-on component services for Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, and Oracle running on both Microsoft Windows and Linux operating systems

(h) Experience with Microsoft SQL Server to Oracle bidirectional data synchronization, to include initial setup, configuration, monitoring, maintenance, and data recovery

(i) Proficient in writing standard operating procedures (SOP), process trees, and activity workflows for junior DBAs to follow - proficient in documenting RDBMS security posture artifacts

(j) Proficient in coordinating database operations with system administrators, software developers, engineers, and application end-users - scheduling routine maintenance and recovery actions during authorized and emergency system outage windows

(k) Provide verbal and written description of recommendations for future actions needed and explanation of actions taken to inform peers, system leaders, stakeholders, decision-makers, and government customers[FF5] 

(l) Comfortable with maintaining, operating, and performing database management actions in virtual and remote desktop environments - able to perform database operations using the command line interface when web service and desktop GUI methods are not available

(m) Knowledge of applicable IP ports and protocols required for network communication between the user application and Oracle and SQL Server database components

(n) Experience administering database system and user accounts such as configuring password complexity requirements, performing password resets, assist with account recovery and expiration

(o) Experience configuring Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, and Oracle service components for PKI authentication for machine-to-machine interface authentication and authorization operations – integration with Active Directory/LDAP, OpenID, OAuth2, SAML authentication mechanisms

(p) Experience configuring database security protocols, cryptography, FIPS 140-2, SSL/TLS for Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, and Oracle databases

(q) Knowledge of database clustering, synchronization, primary/backup replication failover and failback operations and the recovery of sync/replication failures for both Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, and Oracle databases

(r) Proficient in performing major/minor database version upgrades and patches while ensuring data integrity

(s) Experience implementing DevSecOps methodology – working as a member of the engineering team to contribute updates to code repositories that update the CI/CD pipelines that deploy and update the database.

(t) As an engineering team member, create and manage stories in a task management system, participate in daily scrums to share status on existing stories

(u) Experience improving performance by indexing and caching common requests with Microsoft SQL Server and MySQL databases