Database Engineer/Team Lead

Overview

Nakupuna Consulting seeks a Database Engineer Team Lead with supervisory and leadership experience who will be responsible for maintaining and end enhancing mission critical datasets for our Department of Defense (DoD) customer(s).  The candidate will lead a team of 3 - 4 Database Administrators and Engineers, collaborating with both contractor and government civilian professionals, to accomplish database and data architecture priorities set by the customer.  The candidate should be familiar with Agile project methodologies, able to work with a geographically dispersed workforce, and be comfortable communicating with a variety of IT professionals including technicians, end-users, and executive level stakeholders.  This position demands knowledge of Microsoft SQL Server administration and development as well as the ability to quickly learn and implement new technologies as the customer migrates into managed database services. 

Responsibilities

The following reflects management’s definition of key functions for this job and reserves the right to assign additional duties as necessary to meet operational requirements:

Leadership Responsibilities:

• Work closely with the customer and database team to establish team tasks and priorities.
• Serve as technical lead for a team of 3-4 database administrators and engineers to fulfill customer priorities.
• Enforce project best-practices, including ensuring all work is documented, approved, and properly reported. 
• Collaborate with the customer and other IT functional teams to ensure database requirements are being communicated and fulfilled.
• Advise stakeholders on suggested COAs, roadmaps, and compliance improvements as required. 
• Create white-papers, PowerPoint presentations, and workflow diagrams to facilitate communication and documentation needs.
• Supervise 3-4 database administrators / engineers.  Supervisor duties include annual goal setting, frequent professional development conversations, coaching / mentorship, performance assessments. 
• Proactively seek opportunities to improve inefficient processes, and train IT administrators on database related activities. 

Database Engineering Responsibilities: 

• Database Engineering and Architecture: Design and develop data pipelines, ETL processes, and data integration workflows to support business intelligence and analytics platforms.
• Data Modeling: Create and maintain logical and physical data models, ensuring alignment with business and system requirements.
• Database Management: Build, maintain, and optimize Microsoft SQL Server databases to ensure high availability, scalability, and reliability.
• Data Quality and Governance: Implement data quality controls, auditing, and governance policies to ensure accuracy, consistency, and security of data assets.
• Performance Optimization: Implement best practices for query tuning, indexing strategies, and storage optimization to achieve optimal database performance.
• Automation: Develop automation scripts using T-SQL, PowerShell, or other scripting languages to streamline data processes and database management tasks.
• Cloud Integration: Leverage cloud-based solutions to support data architectures within the Amazon Web Services (AWS) GovCloud environment.
• Documentation: Develop and maintain documentation including Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), diagrams and presentations.
• Strategic Contribution: Help define data strategy and contribute to technology selection and adoption to improve the data ecosystem.
• Quality Assurance: Develop comprehensive test suites and detailed test plans for unit testing, regression testing, and user acceptance testing (UAT).

Qualifications

Skills/Qualifications: Excellent technical, organizational, decision-making, analytical, and planning skills. Effective communicator who takes initiative and the ability to adapt to dynamic environments.  In addition, the following technical skills are needed:

• Expertise in database design, data warehousing, and ETL processes.
• Proficiency in Transact-SQL (T-SQL) for complex queries, stored procedures, and performance tuning.
• Experience with data pipeline tools and technologies, such as SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS).
• Solid understanding of data modeling techniques, including star schema and snowflake schema designs.
• Familiarity with cloud-based data platforms, particularly in Amazon Web Services (AWS).
• Experience with SaaS database solutions such as AWS RDS and or Aurora hosted databases.
• Knowledge of data governance, security, and compliance best practices.
• Demonstrated proficiency with source control systems, including the ability to manage code repositories, track changes, and collaborate effectively with team members to ensure version control and maintain code integrity throughout the development lifecycle.
• Be able to support DevSecOps implementation including automated testing, release pipelines, and automated deployment.
• Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Visual Studio, including experience in using its integrated development environment (IDE) for coding, debugging, testing, and deploying database software applications efficiently across various platforms.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 applications that includes Word, Excel, Visio, and SharePoint.
• Experience with DoD standard tools and technologies.
• Experience using Agile methodologies and ticketing systems such as JIRA is desirable.

Education/Experience: 

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical major from an accredited institution as well as a minimum of (5) five years of Database Engineering professional experience and (2) years of team-lead / customer-facing experience. Equivalent years of related work or military experience in lieu of degree will also be considered.

Certification:

• Required:
  • Active IAT II Certification which may include CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+), CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), or CompTIA Security+. 
• Nice to have:
  • Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA), Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD), Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) or Azure database role-based certifications
  • Amazon Web Services (AWS) certifications
  • AWS Certified Engineer
  • Scrum Master or other Agile Methodology related certifications

Clearance Requirements: Must currently have at least a Secret level security clearance. Must be a U.S. citizen.

Work Location:

• This opportunity is in Arlington, VA or Honolulu, HI, and requires three (3) days per week on-site.  Travel to Honolulu, HI or the continental US may be required approximately one week per year. 
• This position may require working outside of normal business hours, including evenings and weekends, to meet occasional operational or project demands.

Physical Requirements: The ideal candidate must at a minimum be able to meet the following physical requirements of the job with or without reasonable accommodation:

• Ability to perform repetitive motions with the hands, wrists, and fingers.
• Ability to engage in and follow audible communications in emergency situations.
• Ability to sit for prolonged periods at a desk and working on a computer.

The Nakupuna Companies use a market-based compensation strategy to ensure that our employees are compensated within applicable market ranges commensurate with multiple factors, including but not limited to the individual’s particular combination of education, knowledge, skills, competencies, and experience, as well as contract-specific affordability, organizational requirements, and position location. The projected compensation range for this position is $120,000.00 to $150,000.00 (annualized USD). The salary range displayed represents the typical salary range for this position and is just one component of Nakupuna Companies total compensation package for employees.

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