Senior Database Administrator

The Senior Database Administrator provides advanced database engineering, administration, sustainment, and modernization support for FAA operational systems and infrastructure. The role supports configuration management, logistics coordination, systems test support, engineering support, maintenance, operational troubleshooting, help desk related issue resolution, and information system security activities associated with mission-critical infrastructure environments. This position is on site in either Atlantic City, NJ or Boonsboro, MD.

The successful candidate must be comfortable supporting infrastructure that includes Linux, Windows, FAA data center, and cloud-connected environments, and supporting modernization planning that references virtualization, hybrid containerized architecture, Kubernetes, OpenShift, Docker, logging, monitoring, CI/CD, RBAC, vulnerability scanning, and patching where these technologies are used within the FAA environment.

Key Responsibilities:

Database Engineering, Administration, and Optimization

• Design, implement, maintain, and optimize secure, high-performance relational and nonrelational databases supporting operational and engineering objectives.
  
• Perform query tuning, performance optimization, capacity planning, schema support, backup and restoration planning, and technical troubleshooting to preserve database resilience and availability.
  
• Implement and support high-availability and disaster recovery capabilities such as replication, clustering, geo-redundancy, and automated failover, exactly as contemplated by the SOW database engineering support requirements.
  
  

• Define, manage, and track database-related configuration items, documentation, and approved baselines in alignment with FAA configuration management expectations.
  
• Support version-controlled changes, documentation of planned and tracked modifications, validation of implemented changes, and rollback planning for critical database-related changes.
  
• Support configuration audits and reporting activities verifying that the actual database environment matches documented baselines and approved system-state expectations.
  

• Support development and execution of test plans, procedures, schedules, and environments for functional, integration, regression, acceptance, migration, backup, recovery, and restoration testing.
  
• Document test results, discrepancy reports, corrective actions, and traceability to system requirements and operational expectations.
  
• Conduct backup and recovery testing, restoration testing, and support periodic DR drills and failover validation to ensure readiness during system or site-level disruptions.
  

Engineering, Modernization, and Platform Transition Support

• Support engineering activities involving high-availability distributed systems with integrated disaster recovery and failover requirements.
  
• Develop technical documentation for failover procedures, recovery point objectives (RPO), recovery time objectives (RTO), and restoration workflows required by the Program Office.
  
• Support platform modernization assessments and target-state planning involving virtualized infrastructure, hybrid containerized architecture, Kubernetes, OpenShift, Docker, CI/CD, RBAC, password management, compliance tools, monitoring, and logging as directed by the Program Office.
  

Maintenance, Security, and Help Desk Support

• Perform preventive and corrective maintenance, patch management, troubleshooting, and lifecycle support for database-related systems and dependencies.
  
• Monitor logs, alerts, telemetry, performance indicators, and ticketed issues to proactively identify operational concerns and reduce downtime.
  
• Support vulnerability identification, CVE/KEV analysis, asset correlation, risk prioritization, remediation recommendations, and quarterly security reporting activities tied to the information system security support task.
  

Requirements

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelors Degree in Engineering, Mathematics, or Science degree required
  
• 8 years of relevant experience
  
• Relevant experience directly reflecting database engineering, system engineering, technical operations, NAS-supporting systems, or closely related mission-aligned work products and activities.
  
• Demonstrated experience supporting secure, high-performance relational and/or nonrelational databases in mission-critical or operationally sensitive environments.
  
• Demonstrated experience supporting backup and recovery, disaster recovery validation, performance optimization, technical documentation, and troubleshooting of database-related platforms or services.
  
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret clearance during the entire period of performance.
  
• U.S. citizenship required.
  

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience supporting FAA, NAS, aviation, DoD, DHS, or other mission-critical operational environments with high uptime and resiliency expectations.
  
• Experience with Linux, Windows, FAA data center, and cloud-connected environments in support of infrastructure or database operations.
  
• Experience with replication, clustering, geo-redundancy, automated failover, backup/recovery workflows, RPO/RTO documentation, and restoration testing.
  
• Familiarity with Kubernetes, OpenShift, Docker, CI/CD, RBAC, monitoring, logging, vulnerability scanning, and patching where those technologies are part of modernization planning or target-state transition activities.
  
• Familiarity with NIST, CISA, IEEE, CIS guidance, NVD, MITRE CVE List, and CISA KEV Catalog concepts in a federal security environment.
  
• Experience coordinating deliverables such as PMRs, feasibility studies, technical documentation, issue tracking, meeting minutes, and leadership-ready briefing materials.
  
• Desired FAA experience, and knowledge of FAA Mission Networks, Mission Support Networks (MSIP), NAS Enterprise Secure Gateway (NESG), Operational IP Network (OPIP), FTI National Test Bed (FNTB).
  
• Knowledge in Sunhillo Servers: (Brigantine and Rici), RHEL 9.0, CentOS, NGINX, Net Box, Insight, UAT, Prod, and Dev environments, Virtual Machines, Cisco Routers, Active Directory, Mongo Databases, Microsoft SQL, Lansweeper, Akamai
  

Work Requirements: This position is on site in either Atlantic City, NJ or Boonsboro, MD facility.

Travel: < 10%