Senior Database Engineer

We are seeking a self-motivated Database Administrator / Database Engineer to join a small, talented, and hardworking team in Annapolis Junction, MD. In this role, you will help create, support, maintain, and troubleshoot Microsoft SQL Server and MariaDB databases across multiple networks, architectures, and hybrid environments spanning both on-premise datacenters and cloud infrastructures. As a Database Engineer at Nyla, you aren’t just maintaining the status quo-you are driven to continuously learn new skills and actively contribute to the growth and maturity of our database processes. You bring a strong problem-solving mindset, a desire to automate repetitive tasks, and the willingness to think outside the box to keep mission-critical data platforms optimized, secure, and resilient. If you thrive in a close-knit team setting where your individual impact directly shapes enterprise capability, Team Nyla is looking for you.

Database Administration Expertise: Hands-on experience creating, maintaining, patching, and supporting MS SQL Server, MariaDB, and/or Oracle database management systems.

Performance Tuning & Optimization: Applied experience managing database indexes, optimizing query execution, and performing instance-level performance tuning.

Troubleshooting & Issue Resolution: Proven ability to systematically identify and resolve database instance errors, performance bottlenecks, and application connection issues.

Backup & Recovery: Strong practical knowledge of designing, managing, and testing enterprise database backup, restoration, and disaster recovery processes.

Team Collaboration & Communication: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with a proven track record of collaborating effectively within small, agile teams and broader stakeholder groups.

Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related technical discipline PLUS 10+ years experience as a DBA in programs and contracts of similar scope, type, and complexity is required OR High School Diploma / GED, PLUS 14+ years of hands-on software engineering experience in lieu of a degree. , Desired Skills

Knowledge of cloud database services, specifically AWS Relational Database Service (RDS).

Experience utilizing PowerShell or Python scripting to automate repetitive database administration workflows.

Familiarity with database high-availability features, specifically SQL Server AlwaysOn availability groups.

Exposure to enterprise backup solutions, such as Commvault.

Practical understanding of Windows administrative tools, including Windows Event Log Filtering and Windows Task Scheduler setup/management.

Experience supporting and configuring databases for enterprise SharePoint implementations.

The annual base salary range for this role is $159,000-$188,000 (USD) , which does not include discretionary bonus compensation or our comprehensive benefits package. Actual compensation offered to the successful candidate may vary from posted hiring range based upon geographic location, work experience, education, and/or skill level, among other things., WHAT ABOUT OTHER BENEFITS? Nyla’s health care (medical, dental, and vision) is 100% covered by the company. We provide 10% 401k matching - with full vesting day 1! Our Professional Development offers $5,000 per year to be used towards fees, tuition, or time off for your continued growth. We even have a student loan repayment program and we provide 8 hours of volunteering annually so you can support your community, making your world a better place.

Nyla Technology Solutions delivers exceptional Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Science, and Software Engineering services for the U.S. Government. Nyla embraces a forward-thinking and bold approach at every turn, earning us a solid reputation of technical trendsetters within the industry. We have a passion for developing solutions that have a quick and immediate impact on mission. Headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, our customers love how we tackle their most challenging problems and get things done.

If you have the unique experience and expertise we are seeking, along with the desire and determination to invest your time and energy as a part of Nyla’s team,

Taking Care of All of You Nyla provides a top-of-market compensation and benefits package. And through our unique Nyla FLEX program, we custom tailor these benefits to best fit your lifestyle.

The Nyla FLEX benefit program is designed to offer you flexibility in the 3 biggest areas of your life: your pay, your leave, and your schedule.

PAY - Nyla starts with 4 weeks of Annual Leave plus 11 holidays and an additional day of Annual Leave for each year you’re at the company. You have the flexibility to cash out your annual leave hours, opt out of other Nyla benefits, and/or arrange for additional hours on contract* (over 40 hrs/week). There’s even an option to earn 1.3 times your hourly rate once you work over 1880 hours on contract!

LEAVE - Want to spend more time with the family? Want more time to travel the world? You can BUY additional annual leave for a total of 6 weeks of annual leave. That’s up to 240 hours of leave plus 11 holidays! That’s not even including paid anniversary leave!

SCHEDULE - Does the traditional 40-hour workweek no longer fit your lifestyle? With Nyla FLEX, you have the freedom to scale down to 30-32 hours while still enjoying the top-notch Nyla benefits you know and love. It’s flexibility that works for you without compromising the perks!