Database Administrator

The Database Administrator (DBA) is responsible for the administration, optimization, security, modernization, and support of enterprise database environments supporting USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) mission-critical applications. The DBA ensures database availability, integrity, performance, and compliance while supporting application modernization initiatives, DevSecOps practices, cloud migration, and enterprise data governance.

The DBA partners closely with software developers, architects, platform engineers, DevSecOps teams, and Government stakeholders to maintain secure, scalable, and highly available database environments while reducing technical debt and supporting modernization initiatives across the USDA FPAC enterprise., * Administer, monitor, maintain, and optimize enterprise SQL Server databases to ensure high availability, performance, security, and data integrity for mission-critical USDA applications.

• Design, develop, and maintain database objects, including schemas, tables, indexes, views, stored procedures, and scripts, while optimizing queries and reducing technical debt.
• Perform database performance tuning, capacity planning, troubleshooting, and root cause analysis to resolve production issues and improve system reliability.
• Support preventive, corrective, adaptive, and perfective maintenance activities, including defect resolution, application support, database deployments, and production releases in accordance with established SLAs.
• Manage database schema changes, version control, and migrations across development, test, UAT, and production environments using approved change management and DevSecOps processes.
• Implement and maintain database backup, recovery, disaster recovery, and business continuity procedures, including validation of recovery objectives and automated recovery processes.
• Ensure compliance with USDA, FPAC, and Federal security requirements by implementing database security best practices, vulnerability remediation, auditing, encryption, and access controls.
• Support application modernization initiatives by migrating legacy databases, improving data architectures, eliminating cross-database dependencies, and enabling cloud-ready solutions and service-based data access patterns.
• Collaborate with software developers, architects, platform engineers, and Government stakeholders to support application development, CI/CD pipelines, system integrations, and release management activities.
• Develop and maintain database documentation, operational procedures, recovery runbooks, data lineage, and audit-ready artifacts to support governance and compliance requirements.
• Support enterprise data management initiatives, including data quality, migration, transformation, integration, metadata management, and cloud data platform adoption.
• Evaluate and recommend emerging database technologies, automation tools, AI-assisted analysis, and modernization strategies to improve operational efficiency, scalability, and long-term sustainability.

Work Location and Schedule

• Remote work is approved. Contractor personnel must have access to the internet and Government network and be available to federal PMs, COs, CORs, and TPOCs during core hours (9:00 AM to 3:00 PM EST).
• Normal duty hours are 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM EST, Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays.
• After-hours and weekend work may be required to support production releases.
• Travel within fifty (50) miles of the Contractor’s facilities may be required with COR approval.

Security Requirements

• Must be able to obtain and maintain a USDA security background investigation (FBI fingerprint check and eQIP).
• Must comply with all NIST, USDA, and HSPD-12 security training and reporting requirements.
• Must complete mandatory training: Information Security Awareness (annually) and Section 508 (within 45 days of assignment).

Do you have experience in Vulnerability management?, * Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related technical discipline (or equivalent experience).

• Experience supporting USDA, NRCS, or other federal geospatial programs.
• Demonstrated experience supporting the USDA NRCS ProTracts system, with knowledge of its database architecture, data models, dependencies, and integration points required to support sustainment, modernization, and migration initiatives
• 5+ years of experience administering enterprise Microsoft SQL Server environments.
• Experience with SQL Server Administration, Transact-SQL (T-SQL), stored procedures, indexing, query optimization, and performance tuning.
• Experience supporting enterprise application environments within Agile and DevSecOps methodologies.
• Experience with database backup, recovery, replication, high availability, and disaster recovery planning.
• Experience supporting software deployments, release management, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Strong understanding of relational database design principles and normalization.
• Experience with database security, auditing, encryption, and access management.
• Experience using Git or enterprise version control systems.
• Experience supporting production systems with high availability requirements.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills., * Experience supporting Federal Government IT environments.
• Experience with USDA, FPAC, or NRCS systems.
• Experience with AWS database services, cloud migration, or hybrid cloud environments.
• Experience with Databricks or enterprise data lake architectures.
• Experience with Azure DevOps, Jira, GitHub, or similar Agile toolsets.
• Experience implementing database automation and Infrastructure as Code (IaC).
• Familiarity with SonarQube, automated testing, and DevSecOps security scanning.
• Experience supporting modernization of legacy applications to .NET Core and cloud-native architectures.
• Experience with AI-assisted code or database analysis tools.

4.04.0 out of 5 stars Arlington, VA 22202 Remote $120,000 - $135,000 a year, Pulled from the full job description

• Health insurance
• 401(k) matching
• Vision insurance
• Health savings account
• Dental insurance
• Paid sick time
• Flexible spending account, We are proud to offer competitive compensation and benefits packages to include paid vacation, paid holidays and sick pay; medical, dental and vision plans plus FSA and HSA options; matching 401K plan; tuition, training, professional development programs and long and short-term disability.

AttainX Inc. is SBA certified Women Owned Small Business (WOSB), Economically Disadvantaged WOSB (EDWOSB), CMMI Level 3, ISO 9001:2015 certified QMS and Silver Level SaFe Partner. For over 12 years, AttainX, Inc. has delivered emergent technologies, software products, program/project management oversight and high-quality services that meet the needs of our federal government customers.

The last three years have shown significant company growth as we have increased our contracts portfolio and hold the Best-in-Class contract vehicles, GSA MAS and OASIS Small Business. In addition, we are prime on several agency specific IDIQs and BPAs with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), DOE, Department of Defense (DoD), Health and Human Service (HHS) and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).

AttainX is dedicated to quality and best practices for the services we provide. We understand our people are the key ingredient to ensuring our customers’ mission and goals are met with excellence.