Senior Database Administrator

Company Description

Big challenges need bold thinkers.

If you're someone who sees problems as opportunities, you'll thrive here. RESPEC is 100% employee-owned, which means we take ownership of every challenge. Here, your ideas drive real solutions. Since 1969, we've tackled complex challenges in energy transition, infrastructure resilience, digital transformation, and sustainability.

At RESPEC, you'll work alongside clients to take on critical problems. Depending on your expertise, you might design infrastructure in remote locations, develop renewable energy solutions for global projects, or apply data-driven technology to improve mining and water systems.

We bring deep technical knowledge, real-world experience, and a commitment to work that matters. If you're looking for a place where your contributions have real impact, you'll fit right in.

We do not accept unsolicited resumes from third-party recruiters.

Job Description

RESPEC is hiring four Senior Database Administrators (DBAs) — two Senior SQL DBAs and two Senior Oracle DBAs — to support a large-scale federal program advancing modernization and mission-critical database operations. These cleared, remote roles will ensure the reliability, performance, and security of diverse enterprise database environments across multiple technologies.

Ideal candidates are seasoned technical experts with over eight years of hands-on experience in database administration, system tuning, patching, clustering, and troubleshooting across SQL and Oracle systems. You will work in a collaborative, security-conscious team tasked with sustaining and optimizing high-availability architectures that support federal operational and analytical systems.

Responsibilities:

• Database Operations and Maintenance
• Administer, configure, and maintain SQL Server, Oracle, and related database environments (including clustered and standalone implementations).
• Perform daily monitoring, troubleshooting, and performance tuning to ensure optimal system operations.
• Apply and test patches, handle upgrades, and manage database versions and migrations.
• Development and Optimization
• Support schema design, storage strategies, indexing, and query optimization.
• Develop and maintain processes, scripts, and tools for database automation, fault monitoring, and auditing.
• High Availability & Recovery
• Design, implement, and test backup/recovery procedures and disaster recovery solutions.
• Ensure replication, failover, and clustering configurations meet uptime requirements.
• Security & Compliance
• Implement and enforce database security controls, user management, and access policies.
• Maintain compliance with federal cybersecurity and data handling standards.
• Collaboration & Documentation
• Partner with systems engineers, developers, and project teams to integrate databases with applications and cloud services.
• Maintain complete documentation of database configurations, architectures, and standard operating procedures.

Qualifications

Experience: Minimum of 8 years in database administration for enterprise-scale systems.

• Technical Proficiency: Hands-on expertise across the following:
• MS SQL / SQL Server
• SQL Cluster Environments
• Oracle Database
• MariaDB
• MySQL
• PostgreSQL
• Microsoft Access
• Core Competencies:
• Advanced knowledge of database design, clustering, replication, and disaster recovery strategies.
• Proven experience managing performance tuning, patching, and version upgrades.
• Skilled in backup management, monitoring tools, and storage optimization.
• Strong understanding of schema changes, stored procedures, and access control models.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field.
• Citizenship: U.S. Citizenship required (federal contract requirement).
• Security Clearance: Must be able to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance; active clearance highly preferred.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Recent experience supporting federal health, defense, or civilian agency database environments.
• Familiarity with ITIL service management principles and enterprise ticketing systems.
• Experience designing and supporting cloud or hybrid database solutions (AWS RDS, Azure SQL, or OCI).
• Industry certifications (e.g., Microsoft Certified: Azure/SQL Database Administrator Associate, Oracle Certified Professional, AWS Database Specialty).

Additional Information

Work Schedule:

• Remote with Federal Agency in Washington, DC

Compensation: Salary depends on experience and expertise. Compensation includes a comprehensive fringe-benefits package. RESPEC is a 100% employee-owned company and employees are eligible for participation in the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) after a qualifying period.

Featured benefits include:

• Flexible Work Schedules
• Paid Parental Leave
• 401(k) & ESOP (with company match up to 4%)
• Professional Development and Training
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Employee Assistance Program
• Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance Plans

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.