Database Administrator

Position Summary 

Effectual DBAs are key members of the Public Sector Program Management team, responsible for delivering mission-aligned solutions with a strong focus on technical excellence, regulatory compliance, and stakeholder satisfaction. The DBA is responsible for managing and maintaining enterprise database ecosystems, including DB2, PostgreSQL, and associated DBMS platforms, within public sector and government domains. This position ensures data is secure, highly available, and optimized to support mission-critical applications, modernization initiatives, and cloud-based deployments. The DBA is a key contributor to database architecture, performance, and compliance, including structured migrations from DB2 to PostgreSQL. As representatives of the Effectual brand, they are expected to stay current with applicable public sector standards, policies, and best practices to consistently deliver high-quality, well-architected solutions that address the diverse needs of government and public sector organizations. 

A Glimpse into the Daily Routine of an Effectual DBA 

A Database Administrator (DBA) actively monitors database performance, system alerts, and capacity utilization to ensure environments operate efficiently and securely. Execute routine maintenance tasks, applying tuning adjustments, and updating configurations to optimize database performance. Work closely with development teams to support query optimization, schema planning, and integration of application requirements. Manage and execute upgrades, patches, backups, and recovery exercises to maintain system reliability and data integrity. When issues arise affecting security, performance, or data availability, the DBA investigates and resolves them promptly. Comprehensive documentation of configurations, standards, and changes is maintained to ensure audit readiness and compliance. Participate in migration activities and engages in cross-team technical discussions to support modernization initiatives and collaborative problem-solving across the organization. Be available during core customer hours, support in-person collaboration which is essential to ensure effective communication and teamwork. Your expertise will be critical in driving both application development and successful cloud migration initiatives. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

• Design, deploy, configure, and maintain secure cloud-based database environments across DB2, PostgreSQL, and related DBMS platforms 

• Administer and optimize mission-critical databases to ensure high availability, performance, and throughput 

• Plan and execute database modernization initiatives, including migrations from DB2 to PostgreSQL 

• Monitor database performance, diagnose bottlenecks, and optimize queries and configurations 

• Implement and enforce database security controls, including access management, encryption, auditing, and STIG compliance 

• Develop and maintain backup, recovery, and disaster recovery strategies to ensure data integrity and continuity of operations 

• Execute controlled upgrades, schema changes, patching, and routine maintenance activities 

• Provide technical support and troubleshooting for application teams and end-users 

• Maintain operational documentation, including runbooks, configuration records, and as-built guides 

• Support automation initiatives, including database maintenance scripting, IaC integration, and CI/CD workflows 

• Collaborate with engineering, security, and operations teams to ensure database architecture meets enterprise performance, scalability, and resiliency requirements 

• Contribute to project governance and execution within regulated public sector environments 

Qualifications 

• Minimum Education: Bachelor’s degree in related field AND 

• Minimum Experience: 4 years of experience in specialized cloud technologies OR 

• Substitution/Alternative to Minimum Education and Experience: Must have at least 12 years of on-the-job experience 

• Available during customer working hours, as needed—both for scheduled and impromptu support 

• Be able to work remotely but, be able to go on-site as requested and/or occasionally on-site in Washington DC  

• Must be a US Citizen 

• 4+ years administering large-scale database environments in government or public sector domains  

• Certifications: AWS Database Specialty, PostgreSQL, IBM DB2, CompTIA Security+ and/or equivalent 

• Hands-on experience with DB2, PostgreSQL, and enterprise DBMS administration 

• Proven experience with migrations and modernization activities, specifically DB2 to PostgreSQL transitions 

• Strong understanding of database performance tuning, backup and recovery, monitoring, and troubleshooting 

• Experience supporting secure environments with formalized change control, auditing, and compliance alignment 

• Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and negotiation skills 

• Experience with Agile tools such as Jira, Confluence, and other project tracking systems 

• Familiarity with technical environments, including cloud migration projects (AWS preferred) and enterprise-level software stacks 

• Experience with Agile techniques (User Stories including descriptions, acceptance criteria and story points, ATDD, TDD, Continuous Integration, Continuous Testing, Pairing, Automated Testing) 

• You are able to work with distributed teams and handle multiple workstreams simultaneously 

• Strong organizational, problem-solving, and conflict resolution skills 

• Quick-learner and operating with minimum supervision in a changing environment 

• Experienced in drafting comprehensive documents using Microsoft Office suite 

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities to translate requirements into technical specifications 

• Hardworking and self-motivated, with the ability to work in team and individual settings 

• Detail-oriented and able to stand behind the quality of the work 

• Able to properly understand and communicate level of effort, define due dates, and meet deadlines 

• Ability to work Eastern Standard Time Zone schedule 

Nice-to-Have Skills and Experience 

• Active Clearance or Public Trust (DOJ Preferred) 

• PMI and AWS Certifications (e.g., PMI-ACP, AWS Certified Solutions Architect) 

• Experience with automation tools such as Ansible, Terraform, or scripting languages for database management 

• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, DevOps workflows, and infrastructure as code supporting cloud database deployments 

• Knowledge of ETL workflows, data pipelines, and analytical database services 

• Experience with database hardening, security audits, log analysis, and federal compliance frameworks 

• Prior exposure to multi-cloud or hybrid cloud DBMS environments 

• Experience with commercial or open-source monitoring and observability platforms 

• Familiarity with performance metrics, KPIs, and reporting for executive leadership 

• Experience in leading Agile transformation initiatives within large, complex organizations 

• Stay updated with emerging AWS cloud technologies, public sector regulations, industry trends, and best practices related to application migrations  

Physical Demands and Work Environment  

The work is generally performed in an office environment.  Physical demands include sitting, keyboarding, verbal communication, written communication.  Employees are occasionally required to stand; walk; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.

This job description may not be inclusive of all assigned duties, responsibilities, or aspects of the job described, and may be amended anytime at the sole discretion of the Employer. Duties and responsibilities are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. To perform this job successfully, the incumbents will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an “at will” relationship. Effectual Inc. is an EEO employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected classification in its hiring, promoting, or any other job-related opportunity.