Senior Database Administrator / DBA SME

Job Description

Company: DPG Solutions
Location: State College, PA
Workplace Type: On-site
Employment Type: Permanent
Pay / Compensation: $220K – $360K/yr

About the Role

DPG is seeking a Senior Database Administrator / DBA SME to support a mission-critical customer in a classified environment. This role is best suited for someone who has spent real time supporting operational mission systems, understands the realities of secure infrastructure, and can operate independently as a senior technical resource.

The ideal candidate is not just a database administrator who performs routine maintenance. We are looking for a hands-on DBA with strong experience supporting relational database management systems, Linux-based environments, database security, automation, troubleshooting, replication, backup and recovery, performance tuning, and operational sustainment. In this role, you will work directly with systems engineers, software engineers, security personnel, and mission stakeholders to administer, sustain, troubleshoot, and improve database environments that support operational mission platforms and are tightly integrated with applications, infrastructure, storage, networking, and mission services.

What You’ll Do / Key Responsibilities

• Administer, sustain, troubleshoot, and improve relational database management systems in a classified mission environment.
• Support database design, configuration, maintenance, performance tuning, patching, backup, recovery, replication, and disaster recovery activities.
• Work with systems engineers, software engineers, DevOps teams, data teams, and security personnel to implement reliable backend database solutions.
• Support database environments that interact with Linux systems, applications, storage, virtualization, network services, and mission platforms.
• Identify and understand customer needs, then translate those needs into secure, reliable, and maintainable database solutions.
• Apply a strong understanding of database principles, theories, and concepts to develop practical design and sustainment solutions.
• Troubleshoot database issues related to performance, availability, replication, disaster recovery, backups, restores, user access, audit logging, and application integration.
• Support database security controls, auditing, compliance requirements, access management, encryption, patching, and system hardening.
• Automate routine database administration tasks where practical to improve consistency, reduce manual effort, and strengthen operational reliability.
• Support integration, testing, deployment, and sustainment activities across production and non-production environments.
• Provide operational support for mission platforms, including planned maintenance, incident response, break-fix support, and occasional after-hours support.
• Document database configurations, procedures, troubleshooting steps, operational processes, and system changes.
• Collaborate with technical teams and mission stakeholders to resolve issues quickly and communicate technical concepts clearly.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Citizenship & Clearance:
  • Must be a U.S. Citizen.
  • Must have an active TS/SCI clearance with FS Polygraph.
  • Must have an active DoD 8570 IAT Level II certification, such as CompTIA Security+.
• Professional Experience:
  • 8 or more years of experience in database administration, database engineering, backend data support, or closely related technical work.
  • Experience administering relational database management systems in secure, classified, or mission-critical environments.
  • Experience with relational database management systems such as Oracle, Oracle Exadata, PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, or similar enterprise database platforms.
  • Experience with Oracle Intelligent Advisor is strongly preferred where applicable to the customer environment.
  • Experience working with systems engineers and software engineers to implement, modify, troubleshoot, and sustain backend databases.
  • Experience using the Linux command line to perform database administration, troubleshooting, scripting, and operational support activities.
  • Experience troubleshooting database issues related to disaster recovery, replication, backups, restores, performance, availability, and application connectivity.
  • Experience troubleshooting database performance issues, including query performance, indexing, capacity, and resource utilization.
  • Experience supporting database security controls, audit requirements, compliance requirements, user access, logging, encryption, and system hardening.
  • Experience automating routine database administration tasks using scripting, job scheduling, or automation tools.
• Core Competencies:
  • Strong understanding of database principles, relational database design, SQL, indexing, query performance, data integrity, and operational sustainment.
  • Strong analytical, research, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills.
  • Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly with engineers, security personnel, leadership, and mission stakeholders.
  • Ability to work independently, prioritize issues, and resolve problems in high-visibility environments.
  • Ability to support occasional after-hours maintenance or operational support when required.

Preferred / Bonus Qualifications (if applicable)

• Experience virtualizing or containerizing databases.
• Existing Security+ certification.
• Experience with AWS, cloud-adjacent, or hybrid infrastructure environments.
• Experience with NoSQL database products such as MongoDB and DynamoDB.
• Experience with spatial databases.
• Coding experience with SQL, Python, or Java.
• Experience supporting Oracle Exadata in classified or enterprise environments.
• Experience supporting databases that are tightly coupled to mission applications, DevSecOps pipelines, or operational platforms.
• Experience with scripting or programming languages such as SQL, Python, Java, Bash, Perl, PowerShell, or PL/SQL.
• Experience with automation and configuration management tools such as Ansible, Puppet, Chef, or similar frameworks.
• Experience with VMware environments, including ESXi and vCenter.
• Experience with Git, Artifactory, Bitbucket, CI/CD tools, Jira, or similar developer and DevOps tools.
• Experience with Kubernetes, Rancher, containerized applications, or modern platform technologies.
• Experience working within Agile or Scrum-based delivery environments.
• Experience supporting systems where uptime, security, auditability, and operational reliability are critical.
• Ability to coordinate technical issues across internal teams, external organizations, vendors, and customer stakeholders.

Benefits & Perks

• Retirement / Profit Sharing: Company-funded 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan with 25% of base pay deposited every pay period and vested on day one of employment.
• Health & Wellness: 100% of health care benefits and premiums paid by the company, plus company HSA contribution.
• Performance Bonus: Annual performance bonus.
• Paid Time Off: 250 hours of PTO with up to 40 hours available to carry over.
• Education & Growth: Education benefits including certification reimbursement and tuition reimbursement.
• Community & Culture: Biannual company-sponsored events for employees and their families.

US Citizenship is required

An active TS/SCI with FS Polygraph is required

DoD 8570 IAT Level II certification is required, such as CompTIA Security+