Senior Database Administrator
The program seeks a senior database administrator to own steady-state administration of its on-premises database estate, which continues to operate in a monitored hybrid enclave while the program migrates workloads to an Azure Government environment. The estate has two administration tracks: SQL Server databases, administered end-to-end through SQL Server Management Studio, and the MariaDB databases supporting the on-premises ServiceNow instance, hosted on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 9.8 servers and administered over SSH (command-line; no GUI tooling assumed). The primary focus of this position is on-premises database administration. Candidates who will also continue the incumbent's support to the cloud migration should additionally meet the requirements in the final section.
Section 1 — On-Premises Database Administration (Primary Focus)
Responsibilities
Administer production SQL Server databases through SQL Server Management Studio: backup and recovery (including periodic restore verification), performance tuning, index and statistics maintenance, security and permission management, capacity and health monitoring, and patch coordination through program change control.
Administer the MariaDB databases supporting the on-premises ServiceNow instance on RHEL 9.8 hosts over SSH: service health, logical and physical backups, user and grant management, configuration and log review — Linux command-line administration.
Maintain the database inventory and documentation: configurations, backup and retention schedules, and tested recovery runbooks.
Operate within program change management; record administrative actions and evidence per policy.
Support incident response for database-layer issues and participate in the on-call rotation [if applicable — confirm with program office].
Sustain the legacy estate through the hybrid-enclave period, including eventual decommission, final backup, and archival tasks as systems retire or migrate.
Required Qualifications
Five or more years administering production SQL Server databases: backup/restore, security, performance tuning, and routine maintenance.
Hands-on MariaDB or MySQL administration from the Linux command line, including SSH-based administration of RHEL hosts; comfort in PowerShell and Windows Server environments for the SQL Server estate.
Scripting for administrative automation (PowerShell; T-SQL; bash for RHEL-side tasks).
DoD 8140/8570 IAT Level II baseline certification (for example, Security+ CE), or ability to obtain within the contract-required window.
Active DoD Secret clearance, or eligibility per contract requirements.
Disciplined change-management habits and clear written documentation.
Desired
Familiarity with the ServiceNow platform's data layer; experience operating in DoD or Army enclaves; database monitoring tooling; deeper RHEL administration (systemd service management, dnf patch coordination, SELinux awareness).
Section 2 — Additional Scope: Cloud Migration Support
If the position also continues the incumbent's support to the program's Azure Government cloud migration, the following additional requirements apply.
Familiarity with Azure Government environments and Azure data services, in particular Azure SQL Managed Instance — the program's landing target for SQL Server workloads.
Exposure to database migration assessment and execution: Data Migration Assistant, Azure Database Migration Service, and backup/restore-based cutover patterns, including schema and compatibility remediation.
Ability to work within a DevSecOps pipeline discipline: changes promoted through automated gates, with artifacts and evidence produced per release.
Understanding of estate disposition planning: not every database migrates — some workloads retire or are replaced by enterprise services — and the administrator supports those decisions with accurate inventory and data-handling.
Desired certifications: Microsoft DP-300 (Azure Database Administrator); AZ-900.
Experience with centrally provisioned Army cloud environments is a plus.