Database Administrator (IT Data Management – Senior/Specialist)

State of Washington•Thurston County – Lacey, WA

21h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Department of Ecology is hiring a Database Administrator (IT Data Management – Senior/Specialist) within the Information Technology Services Office (ITSO). This position is eligible for telework and flexible schedule options, with the possibility of teleworking most of the work time and occasional in-person meetings. The Senior Enterprise Database Administrator will lead the design, engineering, and modernization of Ecology’s enterprise database and reporting infrastructure. This includes architecting secure, scalable solutions across cloud and on-premises environments, optimizing performance for agency-wide systems, and building automated data pipelines. The role involves working with development teams, program leaders, and technical experts to solve complex issues, implement new technologies, and ensure reliable data access. The position actively shapes the direction of enterprise data services by driving strategic upgrades, researching emerging cloud technologies, mentoring technical staff, and directing high-impact engineering and migration projects. It also involves engaging with business stakeholders to understand needs and translate them into technology solutions, influencing organization-wide systems, and growing expertise in cloud data platforms and enterprise architecture.

Requirements

Seven years of experience and/or education in SQL programming, entity relationship modeling and notation, or database report development.
Experience within the last 12 years in database analysis, design, implementation, and maintenance, including data extraction and transformation (e.g. ETL).
At least one year of experience leading IT professionals or consulting as a technical lead.
Demonstrated competence in Enterprise Database Architecture & Administration: design, implementation, security, and management for availability, performance, and scalability.
Demonstrated competence in Cloud Data Services & Automation: deployment, automation, and support of cloud platforms (e.g., Azure SQL, Synapse, Cosmos DB) and data pipelines.
Demonstrated competence in ETL Engineering & DevOps Release Management: developing automated data transformations and managing code-driven deployment pipelines.
Demonstrated competence in Systems Analysis, Modeling & Documentation: requirement analysis, system design modeling, and documentation maintenance.
Demonstrated competence in Critical Thinking & Problem Solving: analyzing complex technical issues and evaluating alternatives for secure, reliable, and efficient solutions.
Demonstrated competence in Project & Resource Management: planning, prioritizing, and coordinating medium- to large-scale infrastructure projects.
Demonstrated competence in Leadership & Staff Development: guiding, mentoring, and reviewing technical staff work.
Education involving a major study in Computer Science, Information Technology (IT), Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM), or a closely related field.
A valid driver’s license is required for the operation of state vehicles.

Nice To Haves

A Bachelor’s degree with a focus on computer science, or computer hardware engineering.
At least two years of experience within the last 4 years.
Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate, Azure Data Engineer Associate (Data Factory/ETL focus), or Azure Solutions Architect.
MCSE: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure Certification
Data Governance & Stewardship: Ability to apply data governance principles.
Advanced Security Architecture: Ability to design secure database and cloud architectures.
Enterprise Service Integration: Ability to integrate database services with enterprise messaging, API platforms, and workflow engines.
Data Modeling & Metadata Management: Ability to design data models and manage metadata.
Innovation & Emerging Technology Scanning: Ability to identify, evaluate, and experiment with new database and cloud technologies.
Business Intelligence & Reporting Infrastructure: Ability to architect and support enterprise reporting and analytics platforms.

Responsibilities

Manage the engineering, design, and implementation of Ecology’s enterprise database infrastructure, including high-risk, mission-critical systems that support agency-wide operations.
Architect, configure, maintain, and optimize hybrid and cloud data platforms (Azure SQL, Synapse, Cosmos DB) and build secure, automated data pipelines using Azure Data Factory and Azure DevOps.
Serve as the agency’s highest level of database infrastructure expertise, providing advanced troubleshooting, Tier-3 support, performance tuning, and root-cause analysis for complex data issues.
Conduct research on new and emerging cloud technologies, evaluate proposals, and advise on solutions to advance Ecology’s data infrastructure capabilities.
Guide data infrastructure and migration projects, including planning, strategic upgrades, cloud modernization efforts, and statewide database infrastructure initiatives.
Collaborate with development teams, business stakeholders, and IT leadership to align database and reporting solutions with strategic program needs and future technology direction.
Mentor and guide junior technical staff, assign technical tasks, review work for accuracy, and provide expert consultation across the agency.
Develop and maintain technical standards, architecture documentation, diagrams, and how-to resources for enterprise database and reporting systems.