Database Engineering and Architecture Lead

Leidos•Washington, DC

About The Position

At Leidos, innovation is at the heart of everything we do. Powered by a team as diverse as it is talented, we're driven by a shared passion for delivering bold solutions that fuel our customers' success. We empower our teams, contribute to our communities, and operate sustainably. Every action we take is grounded in integrity and a steadfast commitment to doing what’s right—for our customers, our teams, and the world around us. Our Mission, Vision, and Values aren't just words—they're the compass guiding our journey toward a brighter future. The Leidos Digital Modernization Sector is seeking a highly experienced Database Engineering and Architecture Lead to work on a key program supporting the U.S. Department of State as the Lead to develop a modernized database architecture in an effort to align with modernization initiatives. The individual shall engineer and architect the database architecture to support modernization initiatives. This role serves as the primary interface for the engineering and architecture efforts, working in coordination with the Program management office and the government, overseeing all aspects of scope status. The Database Engineering and Architecture Lead will be responsible for the overall execution and success of the modernized database performance and reliability as well as providing leadership, strategic direction, and day-to-day oversight for all team personnel. This includes ensuring technical excellence, operational efficiency, and ensuring Service Level Agreement metrics are exceeded. The ideal candidate will be proactive, responsive, and collaborative, with the ability to build and lead high-performing teams, maintain strong customer relationships, and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.

Requirements

Active Top Secret security clearance.
Bachelor’s degree in information technology, computer science, engineering, or a related field, and 12+ years experience. Equivalent additional relevant experience may be considered.
Minimum of 10 years of experience leading programs of comparable scope, scale, and complexity, including environments with multiple concurrent projects.
Minimum of 10 years of hands-on technical experience in at least three of the following areas: Oracle, SQL Server, .NET, Java, engineered systems, cloud technologies, data integration, automated testing and deployments, and DevSecOps.
Minimum of 6 years of experience supervising technical teams of four or more personnel.
Demonstrated experience supporting database engineering, architecture, modernization, and Tier III technical support functions in complex enterprise environments.

Nice To Haves

Industry-recognized technical and/or business certifications relevant to database engineering, architecture, or enterprise modernization, such as: Oracle Certified Master; Oracle Certified Professional; IBM Certified Solution Developer.
Prior experience leading database modernization and transformation initiatives involving legacy-to-modern platform migration, cloud adoption, or hybrid enterprise environments.
Experience in high-availability, mission-critical, or large-scale federal enterprise systems requiring strong reliability, performance, and security.
Demonstrated success leading teams responsible for database architecture standards, engineering governance, integration, and technical problem resolution.
Experience working in environments that require close coordination with government stakeholders, cross-functional technical teams, and multiple contractors.

Responsibilities

Serve as the technical lead and government-facing point of contact for database engineering and architecture matters under the DREAM program.
Lead and supervise the database engineering and architecture team, assigning work, guiding technical execution, and ensuring high-quality delivery.
Develop, maintain, and evolve a modernized database architecture aligned to CST modernization initiatives, including cloud adoption.
Research, evaluate, and recommend future database platforms, tools, and architecture patterns, including high-availability, hybrid-cloud, in-memory, and emerging data technologies.
Design, implement, and test database architecture solutions that improve scalability, resilience, security, and performance.
Establish and enforce database architecture standards, policies, and best practices across legacy and modernized environments.
Lead planning and engineering for database migrations across Oracle, SQL Server, Linux, cloud, and related platforms.
Re-engineer and transition legacy databases to modernized architectures while enabling coexistence across on-premises and cloud ecosystems.
Design sustainable enterprise data models, schemas, data structures, and modernized storage patterns such as data lakes and NoSQL where appropriate.
Continuously improve database replication architecture and standards using approved tools and best practices.
Design and implement data interfaces within the Department of State and with external agency partners.
Support upgrades, technical integration, and architecture changes in coordination with other CST contractors and stakeholder teams.
Resolve highly complex technical issues through reverse engineering, corruption analysis, restoration planning, and Tier III engineering support.
Gather, define, and refine database and reporting requirements for internal and external users.
Maintain enterprise architecture documentation and technical artifacts, including data models, SOPs, installation guides, and related engineering documentation.
Ensure sensitive data is properly handled, including sanitization of PII for non-production environments and alignment with security and operational requirements.