MySQL & PostgreSQL Database Administrator

SAIC•Washington, DC

12h•Onsite

About The Position

SAIC is seeking a MySQL and PostgreSQL Database Administrator to lead enterprise database environments migrating to AWS Cloud. The role administers mission-critical databases across on-premises and AWS environments, ensuring their security, availability, reliability, scalability, and performance. It includes database architecture, capacity planning, high-availability design, disaster recovery, operational automation, and security practices. The DBA works independently and with stakeholders, application teams, and infrastructure engineers to improve reliability, streamline deployments, and maintain consistent data operations. The position calls for strong troubleshooting skills and the ability to prioritize multiple tasks and incidents under pressure. This is a full-time, on-site position at DOT Headquarters in Washington, DC. The DBA provides in-person support several days per week and must be available for an early shift starting at 7:00 AM or a late shift ending at 7:00 PM, as needed. Participation in on-call rotations and scheduled maintenance windows is required. The role covers PostgreSQL and MySQL administration and AWS services including Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL and MySQL, Amazon Aurora, and MySQL Cluster environments. The administrator leads or contributes to cloud migrations, maintenance and upgrades, monitoring, incident response, security and compliance, documentation, stakeholder reporting, and mentoring junior DBAs. Candidates must be U.S. citizens or green card holders who have resided in the United States for at least three years and be able to obtain a Public Trust.

Requirements

Strong expertise in MySQL Cluster administration; this is explicitly stated as non-negotiable.
Strong PostgreSQL and MySQL administration experience across on-premises and AWS cloud environments.
In-depth hands-on knowledge of PostgreSQL and MySQL installation, configuration, optimization, clustering, replication, backup and recovery, and ongoing maintenance.
Experience managing databases across VMware, AWS EC2, Amazon RDS, Amazon Aurora, and on-premises infrastructure.
Experience with MySQL Cluster, replication technologies, failover configurations, and high-availability database architectures.
Ability to troubleshoot database performance issues, analyze execution plans, optimize SQL queries, and apply performance-tuning strategies.
Experience implementing database security solutions, including encryption, IAM integration, SSL/TLS, and secure access controls.
Hands-on experience migrating PostgreSQL and MySQL clusters to AWS, including assessments, planning, and technical recommendations.
Experience with backup and recovery tools, monitoring solutions, automation scripting, and disaster recovery planning.
Ability to participate in on-call rotations and perform maintenance during scheduled windows.
Ability to work on-site at DOT Headquarters in Washington, DC, and provide in-person support several days per week.
Availability for an early shift starting at 7:00 AM or a late shift ending at 7:00 PM, as needed.
Ability to multitask, prioritize competing tasks, and manage concurrent production incidents in a high-pressure environment.
Must be a U.S. citizen or green card holder, have resided in the U.S. for at least three years, and be able to obtain a Public Trust.

Nice To Haves

AWS certification is preferred.
Experience with Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL and Aurora MySQL is highly preferred.
Strong knowledge of AWS networking, storage, security, and infrastructure services supporting database environments.
Experience automating database administration using shell scripting and Python automation tools.
Familiarity with DevOps, Infrastructure as Code, CI/CD pipelines, and monitoring tools such as CloudWatch and Prometheus.
Experience supporting large-scale, mission-critical enterprise databases with strict uptime and performance requirements.
Strong verbal and written communication skills and the ability to interact effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Excellent analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills in high-pressure production environments.

Responsibilities

Install, configure, and maintain enterprise PostgreSQL and MySQL platforms and supporting infrastructure across on-premises and AWS environments.
Configure, manage, and optimize Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL, Amazon RDS for MySQL, Amazon Aurora, and MySQL Cluster environments.
Plan and execute migrations of PostgreSQL and MySQL databases from on-premises environments to AWS IaaS and PaaS platforms.
Design, implement, and maintain MySQL clustering, replication, failover, and high-availability solutions.
Contribute to database architecture and capacity planning to support scalability, reliability, performance, and security.
Design, implement, and maintain disaster recovery strategies for PostgreSQL and MySQL environments hosted on AWS.
Monitor database performance, integrity, and security; investigate anomalies and production incidents.
Perform routine maintenance, including index optimization, query tuning, statistics updates, backups, and consistency checks.
Plan and perform database upgrades, patching, and migrations for standalone, clustered, and cloud-hosted database servers.
Lead migration projects, including lift-and-shift, modernization, and re-platforming to AWS.
Manage database accounts, roles, and permissions according to least-privilege and compliance requirements.
Audit database activity and maintain logs of configuration and schema changes for compliance and forensic analysis.
Implement encryption, TLS/SSL secure connectivity, and other controls for data at rest and in transit.
Maintain version-controlled documentation, architecture diagrams, configurations, operational procedures, and runbooks.
Generate reports on database performance, capacity growth, availability, and usage trends.
Collaborate with development, infrastructure, cloud, and security teams to streamline deployments and resolve incidents.
Mentor junior DBAs and establish operational best practices for AWS database administration, automation, and cloud migrations.
Participate in on-call rotations and perform mandatory maintenance during scheduled maintenance windows.