Senior Database Engineer
About The Position
The Senior Database Engineer at Bluestaq owns data systems that support information used in national security decisions, including schemas, pipelines, and datastores used by the enterprise platform. The engineer serves as the go-to owner for a data domain, independently designing schemas, tuning queries, maintaining pipelines, and leading medium-sized data initiatives from requirements through production. The role includes identifying risks early and setting a high technical standard for other engineers. The position owns tables, schemas, and data flows end-to-end, including their data quality, performance, and ongoing operability. It works across relational and NoSQL datastores and partners with Software Engineering, Data Modeling, Systems, and Cyber to align data design, performance, and access patterns with mission needs. It also provides technical escalation and mentorship, and maintains database and process documentation. Bluestaq builds secure data platforms for space missions, national defense, healthcare systems, and commercial innovation. The company describes its approach as cloud-native, security by design, and focused on operational excellence and simplicity. The position may require an active TS/SCI clearance; Bluestaq will sponsor eligible candidates through the clearance process based on program needs. Relocation assistance is available for full-time positions.
Requirements
- High school diploma/GED and at least 8 years of relevant experience; or an associate degree in a related field and at least 6 years; or a bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field and at least 4 years; or a master's degree in a related field and at least 2 years.
- Production experience designing, tuning, and operating one or more relational databases such as Postgres, MySQL, Oracle, or SQL Server.
- Hands-on experience with MongoDB, Athena, or equivalent large-scale or NoSQL stores, and sound judgment about when to use them.
- Experience designing normalized and denormalized data structures suited to real-world query and storage conditions.
- Ability to diagnose query plans and performance bottlenecks and apply indexing, partitioning, and query rewrites.
- Experience building moderately complex ETL or ingestion loads with incremental processing, error handling, and validation.
- Production experience applying database security, including row-level security, roles and permissions, and auditing patterns.
- Knowledge of backup, recovery, and disaster recovery plans, including having exercised them.
- Experience in Linux environments and with scripting or automation using PowerShell, Bash, Python, and SQL.
- Strong SQL skills, including Common Table Expressions, dynamic SQL, and reasoning about complex queries.
- Ability to scope work, choose an approach, surface risks, and independently drive delivery from design through rollout.
- Mentorship, code review, and clear technical writing for peers, leadership, and cross-functional teams.
- Ownership and follow-through, including documenting work, checking downstream impact, and knowing when to seek help.
- May require an active TS/SCI clearance; eligible candidates may be sponsored through the clearance process based on program needs.
Nice To Haves
- Relevant certifications, such as database administrator certifications.
- Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.
- Experience with Docker or Kubernetes.
- Experience with schema automation or migration tools such as Liquibase or Flyway.
- Experience with Splunk or equivalent monitoring and observability tools.
- Experience with DevOps practices and CI/CD pipelines.
Responsibilities
- Own sets of tables, schemas, and data flows end-to-end within a product or program, including data quality, performance, and operability.
- Design relational schemas and data models, weighing normalization and denormalization tradeoffs, and develop DDL and extensive SQL.
- Work across SQL and NoSQL datastores, including MongoDB, Postgres/RDS, and Amazon Athena, and represent database constraints in data modeling discussions.
- Lead the design and delivery of medium-sized data features, such as new domains, ingestion capabilities, or significant schema changes.
- Build moderately complex ETL and ingestion pipelines with incremental loads, error handling, and validation.
- Investigate and resolve complex performance problems, including poor query plans, missing indexes, partitioning, and table bloat; tune queries, indexes, and configurations for production workloads.
- Apply database-level security controls, including row-level security, roles and permissions, and auditing patterns.
- Plan and execute database upgrades, patches, and migrations with minimal disruption to dependent systems.
- Serve as an escalation point for Associate and mid-level engineers on data correctness and performance; mentor through code reviews and explanations of design choices.
- Partner with Software Engineering, Data Modeling, Systems, and Cyber to align data design, performance, and access patterns with mission needs.
- Keep database and process documentation current, including schema and data-flow diagrams, runbooks, and guides for operating and querying key datasets.
Benefits
- 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance for the employee and dependents.
- 401(k) contribution match of up to 6%, with an additional discretionary 4% profit share from day one and no vesting period; Roth options are available.
- Annual performance bonus eligibility for every role.
- $200,000 employer-paid life insurance and short- and long-term disability coverage.
- $5,000 annual professional development budget per employee.
- 20 days of PTO and 8 paid holidays.
- Pet insurance.
- Onsite gym.
- Flexible schedule.
- Relocation assistance for full-time positions.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
High school or GED
