Database Engineer/Administrator SME

Altamira Technologies Corporation has a long and successful history providing innovative solutions throughout the U.S. National Security community. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Altamira serves the defense, intelligence and homeland security communities by focusing on creating innovative solutions leveraging common standards in architecture, data and security.Altamira believes that our people and the culture of our company differentiate us from other companies. We focus on recruiting talented, self-motivated employees that strive to find a way to get things done.Position OverviewAltamira is seeking a Database Engineer/Administrator to support mission-critical systems by designing, maintaining, and optimizing database platforms in secure, hybrid environments. This role will focus primarily on PostgreSQL and may also include administration and engineering support for NoSQL databases (e.g., ArangoDB) and caching technologies (e.g., Redis). The ideal candidate has strong operational discipline (backup/restore, HA/DR, performance tuning) and the ability to collaborate with platform and application teams to ensure data reliability, security, and availability.Key ResponsibilitiesAdminister and optimize PostgreSQL databases supporting production workloadsDesign and implement high availability, replication, backup/restore, and disaster recovery strategiesMonitor database health and performance; tune queries, indexes, and configurations as neededImplement database security controls, auditing, access management, and encryption best practicesSupport database schema changes and migrations in collaboration with application teamsAutomate routine database operations and provisioning where applicableTroubleshoot complex database issues including performance bottlenecks, connection limits, and resource constraintsSupport NoSQL and supporting data technologies as required (e.g., ArangoDB, Redis)Create and maintain database documentation, runbooks, and standard operating proceduresSupport compliance, accreditation, and audit activities in classified environmentsRequired QualificationsAbility to obtain TS/SCI clearanceBachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience)Experience in database administration and/or database engineering rolesHands-on PostgreSQL experience in production environmentsExperience with HA/DR concepts (replication, failover, backup/restore validation)Strong understanding of database security practices and access controlsExperience troubleshooting performance issues (query plans, indexing, connection pooling, resource constraints)Strong Linux skills and scripting/automation ability (Bash, Python, etc.)Ability to work effectively in secure, mission-focused environmentsPreferred QualificationsCertified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) CertificationExperience with ArangoDB or other NoSQL databasesExperience with Redis administration and performance tuningExperience with Kubernetes-based database patterns (operators, stateful workloads)Experience with Infrastructure as Code (Terraform) in support of database provisioningFamiliarity with Kafka or event-driven architectures (e.g., CDC patterns)Prior experience supporting DoD or Intelligence Community programsRelevant certifications (e.g., PostgreSQL, AWS database specialty, Security-focused certs)