Senior Database Engineer (TS/SCI + CI Poly)

Description

If the following job requirements and experience match your skills, please ensure you apply promptly.

The DarkStar Group is seeking a Senior Database Engineer with a TS / SCI + CI Poly clearance to join one of our top projects in Herndon, VA.

Below is an overview of the project, as well as information on our company.

THE PROJECT

The DarkStar Group's team solves unique and challenging intelligence problems for a Special Operations customer. This work is as close to the mission as a technologist can get, so the environment is fast-paced : team members face rapidly-changing requirements and priorities as mission needs evolve.

If you hate monotony and want to use your skills to have a direct impact on real-world operational success, this is the project for you.

We are a multi-faceted software development and systems administration team working to build and maintain software applications backed by a self-managed cloud infrastructure (OpenStack) with a true big-data footprint (over 10 petabytes).

Our diverse background of experience in mission support and software development serves as a catalyst to solve unique and challenging intelligence problems in support of special operations analysts and their on-going activities.

Prototyping and frequent, iterative feedback are core to our delivery approach, anchored by a need to work quickly in support of our missions.

The technical stack is quite robust and includes Java, Python, C#, C / C++, Geospatial tools, Big Data and Graph Products (Hadoop, MapReduce, Spark, ElasticSearch, Neo4j), Linux, OpenStack, AWS, Ansible, SQL / NoSQL, Text Processing, Cloud Services, Containerization, Infrastructure as Code (IAC), and more.

Work on this program takes place in the Herndon, VA area (we cannot support remote work) and requires a TS clearance and a willingness to obtain a CI Poly : a current TS / SCI + CI Poly is preferred.

THE ROLE

The DarkStar Group is seeking a Sr. Database Engineer with a focus on performance, configuration management, and testing to support system-wide improvements and prevent performance issues.

You will be a member of a project team responsible for maintaining and optimizing the database configurations while implementing performance testing solutions to ensure the system operates at optimal efficiency.

Your contributions will directly support mission-critical capabilities and ensure long-term system stability.

Principal Responsibilities :

• Improve database performance and resolve inefficiencies introduced during development.
• Apply and maintain configuration management (CM) for database configurations.
• Implement automated performance testing solutions (e.g., JMeter or alternative tools) to detect performance regression in systems.
• Collaborate with software engineers and system engineers to optimize database operations and prevent bottlenecks.
• Proactively identify database-related issues and recommend performance-enhancing solutions.
• Design, develop and optimize backend services and database interactions using Java and Spring Boot to improve performance.
• Help team establish best practices, processes to maintain and adapt to industry standards to ensure best performance.

Required Skills :

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related discipline (4 years of additional experience may be substituted for a degree).
• 10+ years of experience in database management, optimization, and performance testing.
• Experience with SQL and NoSQL databases, Postgres, Mongo databases, Liquibase and SQL queries.
• Experience with Java, SpringBoot, and Hibernate.
• Configuration management expertise with database systems.
• Strong experience with automated performance testing tools like JMeter or equivalent alternatives.
• Familiarity with Linux and Windows operating environments.

Desired Skills (Optional) :

• Experience with automated testing and continuous integration environments.
• Experience in cloud database management and distributed databases.
• Familiarity with Agile development processes.

About The DarkStar Group

The DarkStar Group is a small business that solves BIG problems. We're one of the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private companies in the US, and our engineers and scientists support the most critical national security missions in Virginia, Maryland, and elsewhere.

Data Science, Software Engineering, Cloud / AWS Infrastructure, and Cyber / CNO are our core areas of expertise. We offer interesting and important work, job security, and some of the best and most flexible benefits you'll find in the IC.

Our Benefits :

• Very strong salaries;
• 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision premiums for you and all dependents;
• 100% company-paid disability and life insurance benefits;
• A generously-funded HSA;
• An 8% 401(k) contribution;
• 31 days of PTO / holidays to start (more with tenure);
• The ability to flex time across pay periods without using your PTO;
• A generous training budget;
• $25,000 employee referral bonuses;
• Business development / growth incentives;
• Top-notch company swag.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

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