This is a U.S. based position. All of the programs we support require U.S. citizenship to be eligible for employment. All work must be conducted within the continental U.S.
Who we are:
Raft (https://TeamRaft.com) is a customer-obsessed non-traditional small business with a purposeful focus on Distributed Data Systems, Platforms at Scale, and Complex Application Development, with headquarters in McLean, VA. Our range of clients includes innovative federal and public agencies leveraging design thinking, cutting-edge tech stack, and cloud-native ecosystem. We build digital solutions that impact the lives of millions of Americans.
We’re looking for an experienced Senior Database Engineer to support our customers and join our passionate team of high-impact problem solvers.
About the role:
As a Senior Database Engineer, you will serve as a functional expert responsible for system administration of core data-related AWS services and databases across unclassified and classified environments. You will manage data exchanges through cross-domain solution pipelines such as AWS diode and software artifacts. This role requires expertise in automating data ingestion and transformation, orchestrating data pipelines, applying programming concepts, designing data models, managing data lifecycles, and ensuring data quality.
What we are looking for:
- 5+ years' experience as a database platform engineer in medium to large scale solutions
- Experience with data migration, data modeling, automation, modernization, data replication, backup and recovery, and general DBA tasks
- At least 3 years in database administration with knowledge of AWS infrastructure
- Minimum of 2 years hands-on experience with AWS services and relational/non-relational databases
- Strong understanding of database design, implementation, and maintenance principles with focus on automation and optimization
- Proficiency in scripting languages such as Python or Bash for automation
- Ability to deploy and manage database solutions on AWS, including EC2 instances and S3 storage
- Experience implementing best practices for security, scalability, and disaster recovery in cloud environments
- Skills in monitoring database performance and proactively identifying/resolving issues to minimize downtime
- Experience implementing backup and recovery strategies to safeguard data integrity and availability
- Capability to maintain multiple databases across unclassified and classified environments
- IAT level II certification
- BA/BS in Computer Science or equivalent practical experience
Highly preferred:
- AWS certifications such as:
- AWS Certified Database Specialty
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect
- AWS Certified DevOps Engineer
- Proficiency in AWS tools including Kubernetes, EKS, Diode, Lambda, etc. orchestrated/deployed in a cloud environment
- Experience with cross-domain solutions and data exchange pipelines
- Knowledge of data governance and compliance requirements
Clearance:
- TS/SCI clearance
Work Type:
- Hybrid - San Antonio, TX
- May require up to 20% travel
- May require occasional off-hours support for critical systems
Salary Range:
- $115,000 - $140,000
- The determination of compensation is predicated upon a candidate's comprehensive experience, demonstrated skill, and proven abilities
What we will offer you:
- Highly competitive salary
- Fully covered healthcare, dental, and vision coverage
- 401(k) and company match
- Take as you need PTO + 11 paid holidays
- Education & training benefits
- Annual budget for your tech/gadgets needs
- Generous Referral Bonuses
- And More!
Our Vision Statement:
We bridge the gap between humans and data through radical transparency and our obsession with the mission.
Our Customer Obsession:
We will approach every deliverable like it's a product. We will adopt a customer-obsessed mentality. As we grow, and our footprint becomes larger, teams and employees will treat each other not only as teammates but customers. We must live the customer-obsessed mindset, always. This will help us scale and it will translate to the interactions that our Rafters have with their clients and other product teams that they integrate with. Our culture will enable our success and set us apart from other companies.
How do we get there?
Public-sector modernization is critical for us to live in a better world. We, at Raft, want to innovate and solve complex problems. And, if we are successful, our generation and the ones that follow us will live in a delightful, efficient, and accessible world where out-of-box thinking, and collaboration is a norm.
Raft’s core philosophy is Ubuntu: I Am, Because We are. We support our “nadi” by elevating the other Rafters. We work as a hyper collaborative team where each team member brings a unique perspective, adding value that did not exist before. People make Raft special. We celebrate each other and our cognitive and cultural diversity. We are devoted to our practice of innovation and collaboration.
We’re an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.
Top Skills
What We Do
Raft is a digital consulting firm with niche expertise in the rapid delivery of modern, user-first, scalable, and data-intensive digital solutions. We accelerate the missions of our federal partners through human-centered design (HCD) and agile development practices, bringing deep technical expertise in DevSecOps, Kubernetes management, cloud-native microservice architectures, and secure, open source delivery.
We put our people and our culture first. We work with some of the smartest, hardest working experts in their field. We owe it to them to make sure our team is free of meaningless restrictions and internal politics so they can focus on what they love, finding innovative solutions.
We build off the Open-Source and resist vendor lock in. That way you’re not paying us to reinvent the wheel, our solutions play nice with others and are always adaptable.
We know digital innovation doesn’t always operate during bank hours, so neither do we. (It's also why we don’t dress like bankers.) We aren’t afraid to go the extra mile or put in the extra time to find a solution. We get it right the first time; we won’t waste our time (and your money) trying to fix something that’s fundamentally broken. It’s kind of like making an exceptional cup of coffee, if the beans are roasted wrong, it doesn’t matter how much pumpkin spice you dump in your cup, it’s still not going to taste great.
And above all else we’re up for a challenge; it’s in our DNA. Ask us about something that’s never been done, or better yet something that can’t be done, and we’ll find a way to do it. It’s just who we are.
If you need a partner that’s looking toward the future and not the past, don’t go traditional, go Raft.
Why Work With Us
Raft partners with public agencies to solve hard complex problems that impact the lives of millions of Americans. We work hard to make it easy for humans to connect with data.
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