Database Reliability Engineer

LLNL$146K — $222K *
Information Technology
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. DOE Q-level security clearance (U.S. Citizenship required)
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field, or equivalent experience
  • Broad experience in database service automation and orchestration in production environments
  • Demonstrated implementation of Database Reliability Engineering practices
  • Extensive administration experience with application servers and major database systems
  • Hands-on experience with Windows/Linux OS administration and enterprise-class storage systems
  • Proficient in communication for team collaboration and technical presentation

Responsibilities

  • Build and operate reliable database platforms with a focus on monitoring and continuous improvement
  • Automate repetitive database tasks to enhance system consistency and minimize outages
  • Provide administration support for various database management systems
  • Engage in database design, architecture, and migration involving cloud and containerization
  • Create non-production database environments for development and testing
  • Tune database queries to improve application performance
  • Develop dashboards and alerts for system metrics, participating in incident response

Benefits

  • On-site presence required multiple days a week with limited telecommuting options
  • Flexible Term appointment for a period not to exceed six years
  • Possibility of maintaining Career Indefinite status depending on funding
  • Opportunities for technical direction and leadership at advanced levels
  • Involvement in high-profile projects supporting national security programs
Full Job Description
Job Description

We have an opening for a Database Reliability Engineer. You will support the database administration activities required to manage the database infrastructure and to keep systems available, fast, resilient, and secure. This position is in the Enterprise Infrastructure Services (EIS) Division within the Computing Directorate, in support of the Strategic Deterrence Applications Program and Nuclear Security Enterprise-wide (NSE) PRIDE Program.

Business Needs dictate that this position requires an on-site presence multiple days a week. Therefore, telecommuting options will be limited.

This position will be filled at either the SES.2 or SES.3 level based on knowledge and related experience, as assessed by the responsibilities outlined below.

You will
  • Build and operate reliable database platforms using practices such as monitoring, alerting, and continuous improvement.
  • Automate repetitive work, including provisioning, patching, upgrades, backups, and compliance, to improve system consistency and reduce outages.
  • Provide database administration support for Oracle, MySQL, MS SQL Server, MongoDB, Cassandra, PostgreSQL, and DynamoDB databases.
  • Support database management system design, architecture, and migration activities involving cloud-based services, containerization, and cross-platform database transitions.
  • Create and maintain non-production database environments for development and quality assurance activities.
  • Tune queries, review database data models, and help improve application performance and database cybersecurity posture.
  • Build dashboards, alerts, and runbooks from logs and metrics, and participate in incident response and post-incident reviews.
  • Support enterprise COTS application implementation, configuration, triage, and customization efforts.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

Additional job responsibilities, at the SES.3 level
  • Lead complex database reliability, automation, and modernization efforts.
  • Provide technical direction for database architecture, observability, resilience, and recovery practices.
  • Serve as a technical resource for advanced troubleshooting, performance tuning, and incident resolution.
  • Influence standards and long-term improvements for database operations and cybersecurity posture.


Qualifications
  • Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. DOE Q-level security clearance, which requires U.S. Citizenship.
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Management Information Systems, or a related field, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.
  • Broad experience leveraging automation and orchestration to build, provision, patch, and/or secure database services within a production environment.
  • Demonstrated ability to implement and follow Database Reliability Engineering practices to ensure database availability, performance, scalability, resilience, monitoring, backup and recovery, and operational excellence.
  • Broad experience administering application servers such as WebLogic and Tomcat, including installation, configuration, patching, deployment, performance tuning, and troubleshooting.
  • Broad experience administering Oracle, MS SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and/or MySQL databases in a production environment, and experience with one or more development tools and languages such as SQL, Oracle Forms/Reports, PL/SQL, Java, or Python.
  • Broad experience in Windows and/or Linux operating system administration, security, performance tuning, enterprise-class storage array usage and integration within a database environment, and database backup and recovery procedures, software, strategies, and verification methodologies.
  • Broad experience utilizing observability and infrastructure monitoring tools such as Oracle Enterprise Manager, Datadog, Grafana, SQL Server Management Studio, and/or Icinga for proactive system monitoring, alert management, and database administration.
  • Proficient verbal and written communication skills necessary to effectively collaborate in a team environment and present and explain technical information.
  • Ability to work outside normal business hours to provide support for production infrastructure patching, upgrades, testing, and the ability to work on-premises to support job duties.

Additional qualifications at the SES.3 level
  • Advanced experience administering complex database environments in production with responsibility for technical leadership and operational decision-making.
  • Advanced experience leading automation, reliability, observability, and modernization efforts across multiple database platforms.
  • Advanced troubleshooting and performance tuning experience across database, application server, OS, and storage layers.

Qualifications We Desire
  • Experience developing and using Ansible, SCCM, Python, and Unix/PowerShell shell scripting to automate and orchestrate database and application infrastructures.
  • Experience leveraging containerization to deliver database and mid-tier services to meet customer needs and managing database and application infrastructures within a highly secure and compliance-driven environment.

Pay Range

$146,340 - $185,544 Annually for the SES.2 level

$175,530 - $222,564 Annually for the SES.3 level

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, and business or organizational needs.

Additional Information

#LI-Hybrid

Position Information

This is a Flexible Term appointment, which is for a definite period not to exceed six years. If final candidate is a Career Indefinite employee, Career Indefinite status may be maintained (should funding allow).

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