Database Architect

Description

Leidos is looking for a Database Architect to provide leadership on a mission‑critical program supporting an assigned division within the Passenger Systems Program Directorate (PSPD) in Customs and Border Protection (CBP). PSPD supports the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and CBP critical missions, specifically screening and processing travelers at the ports of entry (POEs) into the United States.

The Database Architect plays a key role in the Enterprise Architecture team with primary focus on the assigned portfolio. He/She will work closely with the Chief Engineer and Chief Architect on the program and assist in the development of system‑engineering documentation for the portfolio applications, such as system requirements, capabilities, and interface control documents, using Confluence and other collaboration and architecture tools.

** This position REQUIRES the candidate to be in Ashburn, VA, twice a week**

• Architectural design and development of various portfolio databases for multiple applications.
• Define system solutions based on user/client needs, cost, and required integration with existing applications, systems, or platforms.
• Work with the Architecture team and assist in the development of policies for standardizing systems, development tools, and security practices.
• Coordinate with application architects to evaluate and recommend new technologies, infrastructure options, and methodologies to enhance DB systems and foster innovation.
• Design, model, document, and guide the logical and conceptual relationships of data and database changes for complex applications.
• Identify requirements, research options, design and implement solutions at a leadership level for the program application teams.
• Perform technical planning, system integration, verification and validation, cost, and risk assessments.
• Be a self‑starter, strong leader, and have the ability to work independently with little supervision.

• 8+ years of experience in database design and modeling with a strong understanding of data modeling principles (relational, dimensional, No
  
  SQL) and the ability to design efficient, scalable, and secure database architectures.
• 5‑7 years of experience in proficient administration, maintenance, and optimization of a variety of DBMS, including Postgre
  
  SQL, Oracle, and various No
  
  SQL databases (e.g., Mongo
  
  DB, Cassandra).
• Designing and implementing data warehouses, data lakes, and robust ETL/ELT pipelines using tools such as dbt and Airflow.
• Implementing data governance frameworks, including Master Data Management (MDM) to create a single source of truth and ensuring data quality, consistency, and security.
• Data security and compliance: implementing robust security measures, audit, access controls, and adherence to compliance regulations.
• Performance tuning and optimization: identifying and resolving performance bottlenecks in database systems, including utilizing techniques such as partitioning and indexing in systems like Delta Lake on Databricks.
• Cloud platform expertise: experience designing and implementing data solutions on at least one major cloud platform (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
• ETL: design and implement data extraction, data load, and database synchronization routines and functions.
• Resiliency: design and implement viable database backup, recovery, and high‑availability strategies and mechanisms.
• Observability: monitor and optimize database instance using database administration tools, SQL scripts, and database utilities.
• U.S. citizen.
• Must be able to maintain and obtain a CBP background investigation prior to start.
• BS/BA degree with a minimum of 12+ years of relevant experience or 10+ years of relevant experience with a master’s degree; OR 4 years of directly related experience in lieu of a degree.

• Experience in decoupling logic from DBs, and/or decomposition of PL/SQL or PG/SQL stored procedures and triggers into requirements for code.
• Experience architecting and implementing data solutions on Databricks, leveraging Delta Lake for data lakes and ensuring data reliability and quality.
• Experience with various No
  
  SQL database types…