Sr. Database Administrator- Joint Pathology Center

Overview

HJF is seeking a Senior Database Administrator to support the development and sustainment of high-performance database systems powering the Pulmonary and Environmental Pathology Registry (PEPR) and the Military Working Dog (MWD) Registry. These registries are key to advancing military medical research through the secure, efficient management of complex pathology and biospecimen data. The DBA will play a critical hands-on role in designing, optimizing, and securing Microsoft SQL Server environments across multiple application life cycles.

This position requires deep technical knowledge of enterprise database systems, data integration frameworks (such as HL7 and FHIR), and federal compliance standards.

• Designing and maintaining Microsoft SQL Server databases for PEPR and MWD Registries, including database schemas, stored procedures, triggers, and indexing strategies to support performance, scalability, and data integrity.
• Managing the Specimen Inventory System within PEPR, ensuring accurate, real-time tracking of specimen quality and status data.
• Implementing and maintaining secure data connections between PEPR and external systems such as JPIMS, DoDSR, and ILER, ensuring compliance with FHIR, HL7, and SNOMED-CT standards.
• Supporting integration and data exchange by developing and optimizing data synchronization processes, APIs, and ETL pipelines.
• Implementing access controls and encryption for data at rest and in transit in accordance with HIPAA, DoD, and VA security protocols.
• Maintaining anonymized datasets for analytical use, including implementation of privacy-preserving transformations and audit trails for all data access and changes.
• Establishing backup, disaster recovery, and database monitoring strategies for high-availability and secure operations across development, testing, staging, and production environments.
• Translating and encoding veterinary pathological data from MWD records into standardized, quarriable formats using agreed-upon medical and pathology codes.
• Supporting software release and patch planning, maintaining documentation of database configurations and procedures, and contributing to technical change and release management processes to meet DoD/VA enterprise architecture and security guidelines.
• May perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned or directed by the supervisor, including attendance at required training for role.

• Bachelor's Degree required (master’s degree in computer science, IT, or a related field preferred, or equivalent experience).
• Minimum of 9–10 years’ experience required.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in professional SQL Server database administration.

• Expert-level experience with Microsoft SQL Server (2019–2022) administration, tuning, and security.
• Hands-on experience with Always On Availability Groups, Failover Clusters, and disaster recovery planning.
• Proficiency in performance tuning using SQL Profiler, Extended Events, and DMVs.
• Strong T-SQL skills for writing complex queries and stored procedures.
• Familiarity with DoD security and compliance standards, including STIGs and IAVMs.
• Ability to document processes, troubleshoot systems, and support compliance audits.
• Ability to work in the office 3 days a week.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret Security Clearance.

• Microsoft Certified Azure DBA Associate, SQL Server 2019/2022, Data Analyst Associate.

• Ability to sit or stand at a computer for extended periods.
• May require occasional lifting of materials up to 25 lbs.

• This position will take place on-site at the Joint Pathology Center in Silver Spring, MD.

• The annual salary range for this position is $88,600-$135,000. Actual salary will be determined based on experience, education, etc.

• HJF offers a comprehensive suite of benefits focused on your health and well-being, from medical, dental, and vision coverage to health savings and retirement plans, and more.

Employment with HJF is contingent upon successful completion of a background check, which may include, but is not limited to, contacting your…