Database Architect

At 4A Consulting, we turn complexity into opportunity. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Baltimore, MD, we are a women-owned, boutique consulting firm specializing in delivering innovative, data-driven solutions to both the Federal Government and Fortune 500 clients. Our team blends deep industry knowledge with advanced technologies to design tailored strategies that drive measurable and sustainable outcomes. We pride ourselves on an agile, collaborative approach that helps organizations navigate challenges and seize emerging opportunities in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

At 4A, we don’t just deliver projects, we build trusted partnerships that empower our clients to lead with confidence in the digital age.

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Database Architect to design, build, and optimize scalable, high-performance, and secure database solutions. In this role, you will lead the architecture and management of our cloud data infrastructure across AWS and Snowflake, leveraging automation and advanced database technologies to support our enterprise analytics and data processing pipelines.

Key Responsibilities

• Operate AWS database and processing services across RDS, Aurora, DynamoDB, Redshift, EMR, and Neptune.
• Manage, optimize, and integrate high-performance AWS EMR clusters to minimize costs.
• Architect scalable, high-performance, and secure database solutions.
• Integrate databases with other AWS services such as Lambda, S3, EC2, and Glue.
• Apply IAM, encryption, VPC, and Security Group best practices to meet data compliance standards.
• Design backup, disaster recovery, high availability, and failover solutions (Multi-AZ, read replicas).
• Troubleshoot for AWS related issues and incidents.
• Design, implement, and manage virtual data warehouses in Snowflake.
• Write complex SQL queries for data analysis, transformation, and reporting.
• Optimize queries, manage caching, clustering, and leveraging auto-scaling to handle workloads.
• Ensure compliance with client security, privacy, and data management policies.
• Deliver tailored technical briefings to management, clients, vendors, and cross-functional teams.
• Provide guidance/support to other junior/mid-level developers.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s with 5+ years, Bachelor’s 7+ years, or 13+ years of relevant experience.
• Bachelor’s in CS or STEM discipline;
  Master’s/Doctorate may offset experience requirements.
• 7+ years of Database Architect experience across relational/No
  
  SQL design and schema optimization.
• Hands‑on experience with RDS, Aurora, DynamoDB, Redshift, Elasti Cache, EMR, and Neptune.
• Proficient in IAM, encryption, VPCs, Security Groups, and data storage compliance.
• Strong troubleshooting skills for AWS related issues and incidents.
• Skilled in optimizing queries, managing caching, clustering, and leveraging auto‑scaling to handle workloads.
• Proficient in Terraform, Cloud Formation, AWS CLI, Python, Bash, or Power Shell for database automation.
• Skilled in both relational and No
  
  SQL database management, data modeling, normalization, and schema design.
• Experienced in deploying, tuning, and integrating cost-effective EMR clusters across diverse data sources.
• Skilled in designing backup, disaster recovery, high availability, and failover solutions (Multi‑AZ, read replicas).
• Advanced skills in writing complex SQL queries for data analysis, transformation, and reporting.

AWS

Experience:

• Proven ability to architect scalable, high-performance, and secure database solutions, with proficiency in query optimization, indexing, caching, and performance tuning using AWS tools.
• Experienced in integrating databases with other AWS services such as Lambda, S3, EC2, and Glue.
• Adept at securing AWS clusters, managing IAM roles, implementing encryption, and monitoring jobs using AWS tools (Cloud Watch, Cloud Trail).

Snowflake

Experience:

• Proficient in designing, implementing, and managing virtual data warehouses in Snowflake, with a strong understanding of micro-partitions.
• Experienced in schema design, normalization, and building efficient data structures in Snowflake.
• Familiar with data ingestion, transformation, and loading using Snowflake’s features and integration tools.
• Knowl…