Database Administrator (IT Data Management – Senior/Specialist) | The Department of Ecology | Thurston County – Lacey, WA
As the Senior Enterprise Database Administrator, you will lead the design, engineering, and modernization of Ecology’s enterprise database and reporting infrastructure. This includes architecting secure, scalable solutions across cloud and on-premises environments, optimizing performance for agency-wide systems, and building automated data pipelines that support environmental science, operational efficiency, and statewide decision-making. You will work directly with development teams, program leaders, and technical experts to solve complex issues, implement new technologies, and ensure every employee can reliably access the data they need.
In this role, you will actively shape the direction of enterprise data services by driving strategic upgrades, researching emerging cloud technologies, mentoring technical staff, and directing high-impact engineering and migration projects. You will engage closely with business stakeholders to understand evolving needs and translate them into innovative, sustainable technology solutions. This is an opportunity to influence organization-wide systems, grow deep expertise in cloud data platforms and enterprise architecture, and contribute to mission-critical technology that supports environmental protection across Washington State.
What you will do:
- Manage the engineering, design, and implementation of Ecology’s enterprise database infrastructure, including high-risk, mission-critical systems that support agency-wide operations.
- Architect, configure, maintain, and optimize hybrid and cloud data platforms (Azure SQL, Synapse, Cosmos DB) and build secure, automated data pipelines using Azure Data Factory and Azure DevOps.
- Serve as the agency’s highest level of database infrastructure expertise, providing advanced troubleshooting, Tier-3 support, performance tuning, and root-cause analysis for complex data issues.
- Conduct research on new and emerging cloud technologies, evaluate proposals, and advise on solutions to advance Ecology’s data infrastructure capabilities.
- Guide data infrastructure and migration projects, including planning, strategic upgrades, cloud modernization efforts, and statewide database infrastructure initiatives.
- Collaborate with development teams, business stakeholders, and IT leadership to align database and reporting solutions with strategic program needs and future technology direction.
- Mentor and guide junior technical staff, assign technical tasks, review work for accuracy, and provide expert consultation across the agency.
- Develop and maintain technical standards, architecture documentation, diagrams, and how-to resources for enterprise database and reporting systems.
