Sr. Database Administrator- Joint Pathology Center

Join the HJF Team!

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

This position will be in support of the Joint Pathology Center and its efforts around the Pulmonary and Environmental Pathology Registry (PEPR) and Military Working Dog (MWD) Registry.

The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing military medicine. We serve military, medical, academic and government clients by administering, managing, and supporting preeminent scientific programs that benefit members of the armed forces and civilians alike. Since its founding in 1983, HJF has served as a vital link between the military medical community and its federal and private partners. HJF's support and administrative capabilities allow military medical researchers and clinicians to maintain their scientific focus and accomplish their research goals.

US Citizenship is required due to site security requirements.

• 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.
• The DBA will also support software release and patch planning, maintain documentation of database configurations and procedures, and contribute 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. This may include attendance of and participation in required training for role.

Education and Experience

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

• 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 obtain and maintain a Secret Security Clearance

Preferred certifications

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

Physical Capabilities

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

Work Environment

• This position will take place in a hybrid environment (on-site at the Joint Pathology Center in Silver Spring, MD and offsite/remote as needed).

Compensation

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

Benefits

• 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 professional references, verification of previous employment, education and credentials, a criminal background check, and a department of motor vehicle (DMV) check if applicable. Any qualifications to be considered as equivalents, in lieu of stated minimums, require the prior approval of the Chief Human Resources Officer.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)

Any qualifications to be considered as equivalents, in lieu of stated minimums, require the prior approval of the Chief Human Resources Officer.