Lead Database Engineer Jobs
Lead database engineer jobs are open across fintech, healthcare, e-commerce, and enterprise software, from senior individual contributor to staff and principal levels, with specializations in distributed systems, cloud-native data platforms, and performance tuning. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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MANTECH seeks a motivated, career and customer-oriented Lead Oracle Database Engineer to join our team in Chantilly, VA.
Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Building and hardening Oracle databases
- Perform capacity planning, configuration, migration, performance monitoring, database tuning, database security, backups and restores.
- Performing database upgrades and migrations
- Design and implement access control solutions within Oracle DBs
- Work with Solaris System Administrators to perform on-going maintenance
- Ensure compliance with all regulations, upgrades, optimizing system performance of all databases, and supporting future planning
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s Degree or 6 years of equivalent work experience.
- 5+ years of Database Administration (DBA) experience, one year specifically in Oracle DB Version 12 or above
- 5+ years database design, including capacity planning, configuration, migration, performance monitoring, tuning, security, data recovery, and troubleshooting
- DoD Cyber Certification equivalent to IAT-Level II
Preferred Qualifications:
- 10+ years of Database Administrator (DBA) experience
- 8+ years of database design
- 2+ years of experience implementing Oracle Label Security
- Desired Oracle Certified Professional (OCP) credentials as an Oracle
- Certified Master Version 12 or above
- ITIL Foundations Certification
- General knowledge in virtualization and networking, and a working knowledge of MS Project
- Demonstrated expertise in automation, orchestration, and AI-assisted software development practices
- Expertise applying automation to building, hardening and deploying Solaris/Linux master imaging
- Experience using Agile task tracking tools to manage, execute, and report against integrated schedules.
- Experience developing automated test frameworks
- General understanding of System Engineering processes, lifecycle standards (IEEE/ISO/IEC 15288-2023), Risk Management Frameworks, and NIST 800-53
- General knowledge of ITIL and the use of MS Project
- DoD Cyber Certification equivalent to IAT-Level III
Clearance Requirements:
- An active Top Secret security clearance with SCI eligibility
- Willingness to take CI polygraph
Physical Requirements:
- Must be able to remain in a stationary position 50%.
- Needs to occasionally move about inside the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc.
- Frequently communicates with co-workers, management, and customers, which may involve delivering presentations. Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations.
MANTECH seeks a motivated, career and customer-oriented Lead Oracle Database Engineer to join our team in Chantilly, VA.
Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Building and hardening Oracle databases
- Perform capacity planning, configuration, migration, performance monitoring, database tuning, database security, backups and restores.
- Performing database upgrades and migrations
- Design and implement access control solutions within Oracle DBs
- Work with Solaris System Administrators to perform on-going maintenance
- Ensure compliance with all regulations, upgrades, optimizing system performance of all databases, and supporting future planning
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s Degree or 6 years of equivalent work experience.
- 5+ years of Database Administration (DBA) experience, one year specifically in Oracle DB Version 12 or above
- 5+ years database design, including capacity planning, configuration, migration, performance monitoring, tuning, security, data recovery, and troubleshooting
- DoD Cyber Certification equivalent to IAT-Level II
Preferred Qualifications:
- 10+ years of Database Administrator (DBA) experience
- 8+ years of database design
- 2+ years of experience implementing Oracle Label Security
- Desired Oracle Certified Professional (OCP) credentials as an Oracle
- Certified Master Version 12 or above
- ITIL Foundations Certification
- General knowledge in virtualization and networking, and a working knowledge of MS Project
- Demonstrated expertise in automation, orchestration, and AI-assisted software development practices
- Expertise applying automation to building, hardening and deploying Solaris/Linux master imaging
- Experience using Agile task tracking tools to manage, execute, and report against integrated schedules.
- Experience developing automated test frameworks
- General understanding of System Engineering processes, lifecycle standards (IEEE/ISO/IEC 15288-2023), Risk Management Frameworks, and NIST 800-53
- General knowledge of ITIL and the use of MS Project
- DoD Cyber Certification equivalent to IAT-Level III
Clearance Requirements:
- An active Top Secret security clearance with SCI eligibility
- Willingness to take CI polygraph
Physical Requirements:
- Must be able to remain in a stationary position 50%.
- Needs to occasionally move about inside the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc.
- Frequently communicates with co-workers, management, and customers, which may involve delivering presentations. Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations.
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Find Lead Database Engineer JobsLead Database Engineer Job Market
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Electronics & Hardware
- Distribution & Wholesale
- Banking & Financial Services
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in lead database engineer jobs.
- Five or more years of hands-on experience designing and administering large-scale relational or NoSQL databases
- Deep proficiency in at least one major engine such as PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, or Microsoft SQL Server
- Experience with cloud database services on AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform
- Demonstrated ability to lead performance tuning, indexing strategy, and query optimization at production scale
- Proficiency in scripting or automation using Python, Bash, or PowerShell for database operations
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, or a related technical field, or equivalent work experience
Tips for Your Lead Database Engineer Job Search
Quantify schema migrations and performance gains
Hiring managers for lead-level roles want concrete impact. Replace vague claims with numbers: query latency reduced by X percent, database size managed, or migration downtime eliminated. Reviewers skim dozens of resumes and pause on specifics that generalist candidates can't match.
List your engine depth, not just exposure
Job descriptions differentiate between candidates who have used PostgreSQL and those who have tuned it at scale. Call out your deepest engines, the version ranges you've worked with, and whether you've owned production incidents, not just development environments.
Target postings that name your strongest stack
Filter openings by the database engines and cloud providers you know best, then read each job description for red flags like 'must have X years with Y product' that signal a poor fit before you invest time in a tailored application.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists lead database engineer openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Prepare a whiteboard-style design walkthrough
Lead database engineer interviews almost always include a live schema design or capacity-planning exercise. Practice talking through trade-offs out loud, such as normalization versus denormalization or replication strategies, so your reasoning is audible and structured under pressure.
Negotiate scope and on-call obligations separately
At the lead level, compensation conversations often stall when total ownership of on-call rotations isn't defined. Before you accept, ask how many databases are under the role's direct ownership, what the escalation path looks like, and whether on-call is shared or solo.
Lead Database Engineer Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most lead database engineers?
The most active employers for lead database engineers right now are MANTECH, Empower AI, and CAE, and the most openings are in Virginia, Texas, and Georgia, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Demand is especially concentrated in companies running high-transaction or data-intensive platforms.
How many lead database engineer jobs are remote?
About 86% of lead database engineer openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting strong demand for experienced engineers who can operate independently. Roles focused on cloud-native databases and platform engineering tend to offer the most remote flexibility, while positions tied to on-premises infrastructure often require at least partial on-site presence.
How do you become a lead database engineer?
Start by building deep hands-on experience with at least one database engine in a production environment, then move into ownership of increasingly complex systems such as high-availability clusters or multi-region replication setups. Earning a relevant certification, contributing to incident postmortems, and mentoring junior engineers all signal readiness for a lead title. Most employers expect you to demonstrate both technical depth and cross-functional communication before promoting or hiring at this level.
Can I get a lead database engineer job with limited experience?
Breaking in at the lead level without a long tenure is possible if you can demonstrate ownership of a production database system, even a smaller one, and show you've solved a non-trivial performance or reliability problem. Open-source contributions, a well-documented personal project running a real workload, or a promotion path that skipped a mid-level title due to demonstrated impact can all substitute for years on a resume.
What does the lead database engineer interview process look like?
Most interview loops for lead database engineers include a recruiter screen, a technical phone round focused on fundamentals like indexing, transactions, and replication, a live design session where you architect a schema or storage layer for a described use case, and a panel round with engineers and a hiring manager. Some companies add a take-home reliability or migration scenario. The design round typically carries the most weight because it tests how you reason about trade-offs, not just what you know.
Where can I find and apply to lead database engineer jobs?
You can find and apply to lead database engineer jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from across the United States. Search the listings to find roles that match your stack and experience level, then apply directly to each one that fits.
See All 33 Lead Database Engineer Jobs
Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Lead Database Engineer Jobs