DC Public Schools (DCPS) Hiring For Director, Database Administration at Washington, WA Full Time

Job Title: Director, Database Administration

Office: Office of Data Systems and Strategy

Date Posted: 9/8/2021

Salary Range: 1-5/$108,671 – $122,642

NTE Date: N/A

The Government of the District of Columbia values the safety of our employees, our residents, and our visitors. In support of these values, if you are selected for this job you must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, except when vaccination is not medically advised or violates your sincerely held religious beliefs. If you are invited to join our team, you must submit proof that you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to your initial HR representative, or you must request an exemption from your representative. New employees must either provide proof of vaccination or be granted a medical or religious exemption before working with the Government of the District of Columbia.

Position Overview

The mission of the Office of Data Systems and Strategy is to support schools and the district as a whole to use technology and data effectively to accelerate student achievement. The Office includes the following teams:

• The Information Technology team provides DCPS students and staff, in every school, with the infrastructure, systems, and support to use technology effectively to accelerate student achievement.
• The Assessments team leads and supports schools in the administration of summative assessments and surveys and ensures test integrity is maintained during assessments.
• The Data team ensures stakeholders at all levels of the organization have access to accurate, timely, and relevant data by organizing, validating, and reporting on student data and by conducting analysis and research to inform decision-making.
• The School Data & Performance team supports and builds school-based capacity to use data tools to inform school planning and decision-making.

The Information Technology team provides DCPS students and staff, in every school, with the infrastructure, systems, and support to use technology effectively to accelerate student achievement

The Director, Database Administration will design, develop, and maintain complex database structures and queries in support of various data systems including the primary student information system. The incumbent will work on the Enterprise Applications and Data System (EADS) team and play a significant role in enhancing and maintaining a comprehensive set of student information systems. The Director, Database Administration will have primary responsibility for architecting and developing complex Back End data structures and queries in support of applications development and data teams within the Office and external reporting requirements. The Director will also work with technical resources from other DC agencies and third parties in order to ensure DCPS needs are met. The Director will support various data management projects including but not limited to increasing report automation and the availability of data to allow for self-service end user data pulls, the creation of infrastructure for making fresher data available from systems of record to downstream systems (service-oriented architecture, etc.), and helping to plan and implement a future state database architecture for DCPS. In addition to the architectural requirements of any particular database, the Director will also balance immediate needs with future direction and goals.

The Director, Database Administration will report to the Executive Director, Database Administration.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The below statements are intended to describe the general nature and scope of work being performed by this position. This is not a complete listing of all responsibilities, duties, and/or skills required. Other duties may be assigned.

• Works collaboratively with a variety of individuals to design and develop custom and COTS database and software applications.
• Works with project managers, users, stakeholders, and others to design user-centric database and applications.
• Stays abreast of industry trends related to database management, software development and UI/UX design, and identifies new tools and technologies to leverage for user-centric design.
• Expertly documents code using internal comments, database diagrams, system diagrams, and other external documents.
• Maintains up to date technical documentation and code version.
• Works with other programs and offices within DCPS to understand overall DCPS needs.
• Designs service-oriented architecture to improve data availability and data quality.
• Sets up and deploys database instances as needed to support application development, testing, and deployment.
• Suggests techniques and approaches to improve database performance.
• Provides ongoing review of all data models, data architecture, and database interface code for critical applications.
• Assists in developing data governance policies and procedures.
• Assigns, directs, and evaluates the work of direct reports and contract resources; coordinates and directs the work of staff based on volume, priorities, and strategic context; guides and coaches direct reports and other team members; and keeps department staff informed of internal and external developments affecting their areas of responsibility.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and five to seven years of related work experience.
• Master’s degree preferred.
• Previous exposure to or experience in the education sector a plus.
• Familiarity with user-centered design and usability practices.
• Exceptional knowledge of tuning SQL queries to optimize performance relative to application needs.
• Exceptional knowledge of standard database concepts (query optimization, database tuning, data modeling, etc.); and demonstrated experience with working with Open Source tools and frameworks.
• Scripting Languages: Perl Ruby, Python/Bash/Shell; and Web technologies: JavaScript with JQuery, HTML, PHP, Java Server Pages (JSP), XML/XSL, NodeJS.
• Databases: Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS), Oracle, MySQL; and Operating Systems: Linux, Windows. Process Automation, ETL, technical documentation.
• Strong grasp of programming concepts.
• Demonstrated experience with supporting tools and technologies including basic operating system tools, testing tools, and configuration options.
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to translate high-level technical and business initiatives and goals into discrete tasks and specific timelines.
• Excellent communication skills, especially the ability to actively listen and draw out the true needs of stakeholders.
• Superb problem-solving skills and troubleshooting abilities and the ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team.

DCPS Values

• STUDENTS FIRST: We recognize students as whole children and put their needs first in everything we do.
• COURAGE: We have the audacity to learn from our successes and failures, to try new things, and to lead the nation as a proof point of PK-12 success.
• EQUITY: We work proactively to eliminate opportunity gaps by interrupting institutional bias and investing in effective strategies to ensure every student succeeds.
• EXCELLENCE: We work with integrity and hold ourselves accountable for exemplary outcomes, service, and interactions.
• TEAMWORK: We recognize that our greatest asset is our collective vision and ability to work collaboratively and authentically.
• JOY: We enjoy our collective work and will enthusiastically celebrate our success and each other.