Senior Database Engineer with Cloud & Data Expertise

Tilahun A. Tufa

Senior Database Engineer Senior SQL Server & Oracle DBA Cloud & Data Engineering Specialist

Secret Clearance Security+ AWS Certified Microsoft SQL Server Certified

Washington, DC

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Secret-cleared Senior Database Engineer with 12+ years of IT experience, including 10+ years as a DBA and SQL/Oracle Developer, supporting mission-critical federal systems. Expert in SQL Server (2000–2022) and Oracle (10g–18c) administration, high availability, disaster recovery, cloud migration, data engineering, analytics enablement, and performance optimization. Proven track record supporting DOJ, DOD, DLA, and USCG environments with strict STIG, security, and compliance requirements. Adept at on-prem to Azure cloud migrations, Agile delivery, enterprise data pipelines, and database platforms supporting large-scale reporting, dashboards, and analytical workloads.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• SQL Server Installation, Configuration & Administration (2000–2022)

• Oracle Administration (10g–18c, RAC, OEM, Data Guard)

• High Availability & DR: AlwaysOn AGs, Clustering, Replication, Mirroring

• Performance Tuning & Query Optimization

• Backup & Recovery (NetBackup, RMAN)

• Cloud Databases & Migration (Azure, AWS)

• Database Security, Auditing & STIG Compliance

• Data Engineering: ETL/ELT Pipelines, Data Integration

• Data Warehousing & Analytics Enablement

• ETL & Reporting (SSIS, SSRS)

• Agile / Scrum Collaboration

• Federal & Secure Enclave Environments

TECHNICAL SKILLS

Databases:

SQL Server (2005–2022), Oracle 10g/18c, MySQL, PostgreSQL, MS Access, NoSQL, Sybase

Languages & Scripting:

T-SQL, PL/SQL, PowerShell, Visual Basic, PHP, HTML, CSS, Assembly, Pascal

Data Engineering & Analytics:

SSIS (2008/2012), SSRS (2008/2012), Data Warehousing, Data Quality & Validation, Excel Reporting

Cloud & Virtualization:

Azure Cloud, AWS, VMware vSphere/ESXi, vCenter, Hyper-V

Tools & Utilities:

RedGate, Splunk, Tenable, NetBackup, Indera, BigFix, Guardium, SCOM, Jira, ServiceNow

Operating Systems:

Windows Server (2003–2019), Linux, UNIX

Modeling & Documentation:

ERWin, Visio, SQL Server Data Diagrams, Logical & Physical Data Modeling

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) – Washington, DC

Senior Database Engineer

Jul 2021 – Present

• Administer and maintain enterprise SQL Server environments (2008–2022) supporting mission-critical DOJ applications within a secure federal enclave.

• Designed, implemented, and managed AlwaysOn Availability Groups, including AG listeners, DNS configuration, IPv4/IPv6 addressing, ports, and multi-subnet failover.

• Planned and executed SQL Server clustering, replication, and failover cluster instances to ensure high availability and disaster recovery.

• Performed new installations, upgrades, patching, and monthly security updates across production, staging, and development environments.

• Designed and implemented backup and disaster recovery strategies using NetBackup, ensuring compliance with federal retention, audit, and recovery standards.

• Developed and optimized complex T-SQL queries, stored procedures, and views supporting transactional systems, reporting platforms, and analytical workloads.

• Engineered and supported ETL pipelines feeding Azure-based data warehouse and reporting databases, ensuring data accuracy, completeness, and performance.

• Managed Azure Cloud analytical and reporting databases, monitored ETL executions, resolved data load failures, and tuned queries for analytics consumption.

• Partnered with application teams, data analysts, and stakeholders to enable dashboards, metrics, and ad-hoc analytics.

• Supported enterprise monitoring and security tools including Splunk, Tenable, Guardium, BigFix, SCOM, WhatsUp Gold, Acunetix, and JCAM Heartbeat.

• Managed VMware vSphere environments including cluster nodes, networking, roles, and virtual machines.

• Prepared deployment and test plans, submitted changes through Change Control Board (CCB), and executed releases via ServiceNow.

• Collaborated with Agile/Scrum teams to deliver secure, scalable, data-driven database and analytics solutions on schedule.

SQL Developer

U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA)

Apr 2020 – May 2021

• Installed and configured Oracle 18c databases in enterprise environments.

• Migrated data from MS Access to Oracle, ensuring data integrity, normalization, and optimized query performance.

• Utilized PL/SQL, Oracle RAC, OEM, and Data Guard for high availability, monitoring, and resiliency.

• Developed stored procedures, views, and data transformation logic supporting reporting and analytical use cases.

• Performed database performance tuning for both transactional systems and analytics-oriented queries.

• Implemented database security and auditing protocols aligned with federal compliance standards.

• Built a custom application to track changes across SQL Server environments.

• Delivered proactive monitoring, maintenance, and production support.

Database Administrator & SQL Developer

U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)

Sep 2018 – Apr 2020

• Installed, configured, and migrated SQL Server 2008–2016 environments.

• Configured and managed merge replication and resolved complex replication issues.

• Developed and maintained SSIS packages and SSRS reports for operational reporting and executive analytics.

• Supported data extraction and transformation processes feeding downstream reporting and analytical systems.

• Conducted system analysis and delivered actionable improvement plans.

• Enhanced backup strategies using differential backups and regular restore testing.

AVANT Capital – California

Database Administrator / Developer

Jan 2015 – Sep 2018

• Migrated databases from SQL Server 2005 to 2008, 2012, and 2014.

• Designed and deployed SSIS ETL workflows and SSRS reports for business users and financial analytics.

• Built and optimized data models to support trend analysis, KPIs, and business intelligence reporting.

• Implemented database security, backup, and restore procedures.

• Supported Azure migration initiatives for on-premises databases.

Sheba Pay – Georgia

Database Administrator

Sep 2012 – Jan 2015

• Designed physical database architectures for large-scale SQL Server systems.

• Administered database security, roles, and permissions.

• Implemented alerts, monitoring, and automated backup strategies.

• Tuned queries, indexes, and schemas to improve performance for transactional and reporting workloads.

• Supported data extraction and reporting needs for internal teams and external clients.

• Provided technical support to developers and external clients.

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS

Bachelor of Arts – Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia

Certifications (Active):

• Microsoft SQL Server Certification

• AWS Certified

• CompTIA Security+

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