(ID: 2026-1548)
Axle is a bioscience and information technology company that offers advancements in translational research, biomedical informatics, and data science applications to research centers and healthcare organizations nationally and abroad. With experts in biomedical science, software engineering, and program management, we focus on developing and applying research tools and techniques to empower decision-making and accelerate research discoveries. We work with some of the top research organizations and facilities in the country including multiple institutes at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Benefits We Offer:
- 100% Medical, Dental & Vision Coverage for Employees
- Paid Time Off and Paid Holidays
- 401K match up to 5%
- Educational Benefits for Career Growth
- Employee Referral Bonus
- Flexible Spending Accounts:
- Healthcare (FSA)
- Parking Reimbursement Account (PRK)
- Dependent Care Assistant Program (DCAP)
- Transportation Reimbursement Account (TRN)
Position Overview
Axle is seeking a DBA / ETL Developer to support the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in managing, integrating, and optimizing data that underpins research, grants management, and administrative operations. The role combines database administration with hands-on ETL development to ensure NIH data is accurate, secure, and available for reporting and analytics in a complex federal health environment.
Key Responsibilities
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Administer, monitor, and tune relational databases (e.g., SQL Server, Oracle, or PostgreSQL) supporting NIH applications and analytics workloads.
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Design, develop, and maintain ETL jobs and data pipelines to extract, transform, and load data from multiple NIH source systems into data warehouses, marts, or operational data stores.
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Implement and maintain database objects (tables, views, indexes, stored procedures, functions) and ensure adherence to schema and data standards.
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Perform performance tuning, capacity planning, backup and recovery, and ongoing health checks for development, test, and production environments.
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Collaborate with data analysts, application developers, and NIH stakeholders to understand data requirements and translate them into robust database and ETL solutions.
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Implement and enforce data quality checks, validation rules, and audit controls within ETL processes.
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Support data migration and modernization efforts, including movement from legacy systems to modern databases or cloud platforms as directed by NIH.
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Ensure compliance with NIH, HHS, and federal security and privacy policies, including appropriate user access controls and data handling practices.
Required Qualifications
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Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Engineering, or a related field.
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5+ years of professional experience as a Database Administrator and/or ETL Developer supporting enterprise systems.
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Hands-on experience with at least one major RDBMS (SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL) including installation, configuration, performance tuning, and backup/recovery.
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Strong SQL skills and experience creating stored procedures, views, functions, and indexes.
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Experience designing and maintaining ETL processes using tools or frameworks such as SSIS, Informatica, Azure Data Factory, or similar.
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Understanding of data warehousing concepts (star schema, slowly changing dimensions, staging layers) and relational data modeling.
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Ability to troubleshoot database and ETL issues in multi-environment (dev/test/prod) settings and work collaboratively with cross-functional teams.
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Ability to be on-site two days a week in Bethesda, MD.
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U.S. Citizenship and eligibility for a Public Trust or equivalent federal background investigation.
Preferred Qualifications
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Prior experience supporting NIH, HHS, or other federal health agencies.
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Familiarity with cloud data platforms (Azure SQL, Azure Synapse, AWS RDS, or similar) and secure data integration patterns in government environments.
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Experience with scripting languages (PowerShell, Python, or Bash) for automation and operational support.
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Knowledge of data governance, metadata management, and master data management concepts.
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Experience working in environments subject to federal security and compliance frameworks (FISMA, FedRAMP).
Why Join Us
At Axle, you will help NIH leverage high-quality data to advance biomedical research and public health by ensuring critical systems and datasets are stable, available. secure, and well-integrated. You will work with mission-driven teams in a collaborative environment with opportunities to grow your technical expertise in both database administration and data engineering in the federal health space.
Disclaimer: The above description is meant to illustrate the general nature of work and level of effort being performed by individuals assigned to this position or job description. This is not restricted as a complete list of all skills, responsibilities, duties, and/or assignments required. Individuals may be required to perform duties outside of their position, job description or responsibilities as needed.
The diversity of Axle’s employees is a tremendous asset. We are firmly committed to providing equal opportunity in all aspects of employment and will not tolerate any illegal discrimination or harassment based on age, race, gender, religion, national origin, disability, marital status, covered veteran status, sexual orientation, status with respect to public assistance, and other characteristics protected under state, federal, or local law and to deter those who aid, abet, or induce discrimination or coerce others to discriminate.
Accessibility: If you need an accommodation as part of the employment process please contact: careers@axleinfo.com
This role has a market-competitive salary with an anticipated base compensation range listed below. Actual salaries will vary depending on a candidate’s experience, qualifications, skills, and location.