Senior Cloud Database Architect – AWS & Snowflake

Job Description Job Title : Senior AWS Database Architect Location: Woodlawn, MD (Onsite – 5 Days/Week) Employment Type: Contract (or Full-Time, as applicable) Pay Rate : $70 On C2C Eligibility : USC and GC Experience : 12+ years Clearance: Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust Clearance required Position Overview We are seeking an experienced Senior AWS Database Architect to design, implement, and optimize secure, scalable, and high-performing cloud database solutions within AWS and Snowflake environments. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience architecting enterprise database platforms, leveraging AWS database technologies, and supporting modern data warehousing and analytics solutions. This role requires strong expertise in AWS database services, Snowflake architecture, SQL optimization, cloud security, automation, and performance tuning while collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver reliable, scalable, and secure data solutions. Key Responsibilities Design, implement, and maintain scalable, secure, and highly available database architectures utilizing AWS database services. Architect and support AWS database platforms including Amazon RDS, Aurora, DynamoDB, Redshift, ElastiCache, EMR, and Neptune. Configure, deploy, monitor, and optimize Amazon EMR clusters for performance, scalability, and cost efficiency. Design and manage Snowflake data warehouse environments, including database architecture, schema design, and performance optimization. Develop complex SQL queries to support reporting, analytics, data transformation, and business intelligence initiatives. Optimize database performance through indexing, query tuning, clustering, caching, partitioning, and auto-scaling strategies. Design backup, disaster recovery, failover, and high-availability solutions utilizing Multi-AZ deployments and read replicas. Integrate AWS database services with other AWS technologies including Lambda, S3, EC2, Glue, and additional cloud services. Implement AWS security best practices including IAM, encryption, VPC configuration, security groups, and data governance controls. Troubleshoot and resolve database performance, availability, and infrastructure-related issues. Develop automation solutions using Infrastructure-as-Code and scripting technologies. Support database monitoring, maintenance, upgrades, and continuous performance improvements. Collaborate with developers, architects, analysts, and business stakeholders to gather requirements and implement scalable data solutions. Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance to junior team members. Document architecture, standards, operational procedures, and technical solutions. Present technical concepts and project updates to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Required Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field. 7+ years of experience as a Database Architect or similar role. Hands-on experience with AWS database services, including: Amazon RDS Aurora DynamoDB Redshift EMR ElastiCache Neptune Strong experience with Snowflake architecture, administration, and optimization. Advanced SQL development and performance tuning experience. Experience with relational and NoSQL databases, data modeling, and schema design. Knowledge of AWS security, IAM, encryption, networking, and cloud best practices. Experience with Infrastructure as Code and scripting (Terraform, CloudFormation, Python, Bash, PowerShell).