Senior Technical SME - Database & Middleware Systems

Why Karsun?

Join Karsun Solutions to grow your career with the company transforming possible for the US Government.

At Karsun, collaboration drives our community. We're committed to building an environment where team members from diverse backgrounds can innovate, learn and grow with us. Here at Karsun, the only limit to your potential is the limit of your curiosity.

Join Team Karsun, and Find Your Next!

Summary

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Technical Subject Matter Expert (SME) with comprehensive expertise in database technologies, middleware systems, and data center-based enterprise infrastructure. This role serves as a strategic technical advisor to the GSA Database and Middleware Systems (DMS) Product Owner and acts as a critical liaison between technical teams, customer stakeholders, and operational staff. The ideal candidate will possess deep knowledge of GSA's data center environment, enterprise system architecture, and the ability to provide consultative guidance on complex technical challenges. You will work collaboratively across upstream and downstream teams to resolve issues, architect solutions, drive process improvements, and support the modernization of DMS operations and infrastructure.

What You'll Do:

• Serve as the primary technical SME for the DMS program, providing expert guidance on database systems, middleware platforms, and data center operations to the Product Owner and stakeholder teams in collaboration with the Technical Architect.
• Act as a strategic technical liaison between the DMS Product Owner, GSA IT operations teams, application development groups, infrastructure teams, and customer organizations to facilitate issue resolution and technical alignment.
• Provide consultative advice on complex technical challenges related to database performance, middleware integration, system architecture, capacity planning, and infrastructure modernization in collaboration with the Technical Architect.
• Collaborate with upstream application teams and downstream infrastructure teams to diagnose and resolve cross-system issues, ensuring minimal impact to GSA business operations.
• Lead technical analysis and root cause investigations for complex production incidents affecting database and middleware systems, coordinating resolution efforts across multiple technical teams.
• Develop technical solution proposals and architecture recommendations for DMS system enhancements, migrations, and modernization initiatives aligned with GSA IT strategic direction under the direction of the Technical Architect.
• Support the DMS team in improving operational processes, implementing automation strategies, and establishing best practices for database and middleware management in GSA's hybrid data center and cloud environment.
• Maintain comprehensive knowledge of GSA's enterprise database landscape (Oracle, Sybase IQ/ASE, MySQL, SQL Server) and middleware platforms (WebLogic, WebSphere, JBoss, MQ, integration tools).
• Evaluate emerging database and middleware technologies, assess their applicability to GSA's environment, and provide recommendations for technology adoption and roadmap planning.
• Participate in technical governance activities, architecture review boards, and change advisory boards to ensure DMS solutions align with enterprise standards and compliance requirements.
• Develop technical documentation, architecture diagrams, runbooks, and knowledge transfer materials to support DMS operations and facilitate team knowledge sharing.
• Mentor DMS technical staff on advanced database and middleware concepts, troubleshooting techniques, and best practices for managing enterprise-scale systems.
• Interface with GSA IT security teams to ensure database and middleware systems comply with GSA cybersecurity policies.

Required Qualifications:

• BA or BS degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Information Systems, or related technical field. Equivalent technical experience in database and middleware systems may be substituted for educational requirements.
• 12+ years of hands-on experience managing enterprise database systems with deep expertise across multiple platforms including Oracle, Sybase (IQ/ASE), MySQL, and SQL Server.
• 8+ years of experience with enterprise middleware technologies including application servers (WebLogic, WebSphere, JBoss, Tomcat), message queuing systems (MQ, Kafka), and integration platforms.
• 7+ years of experience in data center operations, including knowledge of server infrastructure, storage systems, networking, and hybrid cloud environments (on-premises and cloud).
• Proven experience serving as a technical SME or architect on large-scale enterprise systems, with demonstrated ability to provide consultative guidance to senior stakeholders and product owners.
• Strong expertise in database performance tuning, query optimization, capacity planning, high availability architectures (clustering, replication, failover), and disaster recovery planning.
• Demonstrated ability to diagnose and resolve complex cross-system technical issues, conduct root cause analysis, and coordinate resolution efforts across multiple technical teams.
• Experience developing technical architecture documentation, solution designs, and implementation roadmaps for database and middleware modernization initiatives.
• Strong understanding of enterprise system integration patterns, data flows, API architectures, and middleware communication protocols.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex technical concepts for both technical and non-technical audiences, including senior leadership and customer stakeholders.
• Ability to work effectively in a matrixed, collaborative environment, building relationships across diverse teams and facilitating consensus on technical solutions.
• The ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government issued clearance is required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in a technical discipline is preferred.
• Direct experience supporting GSA or other federal agency IT environments, with knowledge of GSA's enterprise architecture, data center operations, and IT service management practices.
• Hands-on experience with AWS cloud database services (RDS, Aurora, DynamoDB) and migration strategies from on-premises to cloud environments.
• Expertise in automation and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using tools such as Ansible, Terraform, or CloudFormation for database and middleware provisioning and configuration management.
• Experience with CI/CD pipeline development for database deployments, automated testing, and middleware configuration management.
• Advanced scripting capabilities (Python, Bash, PowerShell) for automation, monitoring, and operational tooling development.
• Knowledge of database monitoring and management tools (SolarWinds, Redgate, AppDynamics, Splunk) and experience implementing observability solutions.
• Familiarity with containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes) and their application to database and middleware deployment patterns.
• Understanding of federal IT security frameworks (NIST, FISMA, FedRAMP) and experience implementing security controls for database and middleware systems.
• Experience with ITIL processes, ServiceNow or similar ITSM platforms, and agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban) using Jira or similar tools.