We are hiring a Database Engineer to lead a high-stakes data consolidation: migrating two legacy production databases—a proprietary 4D application database and an Oracle database—into a single, well-architected PostgreSQL platform. This migration is the core of the role, not a side project. You will own the strategy, build the pipelines, prove the data is correct, and execute the cutover.
This is a hard, interesting problem. One of the source systems is a proprietary 4D database with limited documentation; you will reverse-engineer its structure, map it to a clean relational target, and resolve the inevitable data-type, encoding, and integrity mismatches between three different database engines. We need someone who treats data integrity as non-negotiable and validates parity rather than assuming it.
You will work across a cross-disciplinary, distributed team and directly with government and client stakeholders to deliver software that improves lives. If you have run a serious database migration end to end and take pride in a clean, verifiable cutover, this role is for you.
Note: This opening is contingent upon Coforma receiving the award of a contract for the intended project — please feel free to reach out to our Talent Acquisition team if you have any questions.
$119,768 to $149,215 Annual Salary + Benefits + Growth Potential
Placement within this range will be based on the competency level of the candidate. An offer will be made at one of the following tiers:
- Tier 1 — $119,768.40: Meets stated qualification and experience requirements. May need guidance and training beyond onboarding to perform the more complex functions of the role.
- Tier 2 — $134,492.10: Experienced and fully competent. Will be able to independently perform key responsibilities of the role once onboarding is completed.
- Tier 3 — $149,215.80: Highly experienced and can perform all responsibilities of the role at a higher level than expected once onboarding is completed.
To honor our company-wide equitable pay system, the posted salary range and corresponding tier salaries are non-negotiable.
This is a US-based remote position open to applicants in the states listed below. Some travel may be required.
To ensure we remain compliant with all state, county, and local employment and tax regulations, applicants must currently reside in one of the following states to be considered for employment with Coforma. This list will be updated periodically as our PeopleOps team works to open up hiring in additional states.
- Arizona
- California
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- Oregon
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia
- Washington
- Wisconsin
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Own the migration strategy (from design and build to execution) for moving a proprietary 4D application database and an Oracle database into a consolidated, normalized PostgreSQL platform with no data loss and a verifiable cutover.
- Reverse-engineer the source schemas, including a proprietary 4D structure with incomplete documentation, and design the target Postgres data model.
- Build repeatable, automated, idempotent ETL/migration pipelines (extract from 4D and Oracle, transform, load into Postgres) that can be run, validated, and safely re-run.
- Design and implement data validation and reconciliation to prove source-to-target parity: row counts, checksums, and business-rule spot checks.
- Translate vendor-specific logic and constructs (Oracle PL/SQL, sequences, triggers, data types; 4D structures and exports) into Postgres equivalents.
- Plan and execute cutover: sequencing, downtime minimization, and a tested rollback plan.
- Document the target schema, the migration process, and operational runbooks so the work is maintainable after you.
- Solve problems across the stack alongside other engineers including building new systems and improving existing ones, consistently applying best practices with a focus on accessibility.
- Collaborate with teammates and government/client stakeholders, and work within agile/scrum: planning, breaking down requirements, refinement, and estimation.
The following knowledge and experience is required for this role:
- Proven experience migrating production relational databases end to end, including at least one migration from a legacy or proprietary source system with incomplete documentation.
- Strong PostgreSQL experience: schema design, normalization, data types, constraints, indexing, and efficient bulk loading of large datasets (e.g. COPY).
- Strong SQL, including the ability to read and translate vendor-specific SQL and procedural code into a different engine's equivalents.
- Working Oracle knowledge: extracting schema and data, and understanding Oracle data types, sequences, and PL/SQL well enough to translate them.
- Demonstrated ability to build automated, idempotent ETL / data pipelines and to validate data integrity across systems through reconciliation, not assumption.
- The engineering judgment and persistence to reverse-engineer an unfamiliar, poorly documented system. You do not need prior 4D experience, but you do need to be the kind of engineer who can figure out a proprietary system you've never seen.
- Proficiency with the command line and shell scripting, and the ability to script migration logic in a general-purpose language (Python, Ruby, or similar).
- Discipline around version control and testing of migration logic, and experience collaborating in a remote/distributed environment using agile and scrum.
- The ability to communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences, including client and government stakeholders.
Strongly Preferred, But Not Required:
- Direct 4D experience (the 4D SQL engine, ODBC connectivity to/from 4D, or 4D data export). This is rare and a significant plus, but it is not a requirement, and we will train the right migration engineer on the 4D specifics.
- Experience with Oracle-to-Postgres migration tooling such as ora2pg, AWS DMS, or equivalents.
- Familiarity with the failure modes of cross-engine migration: character encoding, NULL handling, date/timestamp semantics, and numeric precision.
- Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform, AWS CDK, or similar) for provisioning the target Postgres environment.
- 3+ years of experience working with APIs and databases of various types.
- 3+ years of experience building applications with open-source programming languages.
- Prior experience working in digital services, government, or federal consulting.
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Internet: Will prioritize and maintain access to strong, reliable internet for the remote nature of our work, except when on vacation or holiday.
- Security: Will keep the highest security practices to ensure privacy and security of Coforma and client information, given the nature of our work, even when on vacation.
- Travel Flexibility: On request and with advanced notice, will attend in-person events such as meetings, workshops, and trainings as assigned for projects that require it.
- Brand Representation: Will represent Coforma professionally and sincerely, modeling our Company Values in all interactions.
We believe ethical technology begins with responsible innovation.
We’re a remote-first company that values collaboration, inclusivity, transparency, autonomy with accountability, and ethical design processes to facilitate responsible innovation and collaboration.
Our cross-functional team works closely with each other and with our government, nonprofit, and commercial partners to research, design, and build better products and services. From empowering patients navigating surprise medical bills to streamlining the digital claims process for Veterans, we’re dedicated to improving people’s lives through thoughtful technology products and services. Together.
Equal Opportunity & Inclusive Workplace
Coforma is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. It's our policy to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, religion, sex, gender, age, disability, military or veteran status, or any other factors protected under federal, state, or local law.
We're committed to ensuring accessibility and equal opportunity and offering reasonable accommodations to those with disabilities. We adhere to the guidelines set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act and all relevant federal, state, and local laws concerning disability discrimination and accommodation. To request a reasonable accommodation for the application or interview process, please email
[email protected].
About Public Trust and Other Background Investigations
Due to the nature of our client and project work, most roles may require a National Agency Check and Inquiries (NACI), Moderate Background Investigation (MBI), Background Investigation (BI) or other relevant investigations as needed. Additional information regarding background evaluations or investigations can be found on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management website (opm.gov).
