Sr. SQL Developer in Columbia, Maryland at Cogent People Inc

Location: Columbia, MD (Hybrid/Remote – MON & WED in the office)

Residency Requirement: Candidates must have lived in the U.S. for at least 3 of the past 5 years and be authorized to work in the U.S. (Citizen, Permanent Resident, or EAD).

Clearance: Public Trust Clearance (or ability to obtain)

Job Overview:

We are seeking a skilled and motivated Sr. SQL Developer to join our innovative IT team. In this role, you will build, tune, and operate the database processing behind a mission-critical, data-centric financial system supporting the Federal Government in the healthcare domain. The ideal candidate will have deep hands-on experience with Oracle SQL and PL/SQL at scale, large file-based data exchange, and AWS, and will deliver accurate, well-documented results on a recurring production schedule.

Responsibilities:

• Production data delivery: own and execute a portfolio of recurring data validation and reporting processes, delivering accurate results on schedule.
• Hands-on SQL/PL/SQL engineering: design, write, and maintain Oracle PL/SQL packages and procedures that ingest and validate large XML and EDI files, load staging and fact tables, produce outbound data files, and reconcile results across interfacing systems.
• Ad-hoc data analysis: turn ad-hoc client data requests into correct, well-documented query results and extracts under short turnaround, and explain the numbers behind them.
• Performance and reliability: tune queries against very large partitioned tables, diagnose and recover failed batch jobs, and replace manual, spreadsheet-based steps with automated, repeatable processes.
• Release discipline: take changes through a formal release process with documented testing, security review, and approval gates, and support them in production afterward.
• Knowledge transfer: document what you build so others can run it, mentor junior developers, and contribute to the modernization of reporting workloads onto modern cloud data platforms.

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• Experience: 6+ years of hands-on experience developing and supporting production Oracle database applications, including at least 3 years in a data warehouse, financial transaction processing, or regulatory reporting context.
• Technical Skills:
  • Expert Oracle SQL and PL/SQL — packages, procedures, cursors, collections, BULK COLLECT/FORALL, dynamic SQL, exception handling, and job/error instrumentation
  • Query performance tuning — reading execution plans, indexing strategy, partitioned large tables, and working with datasets in the hundreds of millions of rows
  • Parsing and loading structured files inside the database — XML (XMLTYPE/XMLTABLE), delimited and fixed-width formats, SQL*Loader and external tables
  • Working knowledge of healthcare or financial EDI interchange (X12 834, 810, 820, 835, 824 or comparable)
  • Enterprise batch scheduling (IBM Workload Scheduler/TWS, Control-M, Autosys or similar) and Linux shell scripting
  • Python for data automation and report generation
  • Git-based version control and AWS familiarity, particularly Oracle RDS and S3
• Methodologies & Frameworks:
  • Experience with agile methodologies: SAFe, Scrum
  • Working knowledge of DevSecOps practices including CI/CD, formal release management, and change control with documented test evidence
• Security & Performance Focus: Proven ability to handle sensitive healthcare and financial data under federal security controls — least-privilege access, no unauthorized data movement or storage — and to tune processing for reliability within fixed, time-boxed production windows
• Collaboration Skills: Strong written and verbal communication; able to explain data discrepancies to non-technical business leads and government stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working in regulated/Government environments is a plus, especially in the healthcare domain
• Familiarity with healthcare enrollment, claims, or payer financial data is a plus
• Experience with Databricks, PySpark, or migrating Oracle workloads to a cloud data platform is a plus
• Experience with analytical and BI tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, or Amazon QuickSight) is a plus
• Experience mentoring junior developers is desired

Why Cogent People Inc.?

At Cogent People, we foster a collaborative, growth-driven environment where innovation thrives. You’ll be part of a team working on mission-critical technology solutions that make a real impact. We offer competitive salaries, career development opportunities, and the chance to contribute to meaningful projects that shape the future.

As a Certified Great Place to Work, we prioritize employee satisfaction and provide a supportive, inclusive culture where every team member is valued and empowered to succeed.

Benefits:

Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance: Comprehensive coverage.

401(k) Plan: Matching contributions.

Life Insurance & Disability Coverage: Company-paid life, short-term, and long-term disability insurance.

Paid Time Off: 3 weeks of PTO annually, plus 10 holidays.

EEO Employer:

Cogent People Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability status, or any other status protected by law.