Request for Expression of interest

(Consulting Services-Individual Selection)

Recruitment of Senior Database Engineer for the National ID Program

Country: Ethiopia

Project: Ethiopia Digital ID for Inclusion and Services Project

Project ID: P179040

Assignment Title: Senior Database Engineer

Reference No.: ET-NIDP-524591-CS-INDV

Duty Station: NIDP Head Office, Addis Ababa

The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Ministry of Finance (MoF), has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the Ethiopia Digital ID for Inclusion and Services Project National ID Program, the ultimate project implementer intends to apply part of the proceeds for selecting of individual consultants

National ID Program as part of the project implementation program is looking for an Individual Consultant that supports the NIDP Experienced individual consultants who have the required qualification and experience for the position of Senior Database Engineer are invited to express their interest for the assignment

Specific responsibilities for the Senior Database Engineer will include, but are not limited to, the following core activities

1. Database design, installation, and configuration

• Install, configure, and maintain PostgreSQL (and other supported RDBMS) in production and non-production environments
• Create and manage production and non-production databases.
• Define optimal storage, schema design, indexing, and partitioning strategies.

2. High availability, replication, and clustering (HAA)

• design and implement HLA clusters using Patroni, HAProxy, and etc.
• Architect and implement scalable database solutions for high availability and load balancing.
• Configure and maintain streaming replication, replication slots, and failover testing.
• Monitor and tune cluster performance, ensuring minimal downtime during failovers or switchovers

3. Backup, restore, and disaster recovery

• Implement automated backup strategies using Burman, pgBackRest, or equivalent tools.
• Develop and test robust disaster recovery and backup plans, ensuring rapid data restoration and minimal downtime in the event of data loss.
• Perform Point-in-Time Recovery (PITR) testing and maintain backup integrity verification schedules.
• Develop and execute Disaster Recovery (DR) runbooks and conduct periodic DR drill tests

4. Performance tuning and optimization

• Implement advanced tuning strategies, including indexing, partitioning, and query optimization, to improve responsiveness and maximize throughput across database systems.
• Perform database performance assessments using tools such as pgBadger, EXPLAIN ANALYZE, and system monitoring metrics and implement performance tuning recommendations.
• Identify long-running queries, optimize indexes, and tune query execution plans.
• Analyze database usage and performance trends to guide capacity planning, ensuring resources are allocated to meet growth and operational needs.

5. Security and compliance

• Establish and enforce database security policies to ensure compliance with organizational IS policy and protect sensitive data from unauthorized access.
• Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments, implementing proactive remediation strategies to mitigate potential risks.
• Implement and monitor database access management for NIDP platform users and services (enforce role-based access control (RBAC) and database access policies).

6. Data migration and integration

• Perform data migration between development, test, production, and DR environments.
• Collaborate with development and DevOps teams to integrate database systems effectively, supporting seamless data flow within the broader architecture.
• Ensure schema consistency, data validation, and rollback procedures during migrations.
• Providing full database support when required.

7. Monitoring, reporting, and automation

• Deploy and manage monitoring solutions (Prometheus, Grafana, Metabase, etc.) for database and cluster visibility.
• Automate database operations (maintenance, backup, migration, failover) through scripts and scheduling tools.
• Generate periodic performance and activity reports for management review.

8. Documentation and continuous improvement

• Maintain comprehensive documentation of installations, configurations, incident resolutions, contributing to a knowledge base that aids in skill development and knowledge transfer.
• Establish database best practices and mentor junior team members.
• Research and recommend emerging technologies for database scalability, observability, and automation.

National ID Program, Digital ID for Inclusion and Services Project now invites eligible Individual Consultants to indicate their interest to provide the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the services for a period of one year with possibility of extension for additional period subject to outstanding performance of the consultant and availability of budget. The shortlisting criteria include the following:

The ideal candidate for the role of Senior Database Engineer will bring the following competencies and skills:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Information Systems, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• 8+years (for Masters) and 10+ years (for Bachelors) of hands-on experience in database administration and management of data infrastructure with expertise in large-scale, high-availability systems, backup and restore, database security, and advanced performance tuning.
• Proven experience with PostgreSQL 13+, Patroni, HAProxy, etcd, Barman, or equivalent HA and backup tools.
• Proficiency in database platforms (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, SQL Server) and performance optimization techniques (e.g., indexing, partitioning, query optimization).
• Strong knowledge of relational databases, concepts, technologies, SQL performance tuning, query optimization, and index management.
• Familiarity with cloud storage (S3), monitoring tools (Prometheus, Grafana), and automation frameworks.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to convey technical information to non-technical stakeholders.
• Relevant certifications such as Oracle Certifications (OCA, OCP), PostgreSQL Certification, AWS, or MySQL Certifications are a plus.

The selection method is based on para 7.36 and 7.37 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulation.

The attention of interested individual is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.14, 3.16. and 3.17 of the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” July 2016 (“Procurement Regulations”) revised November 2017, August 2018, September 2023, February 2025 setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.

An individual will be selected in accordance with the Selection of Individual Consultant (Section V) method set out in the Procurement Regulations.

Expressions of interest (CV, cover letter and documentary evidence for fulfilling the qualifications) must be delivered in a written form to the address indicated below by E-mail on or before February 23, 2026. Further information can be obtained, by email at the below address during office hours from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM Addis Ababa time:

Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

National ID Program (NIDP)

Digital for inclusion and Services project

Attn: project  Management Unit (PMU)

Address: Welosefer Bole, Ethio-China St, INSA Building 15^th Floor, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Tele +251 911-446582 or +251-912-200295

E-mail: nejmedin@id.et   and zelalem@id.gov.et

Website: https://id.gov.et/ 

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia