About this role
Salary: £60,000 - 65,000 per year
Requirements: Strong commercial experience as a senior SQL Server DBA, Database Performance Engineer, or SQL Server Performance SpecialistSenior-level SQL Server experience, expert-level T-SQL, and knowledge of the SQL Server query optimiserExcellent understanding of execution plans, indexing, and statisticsExperience managing multiple SQL Server instancesStrong understanding of Entity Framework and how it generates SQLExperience proactively identifying database performance issues through monitoring and analysisExperience working with SQL Server on AWS, including EC2 and/or RDSUnderstanding of AWS infrastructure, storage, and networking considerations that affect database performanceExperience with SQL Server high availability and disaster recovery, such as Always On or Multi-AZExperience designing databases and applications to handle significantly larger data volumesScripting experience with tools such as PowerShell or dbatoolsStrong communication skills and ability to work closely with developersSelf-starter able to identify priorities independently and drive improvements to completionMethodical, analytical, curious, and self-directed approachComfortable challenging developers when application-level issues are causing performance problems, and explaining issues clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholdersDesirable experience with Redgate SQL Monitor, SolarWinds DPA, Datadog, CloudWatch, Application Insights, EF Core logging, MiniProfiler, load testing, partitioning, data archiving, large-table management, DACPACs, Flyway, or Redgate deployment toolsMicrosoft or AWS database certifications are desirable Responsibilities: Monitor and improve SQL Server performance across multiple instancesIdentify expensive queries, blocking, deadlocks, indexing issues, execution plan regressions, and resource pressureUse Query Store, execution plans, DMVs, and Extended Events to diagnose root causesCompare database instances to identify performance outliers and understand differences in their behaviourInvestigate SQL generated by Entity Framework and identify issues such as N+1 queries and excessive data loadingWork closely with developers to implement application-level performance improvementsManage database-side changes, including indexing, statistics, and configurationPlan for database scalability as customers and data volumes growAdvise on AWS infrastructure, database sizing, and performance versus costSupport backup, recovery, high availability, and disaster recovery strategiesLead database performance investigations during incidentsBuild monitoring, dashboards, and alerts to identify issues proactively Technologies: AWSCloudWatchDatadogEC2FlywaySupportPowerShellRedgateSQLCloud More:
We are an established technology organisation seeking a Senior Database Performance Engineer to take ownership of SQL Server performance across a large AWS environment. This is a full-time, permanent, onsite role in Birmingham, paying £60,000–£65,000. You will be the sole database specialist, with significant autonomy and direct influence over database performance, scalability, and resilience, working across SQL Server, AWS, and modern application architecture.
last updated 41 week of 2026