About this role
Salary: £? - ? per year
Requirements
- Proven experience as a Senior SQL Server DBA in business-critical production environments
- Strong SQL Server administration experience across multiple versions
- Hands-on experience with Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC), Failover Cluster Instances (FCI) and Always On Availability Groups
- Strong T-SQL and PowerShell scripting skills
- Experience with database backup, recovery, disaster recovery and high availability
- Performance tuning experience using execution plans, indexing, DMVs, Extended Events and Query Store
- Experience with SQL Server security, Active Directory integration and access management
- Good knowledge of Windows Server, Active Directory and SQL connectivity
- Experience working with ITIL-based incident, problem and change management processes
- Strong troubleshooting, communication and stakeholder management skills
- Active UK DV Security Clearance
- Desirable: experience with SSIS, SSRS and SSAS
- Desirable: experience with CyberArk or other privileged access management tools
- Desirable: experience with PowerShell dbatools, Redgate SQL Monitor, SCOM or SolarWinds
- Desirable: SQL Server upgrade and migration planning, including end-of-support and ESU
- Desirable: experience with Azure SQL, Azure Managed Instance or Azure Arc
- Desirable: experience in defence, government or secure environments
Responsibilities
- Provide 2nd and 3rd line support across production, pre-production and development SQL Server environments
- Administer and maintain SQL Server platforms, including patching, upgrades and migrations
- Manage SQL Server high availability, clustering, Failover Cluster Instances (FCI) and Always On Availability Groups
- Lead database incident resolution, troubleshooting and root cause analysis
- Manage backup, restore and disaster recovery arrangements, including resilience and failover testing
- Perform database performance tuning, capacity management and optimisation
- Maintain database security, access controls, auditing and compliance
- Develop automation and scripting solutions using PowerShell and T-SQL
- Work closely with application, infrastructure, security and service management teams
- Maintain technical documentation, runbooks and operational standards
Technologies
- Active Directory
- Azure
- Support
- ITIL
- PowerShell
- Redgate
- SQL
- Security
- SSAS
- SSIS
- Windows
- Cloud
More
We are seeking a Senior SQL Server DBA to join a highly skilled technical team supporting business-critical database environments within a secure public sector organisation. This is a hands-on role focused on legacy and modern SQL Server platforms, database availability, security, performance and continual service improvement. The role is onsite in Reading, offered on an initial six-month contract, with a rate of up to £98 per hour. The contract is inside IR35.
last updated 45 week of 2026