Senior SQL Server DBA - DV Cleared

Location: Reading (Onsite)
Rate: Up to £98 per hour
Contract: 6 Months Initial
IR35: Inside IR35
Clearance: Active DV Clearance Required

We are seeking an experienced Senior SQL Server DBA to join a highly skilled technical team supporting business-critical database environments within a secure public sector organisation.

This is an excellent opportunity for a hands-on DBA with strong experience across legacy and modern SQL Server platforms, providing 2nd and 3rd line support, maintaining database availability, security and performance, and driving continual service improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide 2nd and 3rd line support across production, pre-production and development SQL Server environments.

• Administer and maintain SQL Server versions 2012-2022, 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.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Proven experience as a Senior SQL Server DBA in business-critical production environments.

• Strong SQL Server administration experience across versions 2012-2022.

• Hands-on experience with Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC), FCI and Always On Availability Groups.

• Strong T-SQL and PowerShell scripting skills.

• Experience of database backup, recovery, disaster recovery and high availability.

• Performance tuning 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 within ITIL-based incident, problem and change management processes.

• Excellent troubleshooting, communication and stakeholder management skills.

Desirable Experience

• SSIS, SSRS and SSAS.

• CyberArk or other privileged access management tools.

• PowerShell dbatools, Redgate SQL Monitor, SCOM or SolarWinds.

• SQL Server upgrade and migration planning, including end-of-support and ESU.

• Azure SQL, Azure Managed Instance or Azure Arc.

• Experience within defence, government or secure environments.

Candidates must hold active UK DV Security Clearance to be considered for this opportunity.