Lead Associate - Database

• The Database Level 2 Engineer is responsible for enhancing the reliability, performance, security, and operational maturity of the organisation's database platforms across both on-premises and cloud environments. Reporting to the Hosting Service Owner, the role contributes to the optimisation, governance, and lifecycle management of database services, ensuring platforms remain resilient, compliant, scalable, and aligned with business and technology objectives.
• Working across database infrastructure, high-availability solutions, backup and recovery services, performance management, and security controls, the Database Level 2 Engineer applies technical expertise to improve platform stability, reduce operational risk, and support the continuous evolution of database services. The role focuses on identifying and resolving complex database challenges, implementing service enhancements, and driving improvements that strengthen performance, availability, recoverability, and operational effectiveness.
• The position collaborates closely with Database Engineering, Hosting, Cloud, Application, Cyber Security, and Service Management teams to support platform modernisation, governance objectives, operational excellence initiatives, and technology lifecycle programmes. Through trend analysis, proactive service assessment, and continuous improvement activities, the role contributes to reducing technical debt, improving platform supportability, and enhancing overall service quality.
• Success in the role requires a strong combination of database engineering expertise, analytical problem-solving capability, governance awareness, and a continuous improvement mindset. The Database Level 2 Engineer supports the advancement of database services through automation, documentation enhancement, standards adoption, process optimisation, and knowledge development, while collaborating with senior engineers on complex technical, architectural, and platform-improvement initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Leverage database observability, performance analytics, and platform telemetry to enhance the availability, resilience, security, and operational health of enterprise database services.
• Lead technical investigations into complex database service challenges, applying structured diagnostic methodologies, root cause analysis, and remediation strategies to improve long-term platform stability and reliability.
• Contribute to database lifecycle management initiatives through the implementation of platform enhancements, environment standardisation, technology refresh activities, migrations, upgrades, and service optimisation programmes aligned with engineering standards.
• Support the effectiveness of database governance frameworks by administering access models, role structures, privileged permissions, and service identities in alignment with security, compliance, and least-privilege principles.
• Strengthen service recoverability and resilience through recovery assurance activities, validation of data protection capabilities, continuous improvement of recovery procedures, and support for business continuity objectives.
• Drive database performance optimisation through the analysis of query behaviour, resource utilisation patterns, workload characteristics, indexing strategies, and platform performance trends, delivering improvements that enhance efficiency and scalability.
• Contribute to the reliability and operational maturity of high-availability and replication architectures through proactive health assessment, resilience validation, and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Enhance database security posture by implementing approved hardening standards, remediation initiatives, platform currency programmes, and security-control improvements in collaboration with Cyber Security and risk stakeholders.
• Maintain the integrity of database governance and service-management practices by ensuring accurate configuration, lifecycle, dependency, and ownership information is reflected across relevant service-management platforms and repositories.

• Develop and enhance technical knowledge assets, operational standards, recovery frameworks, engineering procedures, and service documentation that improve supportability, consistency, and organisational capability.
• Drive automation and operational efficiency initiatives through the use of approved scripting, tooling, and orchestration capabilities that improve consistency, strengthen controls, and reduce operational complexity.
• Provide database subject matter expertise during service recovery, technical investigations, and root-cause analysis activities, contributing actionable insights that improve service resilience and reduce recurring operational risk.

• Collaborate with hosting, cloud, application, network, security, architecture, and technology partners to deliver integrated infrastructure outcomes and resolve complex cross-platform challenges.
• Contribute to operational maturity and capability development by sharing technical expertise, improving knowledge transfer, supporting engineering best practices, and escalating systemic risks, design constraints, and platform improvement opportunities.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience. Relevant database, cloud and IT service management training or certifications are desirable.
• Experience: 5–9 years in database administration, infrastructure support or IT operations, including hands-on Level 2 support in a complex enterprise environment. Candidates should demonstrate practical experience operating production databases, resolving escalated incidents, implementing controlled changes, supporting backup and recovery, administering access, applying patches and security standards, and maintaining accurate technical documentation.
• Strong hands-on administration and troubleshooting capability across Microsoft SQL Server and working knowledge of one or more additional enterprise database technologies such as Azure SQL, PostgreSQL, MySQL or Oracle.
• Practical knowledge of database backup, restore, recovery models, high availability, replication, clustering, patching, upgrades, indexing, query analysis, capacity management and performance monitoring.
• Working knowledge of Windows and/or Linux server administration, storage, networking, DNS, certificates, Active Directory or Entra ID integration, and cloud database services.
• Ability to use SQL, PowerShell and approved automation or monitoring tools for administration, validation, reporting and repeatable remediation.
• Sound understanding of database security, least privilege, privileged access, encryption, auditing, data protection, vulnerability remediation and evidence requirements.
• Good command of ITSM practices covering incident, request, change, problem, configuration and knowledge management, with clear written and verbal communication.
• Demonstrated expertise in Microsoft SQL Server platform administration and optimisation within enterprise environments, including database platform deployment, configuration management, security enhancement, performance tuning, lifecycle management, and recoverability assurance.
• Proven ability to lead technical investigation and resolution activities for complex database service challenges, applying structured diagnostic methodologies and escalating architectural, platform, or systemic issues with comprehensive technical analysis and actionable recommendations.
• Strong understanding of database resilience, availability, security, and governance principles, with experience supporting high-availability architectures, recovery assurance, platform compliance, and risk-management objectives within controlled service environments.
• Practical experience developing and utilising SQL-based solutions, scripting, and automation capabilities to improve operational efficiency, strengthen control effectiveness, enhance monitoring, and support database service maturity initiatives. Experience with PowerShell or equivalent automation technologies is highly desirable.
• Excellent technical documentation, stakeholder engagement, and knowledge-management skills, with the ability to contribute to engineering standards, operational frameworks, service improvement programmes, and technology lifecycle initiatives within a collaborative infrastructure environment.

• Essential / Strongly Preferred Certifications
• Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)
• Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals (DP-900)
• ITIL 4 Foundation
• Desirable Certifications
• Azure Database Administrator Associate or current equivalent
• Relevant Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL or Oracle administration certification
• Cloud platform or security fundamentals certification