SME - AzureMSSQL DBA, Microsoft Azure

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Senior SQL Server Engineer to join our team in London. This role requires a seasoned professional who can combine deep technical database expertise with formidable team management capabilities. The ideal candidate can work independently, help drive database strategy, optimization, and administration.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Core Requirements Database Management Systems (Required) o Expert-level proficiency in Microsoft SQL Server including distributed always on expertise.
• Expert-level proficiency in at least one of the following open-source RDBMS platforms o MySQL o Postgres • Deep understanding of database architecture, performance tuning, and optimization • Firsthand experience with database design, implementation, and maintenance • Strong knowledge of backup/recovery strategies, high availability, disaster recovery. Cloud Database Expertise (Required) • Multiple years of production experience with AWS cloud database services: o Amazon RDS (Relational Database Service) o Amazon Redshift or Snowflake (Data Warehousing) o Amazon DynamoDB/Document DB • Experience with cloud database migration, scaling, and optimization • Understanding of AWS security best practices and compliance frameworks • Familiarity with cloud cost optimization and resource management

Skill Requirements

• Automation & Scripting (Required) • Ability to implement software written in: o Python - for database automation, monitoring, and tooling o PowerShell - for Windows-based database management and automation o Ansible • Experience building automated deployment pipelines and infrastructure-as-code.
• Ability to develop monitoring solutions and operational dashboards. Leadership & Management Responsibilities Team Leadership • Mentor a team of Offshore Database Administrators • Provide technical guidance and best practice recommendations.
• Foster a collaborative, learning-focused team environment. Strategic Execution • Define and execute database strategy aligned with business objectives.
• Establish standards, procedures, and operational documentation.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives. Stakeholder Management • Partner with development teams, architects, and infrastructure teams globally • Communicate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Participate in capacity planning and architectural reviews. Off-hours production support • All database administrators must participate in a rotation of one weekend every 8 weeks.
• However, major events require all-hands support where the whole team is involved. Required Qualifications Experience • 8+ years of firsthand database administration experience with 2 out of 3 relational databases (SQL, MYSQL and or Postgres) • 3+ years in a client facing leadership or team lead capacity.
• 3+ years working with AWS cloud database services (RDS (MYSQL, Postgres), Redshift or Snowflake) • Proven history managing large mission-critical production databases. Technical Skills • Advanced SQL programming and query optimization • Experienced in Partitioning and compression.
• Database security, access control, auditing, and compliance • Firsthand experience with active/passive clusters, always on clusters for SQL Server • Knowledge of Azure Database is a plus.
• Performance monitoring and troubleshooting • Data modeling and schema design • Version control systems (Bitbucket) Soft Skills • Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities • Strong problem-solving and analytical thinking • Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple priorities.
• Collaborative mindset with cross-functional teams • Strategic thinking with attention to operational detail Preferred Qualifications • Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, or related field • AWS Certifications (e.g., AWS Certified Database
• Specialty, Solutions Architect) • Database vendor certifications (Microsoft, Oracle, MySQL, Postgres) • Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices • Experience with monitoring tools (CloudWatch, Datadog, Grafana) • Knowledge of containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) • Exposure to data warehousing concepts and ETL processes What We Offer • Opportunity to lead and shape database strategy for a growing organization.
• Work with innovative cloud technologies and modern database platforms.
• Collaborative, innovative team environment

Other Requirements

NA