Database Administrator

New Requirement for a Database Administrator & Senior Database Administrator for a 6-month contract in Herefordshire.

Applicants must have active DV Clearance.

Key Responsibilities:

• Team Leadership & Management: Oversee and mentor a small team of Database Administrators, providing guidance, training, and support.
  
  
• Database Administration & Maintenance: Provide technical support for MariaDB (MySQL) databases, ensuring optimal performance and availability.
  
  
• Backup & Disaster Recovery: Implement and oversee database backup and recovery strategies to mitigate data loss.
  
  
• Monitoring & Performance Optimization: Track system performance and identify bottlenecks affecting database efficiency and data integrity.
  
  
• Incident & Problem Management: Troubleshoot database-related incidents and implement proactive solutions to minimize downtime.
  
  
• Capacity Planning: Monitor and forecast database storage and performance needs, ensuring scalability.
  
  
• Upgrades & Patch Management: Plan and execute major database upgrades and periodic patching to maintain system stability.
  
  
• Database Logging & Monitoring: Configure and manage database logs for integration into a SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) solution for monitoring and security compliance.
  
  
• High Availability & Failover Management: Monitor, maintain, and orchestrate manual failover and failback procedures to maintain uptime.
  
  
• Automation & Scripting: Develop scripts using SQL, Bash, or Python to automate database maintenance and monitoring tasks.
  
  
• Documentation & Knowledge Sharing: Maintain database build and upgrade documentation, ensuring accuracy and accessibility for the team.
  
  
• Testing & Validation Support: Oversee execution of test scripts for database validation and performance assessment.
  
  You will have:
  
  
• Proven experience as a Senior Database Administrator (DBA).
  
  
• Demonstrated leadership experience, with the ability to mentor and manage a technical team.
  
  
• Expertise in MariaDB or other relational databases (MySQL, Oracle, or SQL Server).
  
  
• Experience with backup and disaster recovery strategies for databases.
  
  
• Knowledge of database tuning, indexing, and query optimization.
  
  
• Understanding of networking protocols relevant to databases (TCP/IP, DNS, load balancing).
  
  
• Familiarity with IT Service Management (ITSM) tools, preferably ServiceNow.
  
  
• Familiarity with Agile/Scrum methodologies.
  
  
• Knowledge of ITIL/ITSM principles and best practices.
  
  
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
  
  
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across teams.
  
  Desirable Skills:
  
  
• Familiarity with security frameworks such as CIS benchmarks or ISO 27001.
  
  
• Hands-on experience with high availability clustering and replication.
  
  
• Familiarity with virtualization technologies.
  
  
• Experience with automated patch management in database environments.
  
  
• ServiceNow environment experience is desirable.
  
  
• Experience transitioning systems to service