Database Administrator

Milton Keynes - UK

Monthly Salary: £ 52596 - 59107

Posted on: 14 hours ago

Vacancies: 1 Vacancy

Job Summary

At AQA were committed to advancing education and were committed to our people. As the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK we mark over 10 million exam papers each year and its our people who make this happen.

SQL Database Administrator

Permanent

Milton Keynes

Salary: 52596 - 59107

Working arrangements: Hybrid (2 anchor days in the office per week Tuesday and Thursday flexibility available)

Introduction

Are you passionate about database technology and want to make a real impact in education At AQA youll play a key role in supporting the systems that help millions of learners succeed. This is your chance to join a collaborative team and work on exciting projects that keep our technology running smoothly.

Purpose of the role

As a Database Administrator youll ensure our Microsoft SQL Server databases are secure performant and future-ready. Your work will directly support AQAs mission to deliver fair and reliable assessments for learners everywhere. Youll be part of a team that underpins critical systems used in scanning and marking exams.

Key responsibilities

Managing and maintaining SQL Server databases across on-premise and Azure environments.
Supporting upgrades migrations and performance tuning to keep systems efficient and secure.
Collaborating with development and architecture teams to deliver robust database solutions.

What we are looking for

Strong experience with Microsoft SQL Server administration and performance tuning.
Hands-on experience with Azure cloud services and hybrid environments.
Proven track record of SQL Server upgrades and migrations.
Ability to troubleshoot and resolve database issues quickly and effectively.
Excellent communication skills and a collaborative mindset.

Whats in it for you

Working on impactful projects that support millions of learners.
Opportunities for professional development and training.
A flexible hybrid working model for better work-life balance.
A supportive inclusive culture that values your ideas and expertise.
Competitive salary and benefits package.

Diversity and Inclusion Statement

At AQA we are committed to fostering a workplace that celebrates diversity and promotes equity and inclusion. We believe that a diverse team brings richer perspectives and drives better outcomes. Our ED&I strategy ensures that everyoneregardless of religion ethnicity gender identity or expression age disability sexual orientation or backgroundis valued respected and empowered to thrive. We actively promote inclusive language avoid stereotypes and strive for representation across all dimensions of diversity. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and lived experiences.

Application Process

To apply please submit your CV and cover letter by 26 January 2026. Interviews will take place from w/c 2 February (first stage -MS Teams) and w/c 9 February (second stage face-to-face).

#PRO22

Recruitment Agencies

We have a preferred supplier list (PSL) in place.

Unsolicited CVs will be treated as a gift. We will not be subject to or liable under your terms and conditions for agency fees.

Full Job Description

Summary

AQA rely heavily on Microsoft databases to provide backend services for their in-house developed applications to support the exam marking process. These applications are architected with a variety of Microsoft solutions from traditional clustered SQL to Azure platform addition SQL is database of choice for business operation : Provide full database support across the Microsoft estate for both Production and Corporate services on-premise and in the cloud.

Activities:
Consultancy & Design and Training
Identify customer requirements for database architecture - face to face and on-site where required.
Produce proposals and solution options that are performant secure fit for purpose and aligned with the company IT strategies.
Provide advice and recommendations as database technology expert.
Develop produce and deliver training on operating and managing AQA application database systems to partners.
Proactively collaborate with architecture and application development teams at all appropriate levels of the SDLC to ensure the database environment meets current and future business objectives.
Provide advice to customers where required advising on database architecture for future systems development.

Installation and Commissioning
Build physical/virtual/cloud based database solutions to meet defined and agreed customer requirements
Define produce and maintain supporting documentation for system implementations.
Install and commission applications.
Support required testing processes to ensure the applications are meeting required metrics and SLAs.

Application Development
Work with development teams to support development of new releases.
Provide fixes for logged defects prioritised by Product/Project Manager.
Support development of new features by driving the design and development of database elements to meet requirements.

Technical Operational Support
Identify future requirements from the business regarding future application usage and produce a capacity plan showing impact on operation systems identifying activities required to support capacity changes
Implement proactive maintenance plans to ensure the application is optimal based on industry best practice testing outcomes and live monitoring.
Implement system monitoring and alerting for the application estate that ensures application health state is monitored and defined user groups receive appropriate alerting in the event of failure or degradation of service.
Provide incident support as required ensuring workloads are prioritised appropriately and in line with operational requirements.
Proactively analyse the performance of the application databases within the estate identifying key performance indicators that can be measured and reported on a regular basis.
Identify proactive maintenance work such as SQL server patching and schedule testing and roll out to ensure systems are operating with minimal risks.
Provide out of hours support on a rota basis for identified peak periods.

Maintain supportability and uphold security controls
Maintain the supportability of the databases and perform version update as and when required. Apply security controls on databases as required and adhere to organization security standards.

Process improvement
Identify areas of process improvement for Platform Services and Support Team to identify efficiency accuracy and cost savings improvements as well as ensuring standard repeatable processes can be followed.
Agree and prioritise implementation of process improvements with line manager and the team.
Ensure all documentation is accurate and maintained to reflect the estate as well as identify opportunities for improvement.

Creation of new services
Identify opportunities to deliver new services to customers (e.g. data analysis and reporting services).
Agree and prioritise the development of new services that can be offered by Platform Services and Support Team.

Need to know (to be successful in this role you will need to know):
Design and right-size a database solution based on performance test strategies and capacity requirements
Tune and monitor a database based on specific metrics and requirements
Implement data security
Carry out data modelling and design
AQAIMPLEMENTBack-up recovery and HA database architecture to meet recovery requirements
Ensure data integrity
Data extraction transformation and loading (ETL)
Develop and maintain automation scripts using PowerShell Azure CLI or other scripting tools to streamline routine DBA tasks.
AQAIMPLEMENTAutomation for deployment as per DevOps requirements
Extensive knowledge of the options for hosting SQL databases in Azure along with the appropriate use of each
How to migrate SQL databases from on-premise to Azure
How to troubleshoot performance issues occurring within Azure SQL databases
How to optimise associated hosting costs

Required Experience:

Unclear Seniority