SQL Server DBA

Senior SQL Server DBA £550 per day (Inside IR35 via Umbrella) | 12-Month Contract | Chester (3 days pw onsite) A leading technology-driven organisation is seeking an experienced Senior SQL Server DBA to join its database infrastructure team on a long-term contract basis. This is an excellent opportunity to work within a large-scale enterprise environment supporting business-critical SQL Server platforms, ensuring performance, availability, security and stability across a complex database estate. The Role You will be responsible for the administration, maintenance, optimisation and ongoing support of SQL Server environments, working closely with application, infrastructure and support teams to deliver highly available and high-performing database services. The role requires strong troubleshooting capabilities and the ability to respond quickly to issues impacting critical business systems. Key Responsibilities Administer and support enterprise SQL Server environments Monitor database performance, health and availability Diagnose and resolve production issues in real time Implement and support High Availability and Disaster Recovery solutions Perform SQL Server upgrades, migrations and patching activities Design and maintain backup and recovery strategies Conduct database performance tuning and optimisation Analyse execution plans, indexes and query performance Develop and optimise T-SQL code including stored procedures, functions, views and triggers Support and administer SSIS, SSRS and SSAS environments Automate routine administration tasks using PowerShell Work within ITIL-driven change, release, incident and problem management processes Collaborate with development and infrastructure teams on database design and optimisation initiatives Required Experience Extensive experience as a SQL Server DBA within enterprise environments Strong SQL Server Administration expertise Experience supporting large-scale database estates Advanced T-SQL development and optimisation skills SQL Server Performance Tuning and Troubleshooting SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) SQL Server Backup and Recovery Database Upgrades and Migrations PowerShell scripting experience Windows Server administration knowledge Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills High Availability & Disaster Recovery Experience Candidates should have hands-on experience with: AlwaysOn Availability Groups SQL Clustering Database Mirroring Log Shipping Replication Technologies Desirable Experience Experience working in highly regulated or secure environments Familiarity with BMC Remedy ITIL Foundation or equivalent experience Experience working with enterprise storage platforms Location This role is based in Chester. Candidates should be located within approximately one hour's commute of the office. Apply If you are an experienced SQL Server DBA with strong performance tuning, high availability and production support experience and are looking for a long-term contract opportunity within a complex enterprise environment, we'd love to hear from you