SQL DBA - Security Cleared

SQL DBA - High Level Clearance Location: Basingstoke - Onsite Clearance: Active UK DV Clearance - Essential Contract: Contract IR35: Outside IR35 Rate: £550 to £600 per day Role Overview We are seeking an experienced DV Cleared SQL Database Administrator (DBA) to provide operational support and administration across a secure and business-critical SQL Server environment. The successful candidate will be responsible for the availability, performance, security, backup and recovery of SQL Server databases, working within a highly secure Defence environment. This is a hands-on role requiring strong technical SQL Server expertise, together with experience supporting complex enterprise environments. Key Responsibilities Provide day-to-day SQL Server DBA and operational support across production and non-production environments. Perform database administration, configuration, maintenance and troubleshooting. Manage backup and recovery, including backup strategies, restores and recovery testing. Monitor and optimise SQL Server performance, identifying bottlenecks and implementing tuning improvements. Support and maintain High Availability (HA) solutions and database resilience. Contribute to Disaster Recovery (DR) planning, testing and implementation. Implement and maintain database security controls, access management and security automation. Develop and maintain monitoring, alerting and health-check processes. Troubleshoot database incidents and provide technical resolution within agreed SLAs. Develop and maintain T-SQL scripts for administration, automation, reporting and troubleshooting. Use PowerShell to automate database administration and operational tasks. Support patching, upgrades, configuration changes and database maintenance activities. Produce and maintain technical documentation, procedures and operational runbooks. Work closely with infrastructure, application and security teams to ensure reliable and secure database services. Essential Skills & Experience Active UK DV Clearance - essential. Strong commercial experience as a SQL Server DBA. Extensive experience administering Microsoft SQL Server in enterprise environments. Strong knowledge of backup and recovery strategies and processes. Proven experience in SQL Server performance tuning and optimisation. Experience with High Availability and Disaster Recovery technologies and methodologies. Strong T-SQL development and scripting skills. Good PowerShell scripting and automation experience. Experience with database monitoring, alerting and troubleshooting. Strong understanding of database security, permissions and access controls. Experience providing operational/production support in a complex IT environment. Ability to diagnose and resolve complex database incidents and performance issues. Desirable Experience working within Defence, Government or other highly secure environments. Experience automating DBA and security processes. Experience supporting highly available, mission-critical SQL Server environments. Knowledge of infrastructure, networking and application dependencies within enterprise environments. Experience with SQL Server clustering, Always On Availability Groups or similar HA technologies. Familiarity with ITIL-based operational support and change management processes