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