Who are we?
Howden is a collective – a group of talented and passionate people all around the world. Together, we have pushed the boundaries of insurance. We are united by a shared passion and no-limits mindset, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 20,000 employees spanning over 100 countries.
People join Howden for many different reasons, but they stay for the same one: our culture. It’s what sets us apart, and the reason our employees have been turning down headhunters for years. Whatever your priorities – work / life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering – you’ll find like-minded people driving change at Howden.
The Role
As an IT Infrastructure DBA, you will be a key member of a distributed, global infrastructure team responsible for maintaining and supporting a hybrid on-premise and cloud database environment. You will provide expert database administration, ensuring high availability, security, and performance across multiple regions, supporting business operations in the UK, Europe, and Asia.
In this role, you will collaborate with internal teams, external suppliers, and key stakeholders to optimize database performance, manage backups and disaster recovery, and maintain compliance with security policies. The role demands strong multitasking abilities, as the team is actively engaged in multiple projects simultaneously.
Key Responsibilities
* Database Administration: Install, configure, and maintain SQL Server, MySQL, and PostgreSQL databases in on-premise and cloud environments.
* Performance Optimization: Monitor and optimize database performance, identifying and resolving bottlenecks through tuning and proactive maintenance.
* Backup & Disaster Recovery: Implement and manage database backup strategies, high availability solutions (e.g., clustering, mirroring, AlwaysOn), and disaster recovery plans.
* Security & Compliance: Apply security patches, monitor user access, and enforce database security policies to ensure data integrity and compliance with regulatory standards.
* Incident & Problem Management: Respond to alerts, conduct root cause analysis of database incidents, and implement long-term solutions to improve system stability.
* Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement: Work closely with developers, system administrators, and network engineers to ensure seamless database integration and performance.
* Support & Maintenance: Provide escalation support to the IT Service Desk, ensuring timely resolution of database-related issues.
* Documentation & Best Practices: Maintain up-to-date documentation, develop standards, and implement best practices for database management.
* Cloud & Automation: Support cloud-based database services, including Azure SQL Database, Azure Data Factory, and Microsoft Fabric. Utilize scripting and automation tools such as PowerShell and T-SQL to improve efficiency.
* Continuous Improvement: Stay updated with emerging database technologies and implement improvements to enhance infrastructure reliability and performance.
Person Specification
* Proven experience as a DBA, supporting SQL Server and/or MySQL/PostgreSQL in enterprise environments.
* Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to analyze complex issues and implement effective solutions.
* Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage with stakeholders and provide technical guidance.
* Ability to multitask and manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
* Strong collaboration skills, working effectively with cross-functional teams and external partners.
* Attention to detail and a proactive approach to identifying and resolving potential issues.
* Experience in financial services or insurance is highly desirable.
* A ‘Can-Do’ attitude, demonstrating initiative and commitment to continuous improvement.
Qualifications
* Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
* Microsoft certifications (e.g., Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate) are desirable.
* Experience with cloud technologies, particularly Azure SQL Database, Azure Data Factory, Microsoft Fabric, and Azure Blob Storage.
* Familiarity with scripting languages such as PowerShell, C#, and T-SQL.
* Knowledge of Data Lake technologies is a plus.
What do we offer in return?
A career that you define.
Our business succeeds by allowing our people to make a mark in the areas they care about most: personal development, volunteering, and fundraising for charity, or creating new insurance products that address society’s greatest challenges.
And we know that separate home and work lives don't really exist. If you're happy and healthy at home, you're more likely to be happy and fulfilled at work – and vice versa. That's why we do our best to support our people in every aspect of their lives.
Diversity and Inclusion
At Howden we value diversity - there is no one Howden ‘personality type’. Instead, we’re looking for individuals who share the same values as us:
* Our successes have all come from someone brave enough to try something new
* We support each other, in the small everyday moments and the bigger challenges
* We are determined to make a positive difference, at work and beyond
We consider our people our chief competitive advantage and as such we treat colleagues, candidates, clients, and business partners with equality, fairness, and respect – regardless of age, disability, race, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or family circumstances.
Reasonable adjustments
We're committed to providing reasonable accommodations at Howden to ensure that our positions align well with your needs. Besides the usual adjustments such as software, IT, and office setups, we can also accommodate other changes such as flexible hours* or hybrid working*.
If you're excited by this role but have some doubts about whether it’s the right fit for you, send us your application – if your profile fits the role’s criteria, we will be in touch to assist in helping to get you set up with any reasonable adjustments you may require.
*Not all positions can accommodate changes to working hours or locations. Reach out to your Recruitment Partner if you want to know more.
Our sustainability promise
We’re on a life-long journey to become an ever-more sustainable group. It's a commitment to taking care of our people and the world we live in, to doing good business, and to making a positive impact wherever we can. Our governance processes, company policies, and review systems are all geared towards our goal of making a positive impact in the world. You can read more about our sustainability work here.