Senior Database Engineer
Taunton - 3 days per week onsite
Active SC Clearance required
£450 per day
Outside IR35
We're supporting a secure, mission-critical programme seeking a hands-on Senior Database Engineer to take ownership of a 1TB+ SQL Server estate.
This is a delivery-focused engineering role - not documentation or governance. You'll build on existing analysis to validate findings, map database structures to application functionality, and implement safe, incremental improvements to performance, resilience, and security.
Key ResponsibilitiesRationalise and optimise a large SQL Server database
Identify redundant/high-risk data structures
Implement data retention and archival strategies
Improve performance (indexing, partitioning, query tuning)
Strengthen HA, resilience, and database security
Safely promote schema changes through controlled release processes
Deep hands-on Microsoft SQL Server expertise
Experience with large enterprise databases (100s GB-TB scale)
Strong query optimisation and execution plan analysis
HA, backup/restore validation and resilience patterns
Supporting large .NET Framework applications
Deploying database changes safely via CI/CD or structured releases
Desirable: Hybrid/Azure environments, Legacy estate modernisation, regulated settings.
High-impact role within a secure environment. Active SC clearance is essential.
Reasonable Adjustments:
Respect and equality are core values to us. We are proud of the diverse and inclusive community we have built, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and perspectives. Our success is driven by our people, united by the spirit of partnership to deliver the best resourcing solutions for our clients.
If you need any help or adjustments during the recruitment process for any reason, please let us know when you apply or talk to the recruiters directly so we can support you.