Senior Application Operations Engineer - Database Administrator

Senior Application Operations Engineer - Database Administrator

Join to apply for the Senior Application Operations Engineer - Database Administrator role at Social Security Scotland
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This range is provided by Social Security Scotland. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

Are you an experienced IT professional with advanced Database Administration skills? We’re looking for a Senior Application Operations Engineer - Database Administrator who brings strong leadership, collective ownership, collaborative spirit, and a motivation to drive improvement.

The Senior Application Operations Engineer - Database Administrator will play a pivotal role in maintaining and implementing key databases in the organisation, carrying out database management duties including performance monitoring, optimisation, security and reporting. The successful candidate will join a team of 5 Database Administrators, aiding in the ongoing support, maintenance, and development of business‑critical databases across multiple cloud‑hosted Database Management Systems, including DB2, Postgre

SQL, MySQL, and SQL Server.

Dealing with more complex issues, a senior application operations engineer is responsible for code deployment and coordinating change‑based activities, such as taking services live. Depending on the complexity and size of a project and the likely impact it will have on the business, you might manage and maintain certain aspects of an application.

Social Security Scotland, an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government, delivers 17 major benefits to around 2 million people across Scotland. The organisation plays a vital role in supporting low‑income and disabled individuals, carers, and families, while helping to achieve the Scottish Government’s statutory child poverty targets. Our Charter reflects our core values and commitments, ensuring clients are treated with dignity, fairness, and respect, and that their feedback helps shape service improvements.

We aim to foster a positive and inclusive organisational culture, emphasising employee wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, professional development, and performance enhancement. Recognising that its workforce is essential to providing high‑quality public services, Social Security Scotland is dedicated to creating an environment where staff are empowered to grow and contribute meaningfully.

• Mentor and offer support within a team of Database Administrators who support the development, maintenance and ongoing operation of various database management technologies including DB2, MySQL, Postgre
  
  SQL and SQL Server.
• Design and implement advanced Database‑related performance optimisations, including query optimisation, indexes, and database and infrastructure tuning.
• Ensure availability, accuracy and recoverability of database systems during system releases and disaster recovery events.
• Manage service components to ensure they meet business needs and performance targets.
• Deal with high impact, complex change requests – ensuring that release policies, procedures and processes are applied.
• Identify process optimisation opportunities with guidance, and contribute to the implementation of proposed solutions.
• Lead the investigation and resolution of incidents.
• Take accountability for issues that occur and be proactive in searching for potential problems.
• Initiate and monitor actions to investigate patterns and trends, taking preventative actions to avoid problems.
• Draft and maintain procedures and documentation.
• Offer recommendations on the best tools and methods to use.

We use an assessment framework called ‘Success Profiles’ which lists the elements we test and provides detailed descriptions of each. Find out more about how we assess the Success Profile elements.

• Proven ability to communicate complex technical concepts related to database infrastructure, cloud computing, and IT solutions to senior, non‑technical stakeholders. This includes explaining strategic risks, operational benefits, and the sustainability implications of technical decisions in clear,…