Junior SQL Developer

MCS Group; Belfast City District; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work in Belfast

Job summary

MCS Group is partnering with an established Belfast organisation to recruit a Junior SQL Developer for its growing technology and data team. This is ideal for someone early in their career with hands-on SQL who wants to broaden across data, analytics, automation and wider technology.

You will write and maintain complex SQL queries, work with joins, CTEs and relational datasets, and translate business requirements into practical technical solutions.

Qualifications

• Commercial, hands-on SQL experience.
• Confidence writing SQL independently.
• Experience with reasonably complex datasets and relational databases.
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Curiosity to investigate when something doesn't look right.
• Confidence to ask questions and challenge unclear requirements.
• Interest in developing beyond pure SQL over time.

Responsibilities

• Write and maintain complex SQL queries.
• Work with joins, CTEs, subqueries, temp tables, aggregations and window functions.
• Understand, debugging and improving existing SQL code.
• Work across relational databases and understand how different datasets connect.
• Translate business requirements into practical technical solutions.
• Investigate data issues and get to the root cause of problems.
• Write clean, structured and maintainable code.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to understand what they actually need.

Skills

SQL

Data analysis

Analytical skills

Problem solving

Stakeholder communication

Job description

MCS Group is working with an established organisation in Belfast that is looking to add a Junior SQL Developer to its growing technology and data team. This would suit someone in the earlier stages of their career who has already built strong, hands-on SQL experience and now wants a role where they can develop much further across data, analytics, automation and wider technology.

The key requirement is straightforward: SQL needs to be one of your strongest skills.

You might currently be working as a SQL Developer, Data Developer, BI Developer, MI Developer or Data Analyst. Your job title is less important than the type of work you have been doing.

What you'll be doing

As a junior SQL Developer you'll work with a reasonably complex data environment, helping the business solve problems, understand its data and improve how information is used across the organisation.

Your work will include:

• Writing and maintaining complex SQL queries

• Working with joins, CTEs, subqueries, temp tables, aggregations and window functions

• Understanding, debugging and improving existing SQL code

• Working across relational databases and understanding how different datasets connect

• Translating business requirements into practical technical solutions

• Investigating data issues and getting to the root cause of problems

• Writing clean, structured and maintainable code

• Working with stakeholders to understand what they actually need, rather than simply what has initially been requested

What we're looking for

You don't need to come from a particular industry, and our client is really open-minded about your current job title.

What is important is that you have:

• Some degree of commercial, hands-on SQL experience

• Confidence writing SQL independently rather than simply making small changes to existing queries

• Experience working with reasonably complex datasets and relational databases

• Good analytical and problem-solving skills

• The curiosity to investigate when something doesn't look right

• The confidence to ask questions and challenge unclear requirements

• An interest in developing beyond pure SQL over time

This isn't a role for someone learning SQL from scratch. Equally, you don't need to be the finished article.

There is plenty of scope to broaden your experience as you develop, with potential exposure to analytics, reporting, data engineering, automation, systems and wider software development depending on where your strengths and interests take you.

If you've built a strong foundation in SQL and are looking for an opportunity where you can take the next step technically, then we'd be really keen to speak with you.

Salary

• Up to £35,000 depending on experience. Hybrid working in Belfast (1-2 days in office)

All conversations will be treated in the strictest of confidence.