Lead Database Administrator

Manchester Metropolitan University; Manchester; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent UK educational institution in Manchester is seeking a Senior Database & Cloud Data Engineer to design and maintain scalable data solutions across on-premises and cloud platforms. This role will optimise data pipelines and ensure high integrity and performance of data assets, while also mentoring junior engineers. The ideal candidate will have experience in cloud data solutions, particularly in Azure, and a strong proficiency in SQL. Competitive salary and extensive benefits package offered.

Benefits

Competitive salary and bonus structure

Life Assurance cover

Enhanced parental leave

Access to gym membership

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience in database or data engineering roles.
• Proven track record in implementing cloud-based data solutions.
• Understanding of API integrations and streaming technologies.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain high-performance data pipelines for ingestion and storage.
• Administer and optimise database systems ensuring high availability.
• Migrate legacy databases to cloud-based architectures.

Skills

SQL

Data engineering

Cloud data solutions

Python

PySpark

Education

Degree in Computer Science or related discipline

Tools

Azure Data Factory

Databricks

Microsoft SQL Server

Job description

We're looking for a Senior Database & Cloud Data Engineer who will be responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining robust, scalable, and secure data solutions across on‑premises and cloud environments. This role plays a key part in modernising our data infrastructure, optimising data pipelines, and ensuring the integrity, availability, and performance of the critical data assets.

Responsibilities

• Design, build and maintain high-performance data pipelines for ingestion, transformation, and storage using modern data tools and frameworks.
• Develop scalable solutions for structured and unstructured data across hybrid environments (on‑premises databases and cloud).
• Maintain / implement data warehousing solutions and manage large-scale data storage systems (e.g. Microsoft Fabric).
• Build and optimise SQL queries, stored procedures, PySpark notebooks and database objects to ensure data performance and reliability.
• Migrate and modernise legacy databases to cloud-based architectures.
• Administer, monitor, and optimise database systems (e.g. SQL Server). Ensure high availability, backup, recovery, and disaster recovery planning for critical databases.
• Manage databases security, access control, and compliance with data governance policies.
• Automate routine database tasks using scripts or DevOps tooling.
• Architect and implement cloud data solutions using services such as Azure Data Factory or Azure Data Lake.
• Integrate data from various cloud and on‑premises sources into unified analytical platforms.
• Collaborate with DevOps teams to manage CI/CD pipelines for data workloads.
• Develop and enforce data validation, cleansing, and quality monitoring processes.
• Ensure adherence to GDPR and other data privacy regulations.
• Work closely with Data Governance and Compliance teams to implement data stewardship practices.
• Mentor junior data engineers and provide technical leadership across projects.
• Partner with business teams to translate requirements into technical data solutions.
• Stay current with emerging technologies in cloud, data engineering, and database management.

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or the equivalent in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Hands‑on experience in database or data engineering roles.
• Proven track record in designing and implementing cloud‑based data solutions (preferably in Azure).
• Expert‑level SQL and database design (normalisation, indexing, query optimisation).
• Experience with Azure Data Factory, Databricks, Synapse Pipelines, SSIS, etc.
• Experience with Python, PySpark, or Scala for data processing.
• Experience with data lake, data warehouse and Medallion architectures.
• Understanding of API integrations and streaming technologies (event hub).
• Version control (Git), Agile Delivery and DevOps best practices.
• Microsoft Certified: (list of relevant certifications).

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive salary and bonus structure.
• Salary sacrifice pension to maximise your contributions.
• Life Assurance cover.
• Enhanced company sick pay.
• Single cover private medical scheme, with the flexibility to add family members at your own cost.
• 25 days paid annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Option to purchase up to 10 additional days holiday each year.
• Additional paid time off for life events (moving house, getting married).
• Additional days leave on or around your birthday.
• Enhanced paid parental leave on the birth or adoption of your child.
• Confidential Employee Assistance program (EAP) available to all 24/7.
• Access to rewards such as Cycle 2Work, Gym Membership, Tech Scheme, and discounted shopping and cinema tickets via Conferma Rewards.