Senior SQL Server Architect

Searchability; Greater London; On-site; GBP 98,000 - 129,000; Full time

Job summary

Searchability seeks a Senior SQL Server Architect to design and validate highly available SQL Server platforms on AWS for a SharePoint migration in a secure enterprise environment in London.

The role focuses on Always On AGs, FCI, disaster recovery, and performance tuning, with an initial PoV and broader architecture work. Three to four days onsite per week; Umbrella rate £615 per day; SC or DV clearance required.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience with Microsoft SQL Server (2016+).
• Strong HA and DR architecture experience.
• Hands-on Always On AGs and FCI.
• Experience with log shipping and replication.
• Large-scale SharePoint DB design/operations.
• Performance engineering: indexing, I/O, concurrency, waits.
• Networking for Always On, listener config, DNS failover.
• Strong documentation and stakeholder engagement.

Responsibilities

• Architect highly available SQL Server on AWS for SharePoint.
• Design and validate Always On, FCI, log shipping, replication.
• Evaluate AWS resilience services (EC2, EBS, FSx, Route 53, CloudWatch).
• Define and test disaster recovery approaches and failover processes.
• Collaborate with infra and cloud architects on IAM, networking, security.
• Optimise SQL Server performance and storage.
• Validate SharePoint DB compatibility across content, search and service databases.
• Produce architecture docs, resilience assessments and runbooks.
• Support scalable, secure SQL Server architecture aligned with standards.

Skills

SQL Server Architecture

Always On AGs

FCI

AWS Cloud

Disaster Recovery

SharePoint

Performance Tuning

Documentation

Networking for HA

Tools

AWS CloudFormation

Terraform

PowerShell

Azure SQL Managed Instance

Job description

SENIOR SQL SERVER ARCHITECT – AWS / HIGH AVAILABILITY

• £615 per day via Umbrella
• London-based – 3 to 4 days onsite per week
• Initial contract through to 03/03/2027, with likely extension subject to vetting checks
• Active SC or DV clearance required

ABOUT THE CLIENT

Join a leading technology and consulting organisation delivering a major cloud transformation programme within a secure, enterprise environment. You will play a key role in modernising a business-critical SharePoint platform, helping shape its migration to AWS through robust SQL Server architecture, resilience and disaster recovery design.

THE SQL SERVER ARCHITECT ROLE

You will be responsible for designing, validating and optimising the SQL Server platform underpinning a complex, enterprise-grade SharePoint environment being re-platformed onto AWS. The initial eight-week Proof of Value (PoV) will focus on proving high availability and disaster recovery patterns, before progressing into a wider architecture and design phase.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Architecting highly available and resilient SQL Server solutions on AWS to support a mission-critical SharePoint farm.
• Designing and validating SQL Server Always On Availability Groups, Failover Cluster Instances (FCI), log shipping and replication.
• Evaluating AWS resilience technologies and services, including EC2, EBS, FSx, Route 53, CloudWatch, AWS Backup and Systems Manager.
• Defining and testing disaster recovery approaches, including failover processes, recovery objectives, performance and operational considerations.
• Working with infrastructure and cloud architects to assess networking, IAM, security and platform integration requirements.
• Optimising SQL Server performance, including indexing, I/O, concurrency, wait statistics and storage performance.
• Validating SharePoint database compatibility across content, search and service databases.
• Producing architecture documentation, resilience pattern assessments, performance findings, recommendations and operational runbooks.
• Supporting the development of a scalable, secure and maintainable SQL Server architecture aligned with organisational standards.

THE SQL SERVER ARCHITECT ESSENTIAL SKILLS:

• 10+ years' experience working with Microsoft SQL Server, ideally SQL Server 2016 onwards.
• Strong architecture and operational experience designing and delivering SQL Server high availability and disaster recovery solutions.
• Proven hands-on experience with Always On Availability Groups and Failover Cluster Instances (FCI).
• Experience with log shipping, replication and SQL Server resilience patterns.
• Large-scale SharePoint database design and operational experience.
• Strong SQL Server performance engineering skills, including indexing, I/O, concurrency, wait statistics and storage optimisation.
• Excellent understanding of networking requirements for Always On, listener configuration and DNS failover.
• Strong technical documentation, stakeholder engagement and architecture communication skills.

DESIRABLE SKILLS:

• Hands-on AWS experience supporting SQL Server workloads, particularly EC2, EBS, FSx, Route 53, CloudWatch and AWS Backup.
• Experience with AWS CloudFormation, Terraform, PowerShell or PowerShell DSC.
• Exposure to Azure SQL high availability and disaster recovery, including SQL Managed Instance and zone redundancy.
• Experience working within regulated or security-sensitive environments.