Senior Database Administrator

New Zealand Government Joba; Wellington; Hybrid; NZD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

NZ Qualifications Authority in Wellington is seeking a Senior Database Administrator to join our Systems Team within the Information Services group. The role focuses on managing development, test, and production databases, supporting application development, and ensuring availability and performance across environments.

Key responsibilities include tuning, IaC with Terraform/CDK, AWS RDS, and Python-based automation.

Qualifications

• Experience building and administering multiple environments from a database perspective.
• Strong scripting skills and ability to automate processes.
• Customer-focused with detail-oriented work approach and calm under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Manage development, test, and production databases.
• Support project and operational teams with database needs.
• Test and tune databases across environments for performance and reliability.
• Ensure production applications meet availability targets and SLAs.
• Collaborate with project teams to deploy new applications and services.
• Provide access to high-quality data for key business areas.

Skills

Database administration

SQL tuning

AWS

Terraform

CDK

Python scripting

DevSecOps

Tools

RDS

Terraform

CDK

Python

Job description

# Senior Database Administrator at NZ Qualifications Authority, Wellington## Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role**Permanent | Full Time | Wellington**We are looking for a Senior Database Administrator to join our Systems Team within the Information Services (IS) group. The Systems Team are the custodians of our platforms, they ensure that:* NZQA environments are maintained according to good practices* services meet their availability and performance requirements* updates are supported through the full Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC)* issues are resolved in a timely manner* any constraints in the NZQA environment are understood and managedWhakatairangatia ngā kete o te mātauranga ki te ao mārama! E te tai whakarunga, e te tai whakararo – nau piki mai, nau kake mai ki te Mana Tohu Mātauranga o Aotearoa.*May the baskets of knowledge (education) be brought into the world of light.* *We welcome one and all to join us at the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.***Mō te tūranga | About the role** This role works closely with several IS teams from application development through to infrastructure support. The role also has a close working relationship with key application owners from across the wider business.In this role, you will be responsible for:* Management of development, test, and production databases* Supporting project and operational application development teams* Carrying out testing and tuning in databases for multiple environments* Ensuring production applications meet availability, reliability, and performance targets* Working within project teams to ensure new applications and services are deployed according to good practices and can be supported by operational teams* Providing access to good quality data and robust data sources to key business areas to enable organisational delivery* Working with AWS Cloud services, including RDS, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Terraform, AWS CDK, and Python‐based automation* Contributing to cloud‐native solution design and supporting NZQA's cloud platform evolution* Leveraging IaC approaches (Terraform and CDK) to support deployment and management of database and platform services* Azure experience is also welcomed and considered an advantageNZQA is in the early stages of moving to a DevSecOps oriented approach to application delivery with the implementation of pipelines to manage application deployments from development through to production release.**He āhei āu | What you'll bring to the role** If you have practical experience building and administering multiple environments from a database perspective, scripting skills, have a strong customer focus with a detail-oriented work approach and are positive and energetic with the ability to remain calm under pressure then this is the role for you!**Ngā Painga o NZQA | Why choose NZQA**NZQA is committed to lifelong learning and the diverse communities we serve. We welcome people from all backgrounds and provide a supportive environment for Māori and Pacific staff, including active networks that help guide and strengthen our strategic direction. Discover more about what we offer: NZQA Staff Benefits. **Pēhea te tono mai | How to apply**For more information about this role and NZQA please refer to the job description, NZQA's Customer Charter and Organisational Values. If you are applying/viewing through Seek, please click ‘apply now' to access these links.If you would like to discuss further, please call Tom Bran on 0274 521 691 or email to [e-mail] close at **5.00pm on Tuesday 13 October 2026**; however, we will be reviewing CVs as they come in and inviting successful candidates to interview before the close date.You must have the right to live and work in Aotearoa New Zealand to apply for this role.*NZQA is committed to developing a diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities and welcome applications from everyone who can meet the requirements of the role.*## Ngā taipitopito tūranga mahi | Job details| | || --- | --- || Employer: | NZ Qualifications Authority || Location: | Wellington || Position type: | Full Time || Category: | || Date listed: | 29-Sep-2026 || Salary range: | N/A || Closing date: | 13-Oct-2026 || Reference: | NZ/26100IS || Attachment: | JD - Senior Database Administrator (Sept 2026).pdf (PDF, 537KB)Job Specification |