Lead Database Administrator

Lead Database Architect | Linux-First Platforms | Hybrid working, with two days per week in Manchester.

We’re exclusively partnered with a high-growth, technology-led business behind a product used daily by millions across the UK. It’s a recognisable household name, but it operates like a modern engineering organisation, investing heavily in automation, platform resilience and long-term technical excellence.

They’ve reached the point where their data platform needs a genuine rethink. Not a patch. Not another quick fix. A proper evolution into a modern, scalable, highly resilient estate that can support the next phase of product growth and innovation.

They’re looking for a Lead DBA who enjoys working across multiple technologies, feels at home in Linux environments, and sees databases as platforms rather than single products. Someone who can challenge legacy thinking, shape architectural direction, and still stay hands-on when the work gets interesting.

If you’re the kind of database technologist who gets bored being boxed into one engine or one way of doing things, this will feel refreshingly different.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own the architecture, reliability and operational maturity of the database platforms.
• Lead re-architecture initiatives to modernise performance, resilience and scalability.
• Design highly available, fault-tolerant environments with strong DR strategies.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and introduce improvements where they add real value.
• Embed security, governance and best-practice operational standards.
• Drive proactive monitoring, capacity planning and performance optimisation.
• Collaborate with engineering and platform teams to align data platforms with application needs.
• Build automation and CI/CD pipelines to reduce manual operational overhead.
• Identify platform risks early and engineer them out of the system.
• Mentor and raise technical standards across the DBA function.

Key Skills Needed:

• Strong experience operating Linux-based database environments.
• Hands-on exposure to multiple relational and non-relational platforms such as MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB or similar.
• Deep understanding of high availability, replication, clustering and disaster recovery.
• Confident Linux administration and scripting capability.
• Proven ability solving complex performance and stability challenges.
• Experience with automation, CI/CD or infrastructure tooling.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a Linux-first, multi-technology environment. Candidates coming purely from SQL Server-only backgrounds are unlikely to be a fit.

Next Steps:

MRJ is the exclusive recruitment partner for this hire. That means you’ll receive direct insight into the hiring priorities, tailored interview preparation, and honest feedback throughout the process.

Salary is up to £95k (DOE) plus a strong benefits package.

If this sounds like your kind of challenge, get in touch for a confidential conversation and practical guidance on how to stand out in the process.