Senior Database Performance Engineer - SQL Server / AWS
Location: Birmingham - Onsite
Salary: £60,000 - £65,000
Type: Full-time, Permanent
We are working with an established technology organisation that is looking for a Senior Database Performance Engineer to take ownership of SQL Server performance across a large AWS environment.
This is a unique opportunity to become the sole database specialist, with significant ownership across database performance, scalability, optimisation and resilience.
You won't simply be handed a list of tasks. You'll identify performance issues, investigate root causes, prioritise improvements and work closely with developers to implement and measure the impact of your recommendations.
The Role
You will be responsible for:
- Monitoring and improving SQL Server performance across multiple instances.
- Identifying expensive queries, blocking, deadlocks, indexing issues, execution plan regressions and resource pressure.
- Using Query Store, execution plans, DMVs and Extended Events to diagnose root causes.
- Comparing database instances to identify performance outliers and understand why they behave differently.
- Investigating how Entity Framework generates SQL and identifying performance issues such as N+1 queries and excessive data loading.
- Working closely with developers to implement application-level performance improvements.
- Managing database-side changes including indexing, statistics and configuration.
- Planning for database scalability as customers and data volumes grow.
- Advising on AWS infrastructure, database sizing and performance versus cost.
- Supporting backup, recovery, high availability and disaster recovery strategies.
- Leading database performance investigations during incidents.
- Building monitoring, dashboards and alerts to identify issues proactively.
What We're Looking For
You should have strong commercial experience as a SQL Server DBA, Database Performance Engineer or SQL Server Performance Specialist.
Essential experience includes:
- Strong SQL Server experience at senior level.
- Expert-level T-SQL and knowledge of the SQL Server query optimiser.
- Excellent understanding of execution plans, indexing and statistics.
- Experience managing multiple SQL Server instances rather than a single database.
- Strong understanding of Entity Framework and how it generates SQL.
- Experience proactively identifying database performance issues through monitoring and analysis.
- Experience working with SQL Server on AWS, including EC2 and/or RDS.
- Understanding of AWS infrastructure, storage and networking considerations affecting database performance.
- Experience with SQL Server HA/DR, such as Always On or Multi-AZ.
- Experience designing databases and applications to handle significantly larger data volumes.
- Scripting experience with tools such as PowerShell or dbatools.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to work closely with developers.
- A self-starter who can independently identify priorities and drive improvements through to completion.
Desirable Experience
Experience with:
- Redgate SQL Monitor
- SolarWinds DPA
- Datadog / CloudWatch
- Application Insights
- EF Core logging / MiniProfiler
- Load testing
- Partitioning and data archiving
- Large-table management
- DACPACs, Flyway or Redgate deployment tools
- Microsoft or AWS database certifications
The Person
We're looking for someone who is methodical, analytical, curious and self-directed.
You'll be someone who doesn't wait for users to report that something is slow. Instead, you'll proactively monitor the environment, identify issues, build an evidence-based case and work with the development team to resolve them.
You'll also need to be comfortable challenging developers when the root cause sits within the application rather than the database, and be able to explain the problem clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
What's on Offer?
- £60,000 - £65,000 salary
- Permanent position
- Birmingham - onsite
- Significant ownership and autonomy
- Opportunity to become the technical owner of database performance across the estate
- Direct influence over scalability, resilience and performance
- Opportunity to work across SQL Server, AWS and modern application architecture
If you're a senior SQL Server specialist who enjoys solving complex performance problems and wants genuine ownership rather than simply maintaining databases, we'd be keen to hear from you.