Database Analyst

Summary

Join INSTANDA, a leading Insurtech company, as a Database Administrator / DataOps Engineer. This hybrid role, primarily remote with some travel to the London office, combines database management and DevOps principles. You will manage and optimize Azure SQL Databases, implement automation solutions, and collaborate with various teams. The ideal candidate possesses strong SQL and Azure expertise, along with experience in DevOps tools and automation. INSTANDA offers a competitive salary, generous holiday allowance, flexible work options, and various benefits including wellness programs and professional development opportunities.

Requirements

• Proven experience as a Database Administrator managing Azure SQL Databases or similar SQL database platforms
• Strong expertise in SQL query optimization, execution plans, and database performance tuning
• Proficiency in Azure cloud services, including Azure SQL, Azure Monitor, and Azure Resource Manager (ARM)
• Solid understanding of database security, encryption, and compliance best practices

Responsibilities

• Manage and maintain Azure SQL Databases, ensuring high availability, reliability, and performance
• Optimize SQL queries and execution plans to enhance database performance
• Perform database health checks, troubleshooting, and capacity planning
• Design and implement robust backup, restore, and disaster recovery strategies
• Monitor database activity, resolve issues proactively, and ensure compliance with security and privacy regulations
• Collaborate with developers to review and optimize database schema, indexes, and stored procedures
• Develop and implement automated solutions for database provisioning, configuration, and scaling in Azure
• Build CI/CD pipelines for database updates, schema migrations, and deployments using tools like Azure DevOps, Terraform, or Ansible
• Integrate database workflows with broader infrastructure-as-code (IaC) practices
• Drive automation for monitoring and alerting on database and infrastructure health
• Leverage scripting and programming languages (e.g., PowerShell, Python) to support automation and process improvement initiatives
• Take part in business continuity and disaster recovery tests, which can occur out of hours
• Work closely with development, DevOps, and IT teams to design and optimize data architecture that supports scalable, cloud-native applications
• Provide technical guidance on database best practices and cloud infrastructure design
• Stay updated on the latest Azure SQL and DevOps tools, technologies, and methodologies to continually improve processes

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with DevOps tools for automation, such as Terraform, Azure DevOps, or similar
• Familiarity with scripting languages like PowerShell, Python, or Bash
• Experience designing and managing CI/CD pipelines for database and infrastructure changes
• Knowledge of NoSQL or distributed databases (e.g., CosmosDB, MongoDB)
• Certifications such as Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate or Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Generous 28 days holiday allowance, in addition to public holidays
• For every year of service you complete, we’ll give you an additional days holiday (max. 5 days)
• One Dynamic Day per month on top of your holiday allowance to spend time doing the things you want to do or simply catching up with life admin
• Freedom Pass work up to 4 weeks of the year from anywhere
• FlexiBank you decide when to use your public holiday allocation
• Hybrid Working approach varying with the nature of your role
• Life cover; income protection and participation in the company pension scheme
• All employees are included in the company discretionary bonus scheme
• ��100 per month to put towards wellness activities
• Annual learning & development allowance of £1,250
• Free access to LinkedIn learning and Microsoft ESI learning platform