DBA

At the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust we put our patients at the heart of every element of health and care that we provide. The Trust works together as a community to deliver its vision which is "Working together to provide outstanding care for our community."

Royal Berkshire Hospital are pleased to announce that following our CQC inspection we have been rated 'Good' with inspectors reporting that we have made significant improvements. The Trust's overall rating has also improved to 'good'.

We are Compassionate in our thoughts, words and actions

We are Aspirational and have a true desire to be dynamic and to innovate

We are Resourceful and responsible in the way we work and live

We are Excellent in our development, fairness and sharing best practice

At the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, we value candidates who bring their unique personalities, skills, and experiences to the Trust. When completing your application, we encourage you to highlight your individual achievements and strengths, showing us how they align with the requirements outlined in the job description and person specification. While we recognise that some applicants may use AI tools during the process, please be mindful that AI-generated responses can often lack the personal detail and relevance needed to demonstrate your suitability for the role. AI generated content is discouraged by the Trust and may diminish the candidates chances of success.

Amazing things happen at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust; delivered by amazing people so why don't you come and join us. We offer a range of learning and development for all employees may you be clinical or non-clinical., The DBA is a key member of the Digital Data & Technology (DDaT) Operations team, adding value for our patients through improving and developing information services across the Trust and wider health and care system. As the DBA you will be responsible for providing operational database services to the organisation predominantly in SQL Server. Tasks will include owning, tracking and resolving database related incidents and requests, fulfilling requests and resolving incidents within agreed timescales, reviewing service-related reports on a daily basis to ensure service-related issues are identified and resolved within established timescales. You will respond to database related alerts and escalations and work with other infrastructure engineers to come up with strategic solutions to recurring problems. Key to this role is establishing and maintaining communication with the Trust's service users and wider colleagues and customers to keep them updated with status of their requests or raised issues. The role holder will proactively escalate any issues that cannot be resolved within the established timeframes adhering to service level agreements to the infrastructure manager.

Main duties of the job

1. Knowledge and Expertise

Regular monitoring and custom daily checks

Database Development: Design and implement database solutions

Act as the Trust's subject matter expert for SQL Server

2. Financial Management

Track the costs associated with database storage, hardware, and licensing

Identify cost-saving opportunities

Contribute to the financial planning of the IT department

3. Communication and Relationships

Cross-Departmental Collaboration

Serve as the key point of contact for any database-related inquiries

4. Planning and Organisation

Capacity and Performance Planning

Develop and implement strategies to ensure databases can accommodate growing data volumes and increased system usage.

Disaster Recovery Planning: Develop and regularly test disaster recovery (DR) plans for the SQL Server environment

5. Analytical and Judgement Skills

Perform root cause analysis on performance bottlenecks and system failures

Risk Assessment: Identify potential risks to the SQL Server estate

6. Continuous Improvement and Service Development

Process Automation: Continuously evaluate and improve database management processes

Propose and implement automated solutions for tasks such as backups, monitoring, and performance tuning.

7. Policy and Compliance

Policy Adherence: Ensure all database management activities comply with NHS standards, data protection regulations, and Trust policies.

Audit and Documentation: Maintain comprehensive records of all database configurations, SQL Server Management

Regular monitoring and custom daily checks

Identify inefficiencies and optimise performance

Database Development: Design and implement database solutions

Security and Compliance

Implement strict access control, auditing, and encryption

Technical Leadership: Act as the Trust's subject matter expert for SQL Server

Provide technical guidance to IT colleagues

Stay abreast of technological advancements

2. Financial Management

Cost Control: Manage and monitor the financial aspects of the SQL Server estate

Track the costs associated with database storage, hardware, and licensing

Identify cost-saving opportunities

Vendor Management: Ensure compliance with the Trust's procurement policies while obtaining the best possible financial outcomes.

Budget Planning: Contribute to the financial planning of the IT department by providing cost forecasts for future database infrastructure needs

3. Communication and Relationships

Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Build strong relationships across clinical and administrative departments

Serve as the key point of contact for any database-related inquiries

Complex Technical Communication: Translate highly technical information regarding database performance, security, and upgrades into accessible language for non-technical audiences

Lead discussions with key stakeholders

Training and Support: Provide training and mentoring to IT staff on database administration and SQL Server best practices.

Develop comprehensive documentation and guidelines

4. Planning and Organisation

Capacity and Performance Planning

Develop and implement strategies to ensure databases can accommodate growing data volumes and increased system usage.

Lead on initiatives to optimise database performance

Disaster Recovery Planning: Develop and regularly test disaster recovery (DR) plans for the SQL Server environment

Lead DR exercises, document outcomes, and apply improvements

Upgrade and Patch Management: Plan and execute SQL Server upgrades and patches to keep the system up-to-date and secure.

Ensure that upgrades are carried out with minimal disruption to the Trust's operations

5. Analytical and Judgement Skills

Problem-Solving and Troubleshooting

Perform root cause analysis on performance bottlenecks and system failures

Risk Assessment: Identify potential risks to the SQL Server estate

Provide recommendations on system improvements and cost-effective solutions

Decision-Making: Use sound judgment to make critical decisions regarding system upgrades, security enhancements, and resource allocation.

6. Continuous Improvement and Service Development

Process Automation: Continuously evaluate and improve database management processes

Propose and implement automated solutions for tasks such as backups, monitoring, and performance tuning.

Service Development: Lead the development of new database services*

Introduce innovative technologies and methodologies

Innovation and Best Practices: Stay up-to-date with industry trends and best practices

Lead initiatives to adopt new tools and technologies that improve the Trust's database management capabilities and reduce costs.

7. Policy and Compliance

Policy Adherence: Ensure all database management activities comply with NHS standards, data protection regulations, and Trust policies.*

Maintain detailed documentation of security protocols, access controls, and system configurations

Audit and Documentation: Maintain comprehensive records of all database configurations, updates, and performance metrics.

Prepare regular reports for senior management on database performance, security risks, and compliance with NHS standards.

• Educated to degree level or equivalent relevant experience.
• Attended recognised professional training courses (e.g. SQL) or equivalent experience
• ITIL Certification

Desirable criteria

• Degree in relevant field; computer science, data management MSCE MCSA, * Database Administration: Extensive experience managing large, complex SQL Server environments, including installation, configuration, performance tuning, and disaster recovery.
• Healthcare IT: Experience working within the NHS or another healthcare setting, with a deep understanding of clinical systems and data governance requirements.
• Significant experience of database performance tuning, optimisation and indexing Demonstrable experience in reviewing database solutions and making recommendations

Desirable criteria

• Cloud based SQL services
• Experience of working with business intelligence departments on data warehousing, * Excellent knowledge of Windows Server technologies Specialist knowledge of, and highly proficient in: Microsoft SQL Server 2012/2016/2019 Data warehouses Data integration, Data migration
• Ability to communicate complex (potentially contentious or sensitive) analytical issues to data literate persons or groups at various levels.

Staff Benefits

• Flexible working opportunities and a strong emphasis on your work, life balance
• Annual leave - 27 days for new starters, plus bank holidays. Increasing to 29 days after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years NHS service. Pro rata for part time staff
• NHS pension scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Money Advice Service
• Generous maternity, paternity and adoption leave for eligible staff
• On-site nursery (based at RBH)
• Full educational library services
• Cycle to work scheme, lockable storage for cycles
• Bus to work scheme
• Excellent rail and bus links
• A huge range of Health Service Discounts at hundreds of big brands from holidays to gadgets and restaurants to retail.

By applying for this post you are agreeing to Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are appointed to a post information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system. Appointment to any position is conditional on the satisfactory completion of the core NHS Employment Checks Standards. Information disclosed in your application will be checked and any offer of appointment may be withdrawn if you knowingly withhold information or provide false or misleading information. All new appointments to the Trust, with the exception of executive positions, are subject to a 6 month probationary period. The Trust may close any vacancy prior to the advertised closing date due to the high level of responses we receive for some of our vacancies. Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust is committed to improving the health of its staff, patients and the wider community by providing a smoke free environment. A smoke free policy is in operation and smoking is not permitted on any of the Trust's sites.