> Markdown version of [/jobs/ext/2301938-lead-database-administrator](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/2301938-lead-database-administrator). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Lead Database Administrator - **Company:** South 11 - **Location:** Manchester, UK - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** £80,000.0 - £90,000.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Application Performance Management, Cloud Computing, Cluster Analysis, Databases, Continuous Integration, Shard (Database Architecture), DevOps, Disaster Recovery, Fault Tolerance, Linux System Administration, MariaDB, MongoDB, MySQL, Reliability Engineering, Ansible, Datadog, Delivery Pipeline, Terraform - **Published:** August 30, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.collegerecruiter.com/job/2815464391-lead-database-administrator ## About the Role * Strong experience across relational and non-relational platforms (MariaDB, MySQL, MongoDB, etc.). * Deep expertise in HA, replication, clustering and DR. * Strong Linux administration and advanced scripting skills. * Proven ability to solve complex performance issues. * Strong understanding of security, compliance and governance. * Experience leading teams and defining standards. * Hands-on experience with CI/CD, automation and IaC (Ansible, Terraform). Desirables * Experience with cloud or hybrid database platforms. * Familiarity with modern observability tooling. * Knowledge of sharding, partitioning and scale-out strategies. * Experience supporting application performance and database integration. ## Description The Lead DBA owns the architecture, operations and strategic direction of the database platforms. The role spans infrastructure, application and reliability engineering disciplines ensuring environments are secure, scalable and performant. The Lead DBA works closely with the Engineering Manager, architects and engineering teams to define standards, guide technical decisions and mentor the DBA team. This role is both strategic and hands-on delivering business-critical database services., * Lead the design and maintenance of highly available, fault-tolerant database infrastructure. * Plan for growth and scalability aligned with business and platform needs. * Evaluate and integrate emerging database technologies to improve performance and efficiency. * Ensure compliance with security, governance and regulatory requirements. * Manage resource utilisation across storage, compute, memory and networking. * Implement and validate replication, clustering and disaster recovery strategies. * Apply patches, upgrades and security hardening. * Monitor database health, capacity and performance proactively. * Collaborate with developers to optimise schema design, indexing and queries. * Support deployments, migrations and application-aligned changes. * Maintain data integrity and resilience across all workloads. * Troubleshoot complex database and application-facing issues. * Build and maintain CI/CD and automation pipelines. * Automate routine operations including backups, restores and patching. * Identify and remediate platform risks and points of failure. * Partner with DevOps, SRE and platform teams on operational maturity. * Define and enforce operational standards and best practices. * Mentor Senior and Junior DBAs. * Drive continuous improvement across database operations and tooling. ## Related Videos - [Database Magic behind 40 Million operations/s](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/748-database-magic-behind-40-million-operations-s) - [Debugging in the Dark](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1658-debugging-in-the-dark) - [From DevOps to Scaled DevOps: How We’re Rebuilding Continuous Delivery as a Platform](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100018-from-devops-to-scaled-devops-how-we-re-rebuilding-continuous-delivery-as-a-platform) - [MySQL Protocol Features You Should Be Aware Of](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100267-mysql-protocol-features-you-should-be-aware-of) - [Branch your database like your code: How schema changes and pull requests go hand in hand](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/350-branch-your-database-like-your-code-how-schema-changes-and-pull-requests-go-hand-in-hand) - [Software Engineering Social Connection: Yubo’s lean approach to scaling an 80M-user infrastructure](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1583-software-engineering-social-connection-yubo-s-lean-approach-to-scaling-an-80m-user-infrastructure) ## Related Articles - [Making Data Warehouses Fast: A Developer’s Story](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/107-making-data-warehouses-fast-a-developer-s-story) - [Data Engineer Salary UK](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/253-data-engineer-salary-uk) - [How We Built a Worry-Free System That Runs for 10+ Years – And What We’d Do Again](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/751-how-we-built-a-worry-free-system-that-runs-for-10-years-and-what-we-d-do-again) - [What Are The Top Skills Required For Azure Developers?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/77-what-are-the-top-skills-required-for-azure-developers) - [20 Essential Tools For Backend Development](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/218-20-essential-tools-for-backend-development) - [7 Most Popular Web Developer Jobs in Europe](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/163-7-most-popular-web-developer-jobs-in-europe)