Senior Operational Database Engineer

Business Unit: Technology Operations and Cyber Security – Data Platform Unit
Salary Range: £40,800.00 – £51,000.00 per annum DOE
Location: UK Hybrid – Work from anywhere in the UK, with flexibility to occasionally visit a Virgin Money Hub
Contract Type: Permanent – Full Time

Our Team

The successful candidate will join the Data Platform Unit within Technology Operations and Cyber Security (TOCS) becoming a key member of the team who are responsible for supporting the bank’s database environments residing upon a mixture of on-prem, hybrid and cloud infrastructure.

The expectation is that you will work closely with other staff from TOCS and beyond, including 3rd parties, to ensure the database is estate functions as required alongside collaborating with projects and other teams to ensure that change within the database environments is managed and controlled effectively and safely.

What you’ll be doing

• Support and problem solve on all Production databases as a priority alongside supporting the databases within the Pre-Production environment through proactive identification of risk, swift resolution of live issues and proposal of appropriate fixes/improvements for future
• Upgrade, decommission and deliver new databases alongside supporting changes required to existing databases on the estate including but not limited to deployments, patching, tuning / optimisation and disaster recovery testing.
• Think “outside the box” to improve our processes through process automation, innovation and continuous improvement.
• Work with Lead Database Engineers, Infrastructure Designers and Project Managers to ensure solutions meet the organisation’s strategic needs and service being kept safe is in mind at all times.
• Collaborate with internal and external parties, escalating where necessary to Lead Database Engineers / Team Leads, to ensure operational issues are resolved within agreed SLAs to ensure we provide excellent customer service.
• Improve our processes through process automation, innovation and continuous improvement.

Our work is highly specialised, high profile and fast paced, so you will be expected to self-manage in a professional and proactive manner in conjunction with your Team Lead who will assign you tasks.

Following a period of training the expectation is that the successful candidate would join a 24/7 on-call rota.  Due to the operational nature of the role, there will be times when you may need to work out with your core hours therefore flexibility is key.

We need you to have

• A strong understanding and experience of database administration (across Oracle and SQL Server) in a Production setting.
• An ability to troubleshoot Production issues quickly in an analytical manner alongside making recommendations to resolve issues and/or deliver enhancements.
• Experience of undertaking database builds, patching, migrations and upgrades.
• Experience of High Availability and Disaster Recovery Methods including setup, troubleshooting and support - Oracle RAC, Oracle Restart, ASM, Oracle Data Guard, flashback technologies and SQL Server Always On High Availability.
• Database performance tuning and optimisation skills.
• Experience of using Oracle Enterprise Manager.
• Oracle / Red Hat Linux, Windows, AIX, and Solaris Operating System experience.
• An ability to take ownership for your own development, including taking proactive steps to improve and maintain your skills, knowledge, and behaviours.
• To display collaborative behaviours and excellent verbal / written communication skills.
• ITIL Service Management awareness (Incident, Change and Problem Management processes).
• The self-motivation and desire to keep knowledge current in regards to database technologies including but not limited to Oracle, SQL, Exadata and OCI.

It’s a bonus if you have but not essential

• Experience of managing databases (including patching, maintenance, and support of the appliances themselves) within cloud or cloud @ customer environments (Oracle OCI, Oracle Exadata Cloud @ Customer and/or Microsoft Azure) with an awareness of emerging industry trends such as PAAS, DBAS, IAAS.
• Experience of working with other database technologies aside from Oracle and SQL Server i.e. Cosmos, PostgreSQL or similar.
• Competence in scripting languages such as Bash/PowerShell/Python.
• Experience of Dynatrace tooling.
• ServiceNow usage
• Knowledge of the full software development lifecycle: from business/systems analysis, through requirements gathering and functional specification authoring, to development, testing and delivery.

The extras you’ll get:

• 25 days holiday per year, increasing over time to 30. Plus, an option to buy more, giving you even more choice.
• Private medical insurance
• A highly competitive pension to help you build a strong foundation for retirement
• Access to an annual performance-related bonus
• Training and development to help you progress your career
• A great selection of additional benefits through our flexible benefits scheme
• Life assurance to provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones
• Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year

If we’re lucky to receive a lot of interest, we may close the advert early. Please ensure to submit your applications as soon as possible.  

Say hello to Virgin Money

Virgin Money is so much more than just a bank. As part of the Nationwide group, together we're the UK's first full-service mutual bank serving millions of retail and business customers and all driven by our purpose; Banking but fairer, more rewarding and for the good of society. With us, you’ll be part of an organisation uniquely positioned to make a difference to the lives of customers, communities and broader society and embark on a collaborative, customer obsessed, and fun-filled career journey. Embrace the weekdays, enjoy fantastic perks, and make a meaningful positive difference. Time to discover what it means to be part of the first mutual full-service banking provider.  

Be yourself at Virgin Money

At Virgin Money, we celebrate everyone. We have fun, think big, and relentlessly include each other, all in pursuit of our purpose: Banking – but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society.We’re committed to creating an inclusive culture where colleagues feel safe and inspired to contribute, speak up and be heard.    

As a Disability Confident Leader, we're committed to removing any obstacles to inclusion.  If you need any reasonable adjustments or support making your application, contact our Talent Acquisition team careers@virginmoney.com

Please note: If we receive a high volume of eligible applications, we may need to prioritise candidates whose skills and experience most closely align with the role, while still ensuring fair and equitable consideration for all applicants.