Senior Database Administrator

We are seeking an experienced Senior Database Administrator (DBA) to join our Group IT organisation. This role will be responsible for maintaining, optimising, and modernising our enterprise database estate, which underpins key operational and claims platforms globally.

The successful candidate will play a dual role:

• Operational Excellence - ensuring stability, performance, integrity, and security of SQL database environments.
• Modernisation & Transformation - supporting the migration from legacy SQL Server VMs to Azure SQL, while introducing modern data capabilities such as Cosmos DB (must‑have) and Microsoft Fabric (nice‑to‑have) to enable next‑generation claims systems.

This is a hands‑on, business‑critical position with strong visibility across Group IT, Engineering, Architecture, and our new claims platform delivery teams.

• Manage, monitor, and optimise SQL Server instances across on‑premise VMs and Azure environments.
• Oversee performance tuning, index optimisation, query analysis, and capacity planning.
• Support production releases, troubleshoot incidents, and drive root‑cause analysis.
• Maintain database availability, disaster recovery, and backup/restore strategies.
• Ensure compliance with security, governance, and audit requirements.
• Lead and support the migration of legacy SQL Server workloads to Azure SQL Managed Instance / Azure SQL Database.
• Contribute to database architecture design for cloud‑ready and cloud‑native applications.
• Implement best practices for Azure monitoring, automation, scalability, and resilience.
• Collaborate with Dev Ops teams to streamline database deployment automation and CI/CD.

• Design, configure, and optimise Cosmos DB for high‑scale, distributed data workloads. (Mandatory)
• Support emerging use cases leveraging Microsoft Fabric for analytics and reporting. (Desirable)
• Provide guidance on data modelling, partitioning, throughput management, and performance optimisation in modern cloud‑native environments.

• Work closely with Developers, Solution Architects, Infrastructure, Security, and the Claims Platform team.
• Contribute to documentation, technical handovers, and operational readiness for new services.
• Participate in continuous improvement activities and introduce modern tooling and automation.
• Act as a technical SME for database practices, mentoring junior team members where applicable.
• Carry out Ad Hoc duties and tasks that are allocated to you at the discretion of management and that are within your capabilities and within the scope of your post.
• Demonstrate and champion Charles Taylor Values by ensuring Agility, Integrity, Care, and Accountability and Collaboration.

• Performance tuning, query optimisation, and index strategy expertise.
• Azure SQL (MI/DB) administration and migration experience.
• Hands‑on Cosmos DB data modelling and optimisation.
• Understanding of Microsoft Fabric data/analytics concepts.
• Backup, recovery, high availability, and disaster recovery planning.
• Experience with SQL Replication (and migration to AVG).
• Proficient in monitoring and diagnostics using Azure Monitor & Log Analytics.
• Strong troubleshooting and root‑cause analysis capability.
• Knowledge of database security, encryption, and compliance standards.

Founded in 1884 as a mutual insurance association, Charles Taylor began under the leadership of coal merchant Charles Taylor, whose astute management set the stage for growth. Today, we are a global leader providing insurance services and technology solutions with a team of c.4,000 experts across 120+ countries on 6 continents.

Our unmatched depth of specialist expertise, from loss adjusters to forensic accountants, helps the global insurance market to address its challenges. Through our trusted partnerships model, we build long‑term, personal relationships with clients based on trust and cooperation. Our powerful technology helps our clients improve their customers' experience from start to finish. Thanks to our global reach, our clients can access our services wherever they are in the world, whenever…