Lead Database Engineer
| Posting date: | 19 January 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £75,026 to £92,522 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 01 February 2026 |
| Location: | NE98 1YX |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 442339/2 |
Summary
Can you lead and inspire a team to deliver secure, scalable database platforms that impact millions of people?
Do you want to work on one of Europe’s largest digital transformations and make a real difference?
If so, come and join us at DWP Digital.
This is a fantastic opportunity to join DWP Hybrid Cloud Services and to be part of the one the biggest digital transformations in Europe, implementing leading edge technologies with the user at the centre of everything we do, we create innovative digital solutions that make a difference to the lives of our 22 million users.
We are looking for a Lead Database Engineer to join our HCS Database Platforms team who support critical services that directly affect the daily lives of UK citizens.
The Database Specialists and Engineers working within this highly motivated team ensure DWP services are designed, delivered into production and maintained, using agile methodology, supported with robust delivery practices.
Our business driver is to move towards cloud-based technologies from on-premise hosting. Automation is always preferred to allow more time to innovate and find new solutions to existing problems.
Please Note:
There will be a contractual requirement to join an “on-call” rota providing out-of-hours incident cover 16:00-08:00 on weekdays and with occasional shifts 08:00-08:00 Saturday or Sunday. The cover is shared around the team and would normally equate to one shift per week but could occasionally be more.
You may also be expected to participate in planned out-of-hours work including at times on weekends.
As a Lead Database Engineer, your roles and responsibilities would include:
- Leading Infrastructure Services/Solutions ensuring they are aligned to achieve IT and Departmental strategy and delivered aligned to departmental and user needs, deliver value for money and are technically stable.
- Be an expert in your field, skilled in multiple disciplines, a role model in Infrastructure operations and have proven experience in the design, development and support of infrastructure services.
- Define medium to long term strategies for product lines, defining guidelines for the Engineering community and leading their adoption across teams to deliver quality Infrastructure Solutions.
- Own the operational relationships with suppliers ensuring services and products are delivered aligned to industry best practice, regulatory and contractual requirements.
- Leading delivery of architectural and roadmap developments within responsible area.
- Act as a major incident manager and escalation point for all service-related incidents.
- Drive innovation in ways of working throughout the team and encourage experimentation where opportunities arise.
- Responsibility of the leading a team of Senior Engineers, providing expert advice or dealing with complex problems and providing specialist service/solution technical support and assistance to junior staff and users.
- Responsible for the development of management information reporting aligned to best practice to ensure standard in support of service, financial management and decision making is of high quality.
- Own the risk register for individual technical area, ensuring appropriate management and mitigation plans and actions are implemented.
- Act as a Department representative acting as a liaison with external bodies and third parties, promoting good practice and process, and encouraging adoption across the engineering community.
- Make complex decisions, involving a wide range of solutions, possibly affecting several work areas within the organisation.
- Work closely with other senior leaders and teams, sharing information, providing advice and support around technical choices and implementation approach.
- Providing specialist knowledge and experience to input into the wider digital infrastructure strategy and development roadmap.
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