Database Platform Engineer

Synectics brings together the UK’s largest fraud consortium and one of the country’s richest proprietary fraud datasets. Now, as we begin a major greenfield modernisation programme, we’re looking for a Database Platform Engineer to help shape the database platforms, automation and engineering practices that underpin how this data is managed and used.

Build reliable platforms. Make a meaningful impact.

In this senior, hands-on individual-contributor role, you’ll help modernise how we build, deploy and operate our database platforms, improving reliability, security and performance while replacing manual processes with safer, repeatable automation. You’ll combine production database engineering with automation and platform engineering, helping teams modernise an established database estate.

You’ll join the Data Platform team within Platform Engineering, working with Product, Data, Data Science, Platform, Infrastructure, Architecture and Security colleagues. The immediate focus is our SQL Server estate, database delivery automation and AWS-managed database services. You’ll also help lay the groundwork for future capabilities including Databricks, lakehouse services and graph technologies. Deep expertise in every emerging technology isn’t expected on day one.

What you’ll do

• Build and improve database change pipelines using GitLab CI/CD and Liquibase, Flyway or equivalent tools, enabling safe, traceable deployments across environments.
• Promote good practices for version control, peer review, testing, approvals, release evidence and schema-drift management.
• Improve deployment quality and reliability through automated validation, verification and appropriate roll-forward or rollback procedures.
• Engineer and support production Microsoft SQL Server environments, alongside supported MySQL, Amazon Aurora MySQL, document-oriented NoSQL and Elasticsearch platforms.
• Monitor availability, capacity and performance; troubleshoot incidents and deliver tuning and preventative improvements.
• Manage and test backup, restore, recovery, disaster-recovery, high-availability and business-continuity arrangements.
• Apply patches, upgrades and security controls through dependable processes, including access management, encryption, auditing and privileged access.
• Design and support database environments across on-premises, IaaS and AWS-managed services, including Amazon RDS and Amazon Aurora where appropriate.
• Develop reusable Infrastructure as Code, GitLab capabilities, deployment templates and automation that make platform services more consistent and self-service.
• Improve monitoring, logging and observability; automate recurring operational work and support migrations to managed cloud services where appropriate.
• Help establish foundations for Databricks, lakehouse services and graph technologies as our strategic needs evolve.
• Collaborate across teams, shape technical standards and provide guidance and knowledge sharing. The role has no direct line-management responsibility.
• Participate in the out-of-hours on-call rota after an appropriate onboarding and knowledge-transfer period.

What you’ll bring

• Strong production administration and engineering experience with Microsoft SQL Server in a complex environment.
• Practical experience automating database schema changes and lifecycle management with Liquibase, Flyway or equivalent tools.
• Experience creating and supporting CI/CD pipelines—ideally in GitLab—including secure credential handling and deployment controls.
• Strong SQL and T-SQL skills, plus scripting or automation experience with PowerShell, Python or a comparable language.
• Sound knowledge of backup and recovery, high availability, disaster recovery, performance diagnosis and incident resolution.
• Experience with database security, access control, auditing, secrets management and privileged-access practices.
• Experience designing or supporting cloud database services and Infrastructure as Code; AWS and Terraform are preferred.
• A platform-engineering mindset: you enjoy turning recurring needs into reusable services, automation, standards and documented patterns.
• Clear communication and the ability to work effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders across engineering, architecture, security, data and product.

Experience that’s useful, but not essential

• MySQL, Amazon RDS, Amazon Aurora MySQL, Elasticsearch, Kibana or supported document-oriented NoSQL databases.
• Databricks, Apache Spark, data lakehouse services or graph databases.
• Schema-drift detection, compliance automation, protected environments, reusable pipeline components or secrets-management integrations.
• Zero-downtime migration patterns and experience working with large, sensitive or highly governed datasets.
• Responsible use of AI-assisted engineering tools, and experience providing technical guidance or mentoring.
• Why join Synectics?
• Help build the secure, reliable foundations of a future data platform - and contribute to work that helps organisations identify and prevent fraud.
• Influence database delivery standards, automation practices, platform capabilities and technical direction.
• Work in a supportive and inclusive culture that invests in people, development and better ways of working.
• Enjoy hybrid working, with offices in Stoke-on-Trent and London and the flexibility to work remotely from within the UK.
• Access a comprehensive benefits package designed to support wellbeing, development and work-life balance.