Job Description

Role: SQL Database Administrator

Division: Assessment & Qualifications Delivery

Location: Chennai, India

About Pearson

Our purpose: At Pearson we \'add life to a lifetime of learning\' so everyone can realise the life they imagine. We do this by creating vibrant and enriching learning experiences designed for real-life impact. Our Purpose | Add Life to a Lifetime of Learning

Our company: Pearson was founded in 1844 and has been built on our ability to grow with and adapt to a constantly evolving market. Our 20,000+ employees are dedicated to creating the high-quality, digital-first, accessible and sustainable resources for lifelong learning.

Diversity: At Pearson we value the power of an inclusive culture and a strong sense of belonging. We promote a culture where differences are embraced as strengths and opportunities are equal and accessible.

Flexible working: Pearson is committed to hybrid working practices and has adopted flexible remote and virtual working. Where possible our employees can choose to manage their attendance to the office more flexibly.

About UK Assessment & Qualifications

We are responsible for the delivery of nearly 4 million examination results per annum, including A-Level, GCSE, BTEC and T-levels for students in UK and International centres. Our in-house systems process every learner from registration to marking and certification, in a highly regulated business. We currently operate a hybrid estate of predominantly bespoke systems, with an ongoing strategic transformation programme to migrate from on-prem to cloud based, cost effective, scalable and resilient services.

About the Job

The main purpose of this role is to provide core database administration services to systems using SQL Server. This includes proactive monitoring and management of the database environment along with reactive response to customer / user initiated calls.

This role will interact with the project and development teams through design and testing but will have primary focus on production database administration so as to monitor, measure and tune these core systems in line with the demands of the business. The role will require the ability to deploy Data Migration Service (DMS) technologies to ensure data is available for future state cloud services.

The DBA team have responsibility for the data held in the core systems making up the Enterprise, ensuring it is well maintained, audited, secure and delivers to business needs. Process, control, quality, audit ability and security of this data in line with standards is paramount.

About You

This would suit an experienced DBA with a strong technical background, who is proficient in Microsoft SQL Server, with an established history of working with Agile teams.

Key Skills & Experience

Knowledge of MS SQL from 2005 to 2019

Implementing performance improvements and tuning of databases.

Liaising with the teams to ensure systems are robust, stable and effective.

Manage and testing backup and disaster recovery strategies; Guaranteeing the ability to be able to recover production databases.

Deployment of the database component for applications, services and micro services.

Pro-active system and capacity monitoring.

Ensuring security and data integrity is maintained and improved where possible while maintaining a high level of system availability.

Some knowledge of Policy Based Management for SQL Server.

Exposure to Data at Rest Encryption.

Automating routine administration tasks.

Liaising with project managers and developers regarding requirements for new systems and/or extensions to existing systems and providing guidance with SQL queries and best practices.

Implementing alerting to provide advanced warning of major problems.

Supporting Test and Development Systems.

Producing and maintaining operational and technical documentation.

Understanding of SDLC in Agile environments.

Ability to produce ad-hoc reports as required.

An established history of working with agile teams.

Familiarity with the design and implementation of fault tolerant and secure data infrastructure, in line with best practices.

Security processes to deliver effective IT security & compliance in line with CISO requirements.

How to collaborate with globally distributed teams.

Some knowledge of deployments to a cloud environment

Any knowledge of Data Migration Services would be an advantage.

Experience of knowledge transfer to BAU support teams

Previous experience of collaborating with co-workers on root cause analysis for incident and problem post-mortems

Superb communication skills: written and verbal

Desirable Skills & Experience

SQL Reporting Services

ITIL

AWS Exposure

RDS

Awareness of IaaS, PaaS and SaaS

Cloud Compute Accounting

Data Migration Services

Experience working with observability tools, such as Grafana

Understanding and experience of leading / managing technology products

To become the subject expert for MS SQL.

All our roles are hybrid working; for this role that means visiting your base office no more than once a week with the possibility of occasional business travel to UK Pearson sites.

For this role there is a requirement to support 24/7/365 on-call operations.

We actively encourage our staff to participate in at least 40 hours of training a year, and offer relevant AWS (Amazon Web Service) training and certification as part of this role.

Your benefits and rewards

Here at Pearson we offer a range of benefits, which include:

25 Days annual leave (increasing by 1 day with every year of continuous service up to 30 days); annual leave trading, +/- 5 days

Annual Bonus

Private Pension plan scheme where we pay in double what you contribute, up to 16% depending on your age

Life, private medical and dental care insurance options, plus free eye tests

Stock/share purchase options

Maternity, paternity, and family care leave as well as flexible working policies

An employee wellbeing assistance programme

Cycle to work program, volunteering days, gym membership concessions in selected office locations, along with retail and leisure discounts

Diversity and Inclusion at Pearson

We\'re committed to equity and opportunity, so that all learners can realise the life they imagine and see themselves in our services and products. We believe learning is a powerful force for change and that diversity, equity and inclusion are fundamental to who we are. We\'re committed to addressing all forms of systematic racism, discrimination and inequality in everything we do.

We also believe in giving everyone in the company the chance to help shape a more inclusive culture, in which everyone feels a sense of belonging and in which everyone acts with integrity day-in, day-out. To learn more about Pearson\'s commitment to a diverse and inclusive workforce, please click here.

Pearson is an equal opportunities employer. We do not discriminate against employees or job applicants and select the best person for each job based on relevant skills and experience. We are also committed to building an accurate picture of the make-up of the workforce and encouraging equality and diversity.

The information you provide will stay confidential and will be stored securely. It will not be seen by those involved in making decisions as part of the recruitment process. We are a Stonewall Gold and Top 20 LGBT+ inclusive employer, Investors in People Gold, Race Charter signatory, Disability Confident employer and Working Mums Top Employer.

#LI-POST

What to expect from Pearson

Did you know Pearson is one of the 10 most innovative education companies of 2022?

At Pearson, we add life to a lifetime of learning so everyone can realize the life they imagine. We do this by creating vibrant and enriching learning experiences designed for real-life impact. We are on a journey to be 100 percent digital to meet the changing needs of the global population by developing a new strategy with ambitious targets. To deliver on our strategic vision, we have five business divisions that are the foundation for the long-term growth of the company: Assessment & Qualifications, Virtual Learning, English Language Learning, Workforce Skills and Higher Education. Alongside these, we have our corporate divisions: Digital & Technology, Finance, Global Corporate Marketing & Communications, Human Resources, Legal, Strategy and Direct to Consumer. Learn more at We are Pearson.

We value the power of an inclusive culture and also a strong sense of belonging. We promote a culture where differences are embraced, opportunities are accessible, consideration and respect are the norm and all individuals are supported in reaching their full potential. Through our talent, we believe that diversity, equity and inclusion make us a more innovative and vibrant place to work. People are at the center, and we are committed to building a workplace where talent can learn, grow and thrive.

Pearson is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer and a member of E-Verify. We want a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. All employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit and business need. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status or any other group protected by law. We strive for a workforce that reflects the diversity of our communities.

To learn more about Pearson\'s commitment to a diverse and inclusive workforce, navigate to: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Pearson.

If you are an individual with a disability and are unable or limited in your ability to use or access our career site as a result of your disability, you may request reasonable accommodations by emailing ppsmhr@pearson.com.

Note that the information you provide will stay confidential and will be stored securely. It will not be seen by those involved in making decisions as part of the recruitment process.

Job: TECHNOLOGY

Organization: Assessment & Qualifications

Schedule: FULL_TIME

Req ID: 11837

Pearson