Lead Database Developer

Overview

As Lead Database Developer, you will own and optimise Saga’s Customer Hub data platform, ensuring performance, scalability, and data quality. You’ll act as the technical authority for data engineering and work with delivery teams to support partnerships and strategic initiatives. The role combines hands-on SQL/ETL work with shaping data models, pipelines, and CI/CD integration to sustain high-impact customer data capabilities. You will collaborate cross-functionally in a hybrid setup to drive reliable, secure data solutions that scale with growth. A pivotal role for delivering data-driven outcomes across Saga’s technology landscape.

Pay / Benefits

• 25 days holiday + bank holidays
• pension matched up to 10%
• annual bonus up to 5%
• life assurance 4x salary
• wellbeing programme
• Saga Academy learning platform

Responsibilities

• Guide database technologies and lead complex development initiatives
• Investigate performance bottlenecks in customer data processing and integrations
• Improve SQL code, stored procedures, and data-processing logic
• Lead performance analysis activities and translate findings into engineering improvements
• Support delivery teams in shaping efficient data models, data flows, and patterns
• Ensure customer data services meet performance, security, and quality expectations
• Provide input on data quality, partner integrations, and strategic delivery
• Identify opportunities to optimise data processing and storage
• Support data lifecycle, retention, and scalability design
• Develop automated deployment and validation for data changes
• Support CI/CD integration for data delivery
• Improve delivery quality and repeatability through automation
• Assist release planning with performance and data impact assessments
• Define validation criteria for data changes and performance-sensitive releases
• Collaborate with teams to ensure changes meet performance/quality goals
• Contribute to post-release learning to improve future delivery
• Provide technical guidance on data design, SQL development, performance, and scalability
• Support code reviews and engineering improvements for data-related changes

Key requirements

• Microsoft SQL Server development experience
• Expertise in query analysis, execution plans, indexing, performance diagnostics
• Experience with high-volume transactional data solutions
• Advanced Transact-SQL development and optimisation
• Experience improving large-scale customer data processing systems
• Experience with CI/CD for data delivery
• PowerShell and automation scripting proficiency
• Experience using Azure DevOps, GitHub or similar platforms
• Knowledge of deployment automation and repeatable engineering controls
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Experience improving performance and resilience of business-critical systems
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in agile delivery
• Strong communication and stakeholder management abilities

• strong communication
• stakeholder management
• problem-solving
• Microsoft SQL Server
• Transact-SQL
• query optimisation

…