Senior Database Developer - Perm Public Sector

Job Description

Senior Database Developer - Perm public sector

VANRATH are delighted to be working in partnership with the Agri-food and Biosciences Institute to appoint a Senior Database Developer to work within their Information Systems Branch (ISB).

Information Systems Branch (ISB)
AFBI Information Systems Branch (ISB) provides IT services to public and private sector customers in computer support and application development which enables the branch to underpin AFBI's scientific remit and develop working relationships with external bodies.

ISB consists of an energetic team of individuals working together to support the IT needs of the organisation and the wider agri-food industry. ISB comprises two main work areas: IT Infrastructure & Technical Support, and Application & Database Development, where staff work in a stimulating and rewarding environment whilst being encouraged to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

The team regularly engage with the full range of AFBI scientists in addition to external clients and are therefore involved in a wide variety of interesting and cutting-edge projects.

This is a permanent full-time role. The successful candidate will normally be required to work 5 days each week, totalling 37 hours. AFBI operates a flexi working system.

The successful candidate will be based at Newforge, Belfast. However, hybrid working can also be considered.

Applications will no longer be accepted after the closing date of Monday 12th June 2023 at 16:00pm.

Job role:
The duties of the post are likely to include the following:

  1. Design stable, reliable and effective databases.
  2. Modify databases according to requests and perform tests.
  3. Solve database usage issues and malfunctions.
  4. Liaise with developers to improve applications and establish best practices.
  5. Provide technical support to end-users for database-related issues.
  6. Design, develop and deploy SQL Server Integration Services packages.
  7. Develop and maintain database policies, procedures and user guidance.
  8. Provide contingency for database administrative tasks.
  9. Manage technical staff as required.

This list is not exhaustive, and the successful candidate will be required to carry out other duties as allocated by management.



The Ideal Person
Applicants must demonstrate that they possess the following criteria, by the closing date for applications:

  1. At least a level 4 qualification in Computing, Software Engineering or other discipline relevant to Information Systems and Information Technology. (Only those courses where a computing content of 50% or more can be demonstrated to the satisfaction of the panel will be considered relevant. The onus is on you to provide sufficient details to demonstrate this)
  2. At least 3 years' experience working in database design and development in a corporate environment using Microsoft SQL Server 2012 or above
  3. Advanced understanding of SQL programming and database optimisation


Relevant or equivalent qualifications: give the type of qualification and date awarded (the date awarded is the date on which you were notified of your result by the official awarding body). If you believe your qualification is equivalent to the one required, the onus is on you to provide the panel with details of modules studied etc so that a well-informed decision can be made.

Salary & Benefits

  • £32,328 per annum
  • Unbeatable pension
  • 25 days annual leave plus public and privileged holidays
  • Annual ICT allowance
  • Flexitime
  • A range of other public sector benefits!


For further information on this vacancy, or any other scientific / data roles in Belfast or wider Northern Ireland, please apply via the link below or contact Shannon McGrath in the strictest confidence.

Some positive candidate feedback we've received-

''5*'s for Vanrath. They found me a suitable agency post right away, it was a great fit, now I have got the job permanently! Very personable and knowledgeable to deal with and always took the time to understand and help out. Extremely professional service all round.''

''I contacted Vanrath after being laid off by my previous employer. They were fantastic to deal with and found me the perfect role that matched my skill set and experience and within a day or two had an interview lined up. Within the same week I was made a job offer which I happily accepted. So thankful that I contacted Vanrath. Couldn't have asked for a quicker and more professional service.''

''My experience with Vanrath has been so positive. They were very professional but friendly at the same time. The whole process has been excellent and I've secured a job that I really wanted. I wouldn't hesitate to go through Vanrath again in future as there was no waiting about and they continually kept me updated throughout. Thanks so much again.''