Oracle Database Application and Support Team Lead

About NEC Software Solutions

We’re NEC Software Solutions, part of the global tech giant NEC Corporation. Our software plays a vital role in essential public services, from dispatching ambulances and supporting families to keeping trains moving and assisting in locating missing people. With over 3,000 employees, we empower public sector organizations like governments, hospitals, police forces, and local authorities to operate more efficiently and effectively, ultimately making a world of difference. Join us and contribute to a mission-driven organization that values innovation and impact.

About the Role

This is a working technical lead role where you will provide technical leadership and direction to a team of analysts while remaining hands-on. You will support over 100 customer environments, spanning on-premises, private cloud, and public cloud platforms, including high-profile Public Sector organizations. The role requires a blend of expert database administration, troubleshooting, upgrades, application support, and team mentorship.

Main Responsibilities

Hands-On Technical Responsibilities

• Function as a senior technical engineer for Oracle Database platforms and associated application stacks.
• Perform and lead Oracle Database upgrades, patching, and software deployments in customer environments.
• Conduct 3rd-line diagnostics and fault resolution, including performance tuning, data issues, backup failures, and application connectivity problems.
• Proactively review monitoring, capacity, performance, and backup metrics; implement corrective actions before customer impact occurs.
• Maintain robust backup, recovery, and restore solutions, with the objective of improving operational effectiveness.
• Lead technical input and support the team in major incidents and problem investigations, completing root cause analysis and implementing preventative fixes.
• Maintain and improve technical documentation, runbooks, and support procedures.

Technical Leadership

• Function as the primary escalation point for complex Oracle and application-related issues.
• Collaborate with analysts from other teams on live issues, upgrades, and changes, providing real-time guidance and technical direction.
• Set technical standards and best practices for database administration and application support.
• Review and quality-check technical changes before implementation.
• Serve as a technical mentor, raising the overall capability of the team through knowledge sharing and coaching.

Customer & Stakeholder Engagement

• Engage directly with customers as lead to schedule work and manage conflicting priorities.
• Translate complex technical issues into clear, practical explanations for customers and internal stakeholders.
• Provide recommendations to customers on stability, performance, resilience, and upgrade planning.

Continuous Improvement & Automation

• Identify inefficiencies within the service and directly contribute to:
• Scripted maintenance
• Automated health checks
• Standardised deployment and upgrade processes
• Drive improvements that reduce manual effort, improve reliability, and enhance customer outcomes.
• Work closely with Networks, UNIX/Linux, Cloud Ops, and Application teams to resolve cross-platform issues.

Qualifications

Essential Skills / Experience

• Strong hands-on experience with Oracle Database administration, including upgrades and patching (single-instance environments).
• Supporting Local government customers that use Revenues and Benefits or Housing solutions.
• Proven experience installing and supporting software on Linux, Solaris. Experience on Windows is a bonus.
• Hands-on deployment and support of Apache Tomcat-based applications.
• Experience working in live customer environments, providing production support.
• Practical experience using ITSM tools such as Ivanti, ServiceNow, or similar.
• Ability to lead technically while remaining operationally involved.
• Strong customer communication skills across video, telephone, and email.
• Eligibility for UK Security Clearance.

Desirable Skills / Experience

• Oracle Certification.
• Experience with Apache Web Server configuration and support.
• Unix/Linux shell scripting skills for automation.
• Experience implementing scripted database and application backup and recovery processes.
• Understanding networking concepts relevant to database and application support.
• Experience producing technical documentation and supporting runbooks.

Additional Information

Benefits

• Private Medical Cover funded by NEC for Employees (with the option to add family members at an additional cost)
• 25 days paid holiday with the option to buy/ sell
• 4 x basic salary life assurance cover funded by NEC (with the option to increase cover at an additional cost)
• A Group Pension Plan with fantastic employer contributions up to a maximum of 8.5%
• A fantastic selection of flexible benefits to suit your individual needs
• Invaluable employee assistance program
• Free access to LinkedIn Learning (over 15,000 courses)

Important Information

• Candidates must be able to demonstrate a pre-existing right to work and travel within the UK.
• All offers are subject to satisfactory vetting and reference checks.
• This role will require UK Security Clearance.

Equal Opportunities

NEC Software Solutions is an equal opportunities employer, welcoming applications from all communities. We are committed to ensuring an inclusive and accommodating experience for all candidates and encourage you to share any reasonable adjustments or specific accessibility needs during the recruitment process.