Database & Data Migration Engineer (Access to SQL Server)

Inside IR35. Contract. Local Government. Central London

Contract Details

• Length: 12 weeks
• Day rate: £450 per day (Inside IR35)
• Location: Central London, 1 day per week on site (Friday), 4 days remote
• Hours: 37 per week

Salt’s Local Government recruitment team is supporting a Central London authority with a time-critical assignment for a Database Migration Engineer. This role sits within their Technology and Digital Services function and will lead the conversion of legacy Microsoft Access databases into modern data platforms built on SQL Server and SharePoint.

You will take ownership of end-to-end migration activity, working closely with internal stakeholders and external suppliers to ensure a clean transition, minimal operational disruption, and accurate delivery of all related technical documentation.

Key Responsibilities

• Migrate legacy Microsoft Access databases into SQL Server, SharePoint lists, and other modern data environments
• Lead multi-disciplinary teams to plan, design, and execute structured migration activity
• Develop migration scripts, test plans, and transformation logic to ensure data quality and integrity
• Coordinate with business users to validate migrated datasets and assess downstream impacts
• Identify risks, issues, and dependencies, and drive mitigation plans
• Produce all required delivery documentation, including plans, status reports, design notes, data models and evidence packs
• Support the organisation through migration cut-over, user acceptance, testing, and post-deployment validation

Required Experience

• Proven track record delivering database or data migration projects in complex organisations
• Strong hands-on experience with Microsoft Access and SQL Server
• Experience converting Access databases into SQL Server structures and/or SharePoint lists
• Ability to reverse-engineer existing Access logic, schema, forms, queries, macros, and relationships
• Familiarity with structured migration approaches, including data mapping, cleansing, and reconciliation
• Experience working with technical and non-technical stakeholders across multiple workstreams
• Ability to produce clear, precise technical documentation, including designs, plans and end-user artefacts

Desired

• Exposure to Local Government, public sector, or other regulated environments
• Understanding of governance, change control, and assurance processes
• Knowledge of SSIS, ETL processes, or wider Microsoft data/Power Platform tooling

This assignment forms part of a wider modernisation programme aimed at replacing legacy systems with secure, maintainable environments. You will be joining at a critical point, with scope to directly influence the success and pace of delivery.

If you have direct experience migrating Access databases into SQL Server and want to support an important Local Government modernisation initiative, we would like to hear from you. Please apply with your latest CV.

*Rates depend on experience and client requirements