Lead Oracle Database Architecture Engineer

Work Location & Schedule

On-site in the Taylor, TX area during the Proof of Concept (POC) and core migration phases. Hybrid remote during interim planning and steady-state project phases.

Travel & On-site Requirements

• 100% on-site during the initial 3-month Proof of Concept (POC).
• Additional on-site presence required throughout the project for hardware and platform validation, testing, and cutover activities.

Clearance / Compliance

• Must successfully pass required background checks.
• Complete NERC CIP compliance onboarding before starting.

Contract Length

Initially scoped for the 3-month POC. Upon successful completion and defined pass/fail criteria, the project is expected to continue for an additional 12–18 months in a hybrid remote/on-site capacity.

Work Authorization

U.S. Citizens only. Subject to client and regulatory requirements.

About the role

We are seeking a senior, hands-on Oracle Database Architecture Engineer to lead the technical validation, architecture design, Proof of Concept (POC), and migration execution for a Data Modernization and Platform Refresh program. In this role you will be physically on-site at primary facilities to benchmark high-availability architectures, configure 2-node RAC with ASM and Active Data Guard across multi-site data centers, and execute near-zero downtime database migrations. The ideal candidate has deep expertise in Oracle 19c and converged infrastructure, Advanced Security and NERC CIP security controls, and cross-site disaster recovery benchmarking. This is a highly hands-on role where you will serve as the lead field engineer responsible for implementing the solution and executing all migrations, supported by a team of Oracle DBAs.

Responsibilities

• Architecture & POC Leadership:
  • Lead and implement the physical and logical configuration of the target Oracle Database platform (RAC, ASM, Data Guard) during the initial Proof of Concept (POC) phase.
  • Conduct workload characterization, workload stress testing, and failover validation across Primary and Disaster Recovery (DR) data centers meeting migration objectives.
  • Evaluate storage throughput, inter-node latency, and network interconnect performance to validate platform SLAs.
• Migration Planning & Execution:
  • Design and execute data migration strategies (e.g., RMAN Active Duplication, Oracle GoldenGate, or Data Guard) to migrate mission-critical databases with minimal maintenance windows.
  • Develop granular runbooks, rollback procedures, and cutover checklists for the production migration phase.
  • Implement Ansible automation for Oracle installs, RAC, ASM, Data Guard, and Data Guard Broker.
• High Availability & Disaster Recovery (HA/DR):
  • Architect, build, and test 2-node Real Application Clusters (RAC) utilizing Automatic Storage Management (ASM) and Oracle Grid Infrastructure.
  • Master synchronous/asynchronous redo transport (Maximum Performance mode), broker configuration, automated health validation, and execute zero-data-loss database switchovers under a 5-minute SLA window.
  • Implement and validate Oracle Active Data Guard (FSFO/Far Sync) connecting primary and secondary data center sites.
• Compliance & Security:
  • Enforce NERC CIP database security standards, TDE, Unified Auditing, and strict access controls across test, staging, and production environments.
  • Experience with CIS benchmark health checks/DBSAT and remediation efforts for Oracle 19c environments on Linux.
  • Author technical design documents, architectural diagrams, and operational handoff playbooks for permanent Operations team enablement.
• Knowledge Transfer:
  • Construct detailed runbooks for RAC/ASM, Data Guard setup and Data Guard Broker architected solutions.
  • Construct detailed runbooks for TDE and Database Vault solutions.
  • Create documentation evidencing the security features enabled and configured in accordance with CIS Benchmark Level 1 and NERC CIP requirements.
  • Transfer knowledge of the solutions to Oracle DBA teams at XTIVIA and client DBAs.
  • Provide on-site client knowledge transfer sessions covering Oracle Enterprise Manager (OEM) 24ai and Oracle Data Guard failover and switchover scenarios.

Requirements

• Experience:
  • 15+ years of enterprise Oracle Database Administration and Architecture experience, preferably within mission-critical utility, energy, or grid-operator environments.
• Certification:
  • Oracle Database 19c Oracle Certified Professional (OCP) certification.
• Core Oracle Stack:
  • Expert-level mastery of multi-tenant Oracle Database 19c (Oracle 26ai exposure preferred).
  • Deep experience with Oracle Grid Infrastructure, 2-node RAC, ASM disk group configuration and tuning, Active Data Guard, Data Guard Broker, Fast-Start Failover (FSFO), and geographically dispersed data centers.
  • Experience orchestrating live Data Guard switchover drills to validate replication integrity and synchronization safety.
  • Advanced hands-on experience with Oracle GoldenGate 21c Microservices, including Hub configuration, unidirectional Extract and Replicat processes, and trail file/transport encryption.
  • Advanced Oracle performance tuning experience utilizing Diagnostics and Tuning Packs.
• Migration Expertise:
  • Demonstrated success leading large-scale Oracle database migrations using RMAN, GoldenGate, and Data Guard.
  • Proven hands-on experience writing migration runbooks and executing production go-live migrations with maintenance windows of 5 minutes or less.
• Operating Systems & Infrastructure:
  • Proficiency with Linux (RHEL/OEL 8/9), shell scripting, UDEV/ASMFD storage mapping, Jumbo Frames/interconnect network tuning, and kernel/HugePages optimization.
• Backup & Recovery:
  • Expert-level RMAN knowledge and advanced experience with Rubrik backup management.
  • Understanding of backup storage capacity planning to meet SLAs, including the impact of TDE and compression on storage requirements.
• On-Site Availability:
  • Ability to work 100% on-site at the client facility in Taylor, TX during the initial POC deployment, performance testing, and production go-live cutover events.

How you add even more value

• Experience with high-performance SAN storage architectures.
• Oracle Certified Master (OCM) or Oracle Certified Professional (OCP) – RAC/Grid Infrastructure/Data Guard.
• Advanced experience integrating database automation using Ansible.
• Experience with near-zero downtime Oracle 26ai upgrades in a 2-node RAC with Data Guard environment for mission-critical database instances.
• Advanced database security skillset with hands-on experience with Oracle TDE and other security features.

Pay

Expected hourly rate up to $120 per hour. Compensation based on skills and experience.