Database Architect

Trafigura; City Of London; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A multinational commodities company based in London seeks an experienced Oracle Database Architect to lead the design and governance of their Oracle database estate, focusing on Exadata platforms. The ideal candidate will have over 10 years of experience in IT infrastructure, with a strong understanding of database performance tuning and security. This role supports critical business applications, ensuring high-performance and scalable database services.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in Infrastructure working with Oracle.
• Solid understanding of Oracle Exadata including configuration and patching.
• Experience using OEM for installation and monitoring.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and architecture of Oracle database platforms.
• Deliver and maintain strategic roadmap for Oracle technologies.
• Define and enforce best practices around database performance.

Skills

Oracle Exadata

Performance Tuning

Database Security

Problem-solving

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in computer science

Relevant Oracle certifications

Tools

Oracle RAC

OEM

Python

Ansible

Job description

Main Purpose

We are seeking a highly experienced Oracle Database Architect to lead the design, optimisation, and governance of our Oracle database estate, with a specific focus on Oracle Exadata platforms. Based in our London office, this role is central to our mission to deliver high-performance, scalable, and secure database services to support critical business applications. As a strategic and hands-on role, the Oracle Database Architect will shape our database infrastructure strategy, advise on Exadata performance tuning and capacity planning, and work closely with developers, infrastructure teams, and business stakeholders to ensure robust and future-proof database solutions.

Knowledge Skills and Abilities, Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical authority for the design, architecture, and performance of Oracle database platforms, with an emphasis on Exadata for Production workloads.

• Deliver and maintain strategic roadmap for Trafigura’s use of Oracle technologies.

• Lead the implementation, maintenance and optimisation of Oracle platforms, including smart scans, hybrid columnar compression, and storage indexes.

• Define and enforce best practices around database performance tuning, high availability, disaster recovery, and capacity planning.

• Work collaboratively with application teams to align data architecture with application performance and scalability goals.

• Design and review data models, physical schemas, and partitioning strategies for large-scale transactional and analytical systems.

• Oversee database versioning, patching, and platform upgrades—ensuring minimal downtime and business disruption.

• Provide architectural input into migration initiatives (e.g., incumbent to Oracle, or Oracle to alternative database offering, e.g. AWS Redshift).

• Implement and enforce database security policies and compliance standards.

• Collaborate with application architects, platform engineers, developers and business analysts to deliver consistent and resilient data services.

• Correct budgeting for Oracle database technologies

• Document technical designs, configurations, and operational procedures.

Specialist Knowledge

• Solid understanding of Oracle Exadata including configuration / patching.

• Experience using OEM including installation, upgrades, administration and monitoring.

• Hands-on experience deploying and managing Oracle RAC, Dataguard, ASM, RMAN, Performance Tuning, backup, restore, recovery, cloning, installation, configuration, upgrades, patching, security and troubleshooting.

• Good understanding of programming languages such as Python, ksh, Ansible etc.

• Very good understanding of Delphix and the deployment of virtual databases.

• Experience managing positive outcomes in a outsource environment.

• Vendor management including procurement and negotiation of license agreements.

• Strong knowledge of security and compliance controls within Oracle database environments

• Knowledge of database licensing models and optimisation strategies for enterprise cost control

• Oracle Certified Professional (OCP) or Oracle Certified Master (OCM) certification.

Educational Background

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science; information technology or a related field.

• Relevant Oracle certifications are highly desirable.

Professional Experience

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in Infrastructure working with Oracle.

Competencies

• Problem-solving

• Ability to improve business processes

• Able to use initiative

• Ability to explain complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders

• Strategic planning

Key Relationships and Department Overview

Key Relationships

• Unix, VMware & Storage Teams

• Vendor management

• Application Teams

• Outsourced IT management

Department

Trafigura Group IT provides shared services across the Trafigura group of companies, offering services at scale where it makes economic sense.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and take pride in a diverse workforce! We do not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or other employment practices for reasons of race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital or veteran status, medical condition or handicap, disability, or any other legally protected status.