Lead Data Architect

Novia Infotech; San Jose (CA); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology firm is seeking a Lead Data Architect focused on Oracle and Exadata. This role requires 12+ years of experience and involves ensuring semantic accuracy during modernization programs. Responsibilities include extracting and translating Oracle semantics, analyzing Oracle environments, and providing guidance on migration governance. Candidates must have deep knowledge of Exadata internals and strong communication skills to lead architecture discussions. A hybrid work model is available with a preference for local candidates.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in data architecture with a focus on Oracle and Exadata.
• Deep knowledge of Exadata internals and Oracle environments.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to translate complex DB behavior.

Responsibilities

• Own the source-of-truth authority for the Oracle Exadata environment.
• Perform Oracle schema intelligence extraction and documentation.
• Identify and mitigate migration risk and semantic gaps.
• Lead architecture discussions across teams.

Skills

Oracle

Exadata

PL/SQL

SQL Tuning at Scale

AWR/ASH

Job description

Lead Data Architect – Oracle/Exadata/Exadata (Migration & Semantic Extraction Focus)

Location: San Jose, CA or Scottsdale, AZ (Hybrid/Onsite Evaluation Required, Local Candidates Preferred)

Duration: 12+ Months

Experience Required: 12+ Years (10+ Years)

Primary Skills: Oracle, Exadata, PL/SQL, AWR/ASH, SQL Tuning at Scale

Role Summary

Own the source‑of‑truth authority for the existing Oracle Exadata environment, ensuring semantic accuracy, dependency integrity, and zero loss of critical logic during modernization or migration programs.

This is a technical architecture role centered on extracting and translating Oracle semantics into cloud‑neutral or system‑neutral architectural constructs—not defending Oracle as a platform.

Must‑Have Technical Expertise

• Deep knowledge of Exadata internals (storage servers, InfiniBand, Smart Scan, cell offload, optimizer behavior, partitioning, etc.)
• Analyze Oracle environments including RAC, PDBs, partitioned & sharded tables at 10s–100s TB scale.

SQL & Transaction Semantics at Scale

• Workload and semantic analysis using AWR, ASH, SQL Monitor.
• Identify true transaction boundaries, locking & concurrency assumptions, isolation‑level dependencies, and Oracle‑specific semantics that cannot be replicated directly.

Database Constructs & Behavioral Mapping

• Analyze and translate triggers, sequences, materialized views, PL/SQL frameworks, optimizer hints.

Migration Governance & Baseline Authority

• Build Oracle feature dependency matrix.
• Classify migration readiness: Safe‑to‑Migrate, Requires Redesign, Requires Application Change.
• Define golden data sets and validate test harness outputs against Oracle baselines.
• Advise target‑state architects (e.g., Google Spanner) on semantic traps, hidden coupling, and implicit Oracle behaviors relied on by applications.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform Oracle schema intelligence extraction and documentation.
• Identify and mitigate migration risk, feature coupling, and semantic gaps.
• Create baseline correctness definitions for migrated workloads.
• Maintain golden expected‑result authority.
• Produce semantic reference models, catalogs, and risk classification reports.
• Lead architecture discussions across infra, DB, and product teams.
• Provide neutral architectural translations of Oracle behavior.
• Act as a trusted technical advisor for database modernization programs.
• Ensure zero misinterpretation of existing system semantics.

Key Deliverables

• Oracle Behavior Reference Model
• SQL Signature & Semantic Catalog
• Oracle Feature Dependency Report
• Migration Risk Classification
• Baseline Correctness DefinitionsGolden Data Validation Sets

Soft Skills

• Strong stakeholder communication & presentation abilities.
• Independent ownership mentality.
• Analytical and semantic‑first architecture mindset.
• Ability to translate complex DB behavior into neutral architectural concepts.