Lead Oracle Database Architecture Engineer

Gofractional; Taylor (TX); Hybrid; USD 99,000 - 165,000; Part time

Job summary

XTIVIA is seeking a senior Oracle Database Architecture Engineer to lead POC and migration efforts for mission-critical databases in Taylor, TX. The role demands hands-on expertise with RAC/ASM/Data Guard, 19c, and secure, compliant configurations.

Initial 3-month on-site POC with continued hybrid work thereafter. Responsibilities include designing runbooks, validating performance, and ensuring near-zero downtime migrations, with strong focus on NERC CIP security and CIS benchmarks.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of enterprise Oracle Database Administration and Architecture experience.
• Certifications: Oracle 19c OCP required.
• Hands-on in RAC/ASM/Data Guard migrations and DR testing.

Responsibilities

• Architect and lead POC and migration of Oracle databases with 2-node RAC and Data Guard.
• Design runbooks, cutover checklists, and implement automated deployments where possible.
• Validate HA/DR, performance, and security controls per CIS/NERC CIP standards.
• Transfer knowledge to client DBAs and onsite teams during deployment.

Skills

Oracle RAC

Data Guard

RMAN

Oracle GoldenGate

Oracle 19c

NERC CIP security

Ansible automation

Linux administration

Shell scripting

Disaster recovery planning

Education

Oracle Database 19c OCP certification

Tools

Oracle Grid Infrastructure

ASM

Data Guard Broker

OEM 24ai

Job description

Lead Oracle Database Architecture Engineer (POC & Migration Specialist)

Work Location: 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.

Employment Type: Contract / Contract-to-Hire

Travel & On-site Requirements: 100% on-site during the initial 3-month Proof of Concept (POC). Additional on-site presence will be required throughout the project for hardware and platform validation, testing, and cutover activities.

Clearance / Compliance: Must successfully pass required background checks and complete NERC CIP compliance onboarding before starting.

Contract Length: This position is initially scoped for the 3-month POC. Upon successful completion of the POC and achievement of the 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. This position is subject to client and regulatory requirements.

Compensation: Up to $120 per hour

How you will make a difference

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 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 not a management position. 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 where possible, such as Oracle installs/Rac/ASM/DG/DG Broker, etc.

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.
• Mastery of synchronous/asynchronous redo transport (Maximum Performance mode), broker configuration, automated health validation, and executing zero-data-loss database switchovers under a strict 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 (Transparent Data Encryption), 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 DG Broker architected solutions.
• Construct detailed runbooks for TDE and Database Vault solutions for enhanced security features.
• 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.
• Ability to 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.