Position: Oracle Database Migration Architect
Location: Remote
Hiring Mode: 12+ Months Contract
Job Description:
This role is focused on operating within an established VMware environment the underlying VCF platform, NSX-T network segments, and gateways will already be in place and managed by a dedicated platform team. You will not be required to design, implement, or manage VCF, NSX-T, or HCX infrastructure. Your core responsibility is ensuring Oracle Database workloads run reliably, are migrated successfully onto the platform, and are configured to VMware and Microsoft best practices.
Responsibilities:
Oracle Database Migration:
- Plan, test, and execute migrations of Oracle Database instances into VMware virtual machines within the existing VCF 9.1 environment
- Perform Oracle workload migrations between virtual machines and across environments with minimal disruption to production services
- Validate data integrity, connectivity, and application compatibility before and after each migration
- Right-size virtual machine configurations (vCPU, memory, storage I/O) based on Oracle Database workload requirements and VMware best practices
- Document migration plans, runbooks, and post-migration validation reports
Oracle Database Configuration & Best Practices on VMware:
- Configure Oracle Database instances and schemas in accordance with VMware and Oracle best practices for virtualized database workloads
- Deploy and manage Oracle Data Guard and Real Application Clusters (RAC) within the VMware virtual environment, including listener configuration, standby management, and failover testing
- Apply VMware-specific Oracle tuning recommendations including NUMA alignment, large memory pages, storage latency settings, and vCPU scheduling
- Assist with Oracle Database performance troubleshooting in the VMware context, working with the platform team where infrastructure-level investigation is required
Day-to-Day VMware Operations:
- Operate confidently within a vSphere 6.7 environment provisioning, cloning, snapshotting, and reconfiguring virtual machines as needed
- Navigate and work within a VCF 9.1 environment, utilizing existing workload domains and pre-configured resources for Oracle VM deployments
- Consume NSX-T virtual network segments and gateways already in place connecting VMs to the correct segments and troubleshooting basic VM-level connectivity issues
- Work with the storage team to present and configure datastores and VMDKs appropriately for Oracle Database performance requirements
Collaboration & Documentation:
- Work closely with DBA, application, and platform teams to coordinate migration windows and post-migration validation
- Produce clear, accurate technical documentation including migration runbooks, VM build standards, and Oracle configuration baselines
- Raise and track infrastructure requests with the platform team for any VCF, NSX-T, or HCX-related changes that fall outside the scope of this role
Required Qualifications:
Experience:
- 4+ years of hands-on experience working in VMware vSphere environments, including vSphere 6.7
- Working knowledge of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.1 sufficient to navigate the environment, understand workload domains, and deploy VMs within an existing platform
- Working knowledge of VMware NSX-T understanding of virtual network segments and logical gateway topology; ability to connect VMs to existing segments and diagnose basic connectivity issues (no design or implementation responsibility)
- Proven experience migrating Oracle Database workloads into and within VMware virtual environments
- Hands-on experience with Oracle Data Guard and/or Oracle RAC in a virtualized context
- Solid understanding of Oracle Database configuration best practices on VMware (NUMA, vCPU, memory, storage I/O)
Technical Skills:
- VMware vSphere 6.7 VM provisioning, cloning, snapshots, resource configuration, and vCenter management
- VMware VCF 9.1 workload domain awareness, VM deployment within existing domains (operational, not architectural)
- VMware NSX-T understanding of network segments, T1 gateways, and overlay networking; connecting and troubleshooting VMs at the network edge (no NSX-T design, deployment, or management required)
- Oracle Database (19c, 21c, or 23ai) installation, configuration, migration, Data Guard, RMAN backup/restore
- Oracle migration tooling RMAN, Data Pump (expdp/impdp), GoldenGate, or Transportable Tablespaces
- PowerShell, PowerCLI, and/or shell scripting for routine VMware and Oracle operational tasks
Preferred Qualifications & Certifications:
- VMware Certified Professional Data Center Virtualization (VCP-DCV 2023 or later)
- Oracle Database Administrator Certified Professional (OCP) or equivalent Oracle certification
- Familiarity with VMware Aria Operations (vROps) for monitoring VM and Oracle workload performance
- Experience with storage best practices for Oracle on VMware (thin vs. thick provisioning, VMDK alignment, datastore I/O)
- Exposure to Oracle RAC on VMware, including shared storage configuration and cluster interconnect networking
- Understanding of VMware vMotion, DRS, and HA behavior and how it affects Oracle workloads
- Experience working within ITIL-aligned change management processes in enterprise environments
Additional job information
To set clear expectations, the following activities are explicitly outside the remit of this position and are owned by a dedicated platform team:
- VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) design, architecture, deployment, or lifecycle management
- NSX-T design, implementation, upgrade, or ongoing management (including routing, micro-segmentation, firewall policy, and VPN)
- VMware HCX deployment, configuration, or management
- SDDC Manager, vSAN, or VCF workload domain administration