Senior GIS Database Migration Architect - Remote

Ideally looking for a Data/Database/DBA background with architecture experience.
Role: Senior GIS Database Migration Architect
Location: Houston, TX (hybrid) or Remote
Duration: 6-month Contract-to-Hire
W2, Candidates must be eligible to work in US without sponsorship now or in future.

Must have the following experience:
Esri enterprise environment experience
GIS experience
Experience managing an enterprise Database - must have Postgres/PostgreSQL/PostGIS experience
Migration or Assessment experience

Hands-on GIS database migration architect to serve as the primary technical lead for an enterprise Oracle-to-PostgreSQL/PostGIS GIS migration assessment. This person will perform the majority of the technical discovery, analysis, architecture, documentation, and roadmap development required to assess a large Esri Enterprise Geodatabase environment and prepare a defensible migration plan. The engagement is assessment-focused: the role will validate current-state conditions, identify compatibility and dependency risks, define remediation options, and build the phased migration roadmap/runbook. Production migration execution is not part of this phase.

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressively responsible GIS, spatial database, database architecture, or data migration experience, including substantial hands-on work in enterprise Esri environments.
• Demonstrated experience assessing or planning migrations from Oracle Enterprise Geodatabases to PostgreSQL/PostGIS. Direct migration implementation experience is strongly preferred.
• Advanced Oracle skills, including SQL, schema and dependency analysis, data types, spatial capabilities, indexing, query analysis, security, and migration risk identification.
• Advanced PostgreSQL/PostGIS skills, including spatial types and functions, schema design, indexing, query tuning, permissions, backup and recovery considerations, and operational support patterns.
• Strong working knowledge of ArcGIS Enterprise 11.x, Portal for ArcGIS, ArcGIS Server, Enterprise Geodatabases, ArcGIS Pro, services, attachments, Global IDs, relationship classes, versioning, and spatial references.
• Experience analyzing ETL and integration patterns using tools such as FME, Python, SQL, ArcPy, APIs, scheduled jobs, or comparable orchestration approaches.
• Working knowledge of Azure architecture relevant to PostgreSQL/PostGIS and Esri workloads, including identity, networking, private connectivity, monitoring, backup, resilience, security, and migration planning.
• Ability to independently lead technical discovery, facilitate workshops, document complex environments, evaluate trade-offs, and convert findings into client-ready reports and roadmaps.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to explain database and GIS risks to architects, operations leaders, project stakeholders, and executives.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in oil and gas, utilities, infrastructure, or another asset-intensive environment with large enterprise GIS estates.
• Experience with ArcGIS Online, Survey123, Power BI, Spotfire, Snowflake-hosted PostgreSQL patterns, and hybrid on-premises/cloud architectures.
• Experience designing data validation, reconciliation, profiling, lineage, metadata, and governance controls for spatial data migrations.
• Familiarity with Azure Database for PostgreSQL, Azure networking and identity patterns, infrastructure-as-code, CI/CD, and observability practices.
• Relevant Esri, PostgreSQL, Oracle, Microsoft Azure, or data architecture certifications. Certifications are valued, but demonstrated delivery experience is more important.