Database Architect

Location: Centurion, Gauteng (provisional – to be confirmed)
Positions Available: 5
Salary: Market-related
Employment Type: To be confirmed

Job Overview

We are seeking experienced and technically proficient Database Architects to design, develop, optimise and govern enterprise database architectures within complex, high-availability IT environments.

The successful candidates will be responsible for defining database architecture strategies, designing scalable database solutions, developing logical and physical data models, and ensuring enterprise database platforms meet performance, security, reliability and business requirements.

This role requires strong expertise in enterprise database architecture, relational database management systems, SQL, data modelling, database performance optimisation, high availability, disaster recovery and cloud database technologies.

The ideal candidates will have proven experience designing and implementing complex database architectures across enterprise applications, transactional systems, data platforms and cloud or hybrid environments.

Candidates must demonstrate the ability to evaluate database technologies, establish architectural standards, design resilient database structures and provide technical leadership on database modernisation, integration and migration initiatives.

The role requires collaboration with enterprise architects, data architects, database administrators, application developers, infrastructure engineers, cybersecurity specialists and business stakeholders.

This is a specialist database architecture role requiring substantial hands-on database design and solution architecture experience. Routine database administration, SQL development or reporting experience alone will not be sufficient.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Database Architecture and Strategy

• Design, develop and maintain enterprise database architectures.
• Define database architecture principles, standards and technical guidelines.
• Develop scalable, secure and resilient database solutions.
• Evaluate existing database environments and recommend improvements.
• Define database technology strategies and modernisation roadmaps.
• Select appropriate database platforms based on business and technical requirements.
• Ensure database architecture aligns with enterprise IT strategy.
• Design solutions for on-premises, cloud and hybrid environments.
• Review database solution designs and provide architectural approval recommendations.
• Maintain database architecture documentation and technical specifications.

Database Design and Data Modelling

• Develop conceptual, logical and physical database models.
• Design relational database schemas, tables, indexes, constraints and relationships.
• Apply appropriate normalisation and denormalisation techniques.
• Define data integrity, consistency and referential integrity controls.
• Design database structures for transactional and analytical workloads.
• Develop scalable data models supporting enterprise applications.
• Establish database naming conventions and design standards.
• Evaluate schema changes and their impact on existing systems.
• Collaborate with application and data architecture teams.
• Maintain accurate database design documentation.

Database Performance and Optimisation

• Design database architectures that support high performance and scalability.
• Evaluate SQL query performance and execution plans.
• Recommend indexing, partitioning and query optimisation strategies.
• Identify database bottlenecks and architectural constraints.
• Define database performance standards and monitoring requirements.
• Support capacity planning for growing enterprise workloads.
• Evaluate database configuration and resource utilisation.
• Recommend performance improvements for high-volume systems.
• Support database performance testing and benchmarking.
• Collaborate with DBAs and development teams to resolve complex performance issues.

High Availability, Resilience and Disaster Recovery

• Architect highly available database environments.
• Design database replication, clustering and failover solutions.
• Define database backup and recovery architecture requirements.
• Establish recovery time and recovery point objectives.
• Design database solutions that minimise single points of failure.
• Support disaster recovery planning and testing.
• Evaluate data replication and synchronisation technologies.
• Ensure database solutions support business continuity requirements.
• Define appropriate resilience and redundancy patterns.
• Review database recovery procedures and operational readiness.

Database Security and Compliance

• Design secure enterprise database architectures.
• Define database access control and authentication requirements.
• Incorporate encryption, auditing and monitoring controls.
• Support database vulnerability and security assessments.
• Ensure database designs align with organisational security policies.
• Apply least-privilege and role-based access principles.
• Protect sensitive and confidential information.
• Support compliance with POPIA and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Collaborate with cybersecurity teams on database security controls.
• Address database security risks during architecture reviews.

Cloud Database Architecture

• Design and implement cloud-native and hybrid database solutions.
• Evaluate managed database services and cloud database technologies.
• Architect database environments on Microsoft Azure, AWS or equivalent platforms.
• Design cloud database scalability, availability and recovery capabilities.
• Assess migration opportunities from legacy databases to cloud platforms.
• Recommend appropriate database deployment and service models.
• Evaluate cloud database performance and cost considerations.
• Support database modernisation and platform consolidation.
• Define secure cloud database connectivity and access patterns.
• Ensure cloud database solutions align with enterprise architecture standards.

Database Integration and Data Movement

• Design database integration and data exchange patterns.
• Define data replication, synchronisation and movement requirements.
• Support ETL/ELT architecture and enterprise data integration.
• Evaluate change data capture and event-driven integration approaches.
• Ensure database architectures support application integration requirements.
• Collaborate with data engineers on data pipelines and integration processes.
• Support database migration and consolidation programmes.
• Assess integration dependencies and potential performance impacts.
• Establish data consistency and reconciliation requirements.
• Review database integration designs for scalability and reliability.

Database Migration and Modernisation

• Develop database migration and modernisation strategies.
• Assess legacy database environments and architectural limitations.
• Define migration approaches for on-premises and cloud platforms.
• Evaluate schema conversion and compatibility requirements.
• Support database consolidation and platform upgrades.
• Design migration architectures that minimise downtime and data loss.
• Collaborate with migration specialists and DBAs on technical execution.
• Review migration testing, validation and rollback strategies.
• Support post-migration performance and stability assessments.
• Ensure modernised database environments meet enterprise requirements.

Database Governance and Standards

• Establish and maintain enterprise database design standards.
• Define database lifecycle management principles.
• Support data governance and metadata management requirements.
• Maintain architecture diagrams and technical design records.
• Establish database technology selection and approval criteria.
• Ensure consistency across enterprise database implementations.
• Support database audits and compliance reviews.
• Define database documentation and configuration standards.
• Participate in architecture governance forums.
• Promote continuous improvement of database architecture practices.

Technical Leadership and Collaboration

• Provide architectural guidance to DBAs, developers and engineering teams.
• Review database designs and recommend technical improvements.
• Resolve complex database architecture challenges.
• Collaborate with enterprise architects on solution design.
• Support technical planning and architecture decision-making.
• Evaluate emerging database technologies and architectural approaches.
• Mentor technical teams on database design best practices.
• Communicate architecture decisions to technical and business stakeholders.
• Support vendor and technology assessments.
• Contribute to enterprise technology roadmaps.

Minimum Requirements

• Relevant degree or diploma in Computer Science, Information Technology, Information Systems, Software Engineering, Data Engineering or a related technical discipline.
• Typically 7+ years of relevant experience working with enterprise database technologies.
• Typically 3+ years of hands-on Database Architect, Database Solution Architect or equivalent database architecture experience.
• Proven experience designing complex enterprise database architectures – essential.
• Advanced SQL and relational database design expertise.
• Strong conceptual, logical and physical data modelling skills.
• Experience with enterprise relational database management systems.
• Demonstrated expertise in database schema design, indexing and optimisation.
• Experience designing high-availability, replication and disaster recovery solutions.
• Strong understanding of database security, access control and encryption.
• Knowledge of database integration and data movement architectures.
• Experience with database migration, modernisation or platform consolidation.
• Understanding of cloud database technologies and managed database services.
• Experience working with high-volume or mission-critical enterprise systems.
• Strong database performance analysis and optimisation capabilities.
• Familiarity with database governance, architecture standards and documentation.
• Ability to translate business requirements into technical database architectures.
• Experience collaborating with enterprise architects, DBAs and development teams.
• Strong technical problem-solving and stakeholder communication abilities.

Technical Skills and Competencies

Enterprise Database Technologies

Strong expertise in one or more enterprise database platforms, with exposure to additional technologies advantageous:

• Microsoft SQL Server
• Oracle Database
• PostgreSQL
• MySQL
• IBM Db2
• MariaDB
• Other enterprise relational database platforms
• Database architecture and design
• SQL query optimisation
• Stored procedures and database programming
• Schema management
• Indexing and partitioning
• Transaction management

Database Design and Modelling

• Conceptual data modelling
• Logical data modelling
• Physical data modelling
• Entity relationship modelling
• Database normalisation
• Database denormalisation
• Referential integrity
• Schema optimisation
• Database design patterns
• Data consistency and integrity
• Transactional database design
• Analytical database design

High Availability and Disaster Recovery

• Database replication
• Database clustering
• Automatic and manual failover
• Backup and recovery architecture
• Disaster recovery planning
• Recovery Time Objectives (RTO)
• Recovery Point Objectives (RPO)
• Database redundancy
• Business continuity
• High-availability design patterns
• Data synchronisation
• Resilience testing

Cloud Database Technologies

Experience with relevant platforms such as:

• Microsoft Azure
• Azure SQL Database
• Azure SQL Managed Instance
• Azure Database for PostgreSQL
• Amazon Web Services
• Amazon RDS
• Amazon Aurora
• Amazon Redshift
• Google Cloud SQL
• Oracle Cloud Infrastructure
• Cloud-native database architecture
• Hybrid database environments
• Managed database services

NoSQL and Distributed Database Technologies

Knowledge of relevant technologies would be advantageous:

• MongoDB
• Azure Cosmos DB
• Cassandra
• Redis
• DynamoDB
• Distributed database architectures
• Document databases
• Key-value databases
• Horizontal scaling
• Sharding and partitioning
• Data consistency models

Database Performance and Monitoring

• SQL execution plan analysis
• Query tuning
• Index optimisation
• Database partitioning
• Performance benchmarking
• Database workload analysis
• Capacity planning
• Resource utilisation monitoring
• Database performance troubleshooting
• Database monitoring platforms
• Enterprise database diagnostics

Data Integration and Migration

• ETL/ELT architecture
• Data replication
• Change data capture
• Database migration
• Schema conversion
• Data synchronisation
• Data validation
• Data reconciliation
• Enterprise application integration
• Data pipeline architecture
• Legacy database modernisation

Database Security and Governance

• Role-based access control
• Database authentication
• Database encryption
• Data masking
• Database auditing
• Security monitoring
• Data classification
• Data retention
• POPIA awareness
• Database governance
• Metadata management
• Secure database design

Architecture and Delivery Frameworks

• TOGAF awareness
• DAMA-DMBOK principles
• Enterprise architecture
• Solution architecture
• Technical design documentation
• Architecture governance
• Agile delivery methodologies
• DevOps principles
• Database CI/CD awareness
• Infrastructure as Code awareness
• Change management
• Technical risk management

Relevant Certifications (Advantageous)

One or more of the following certifications would be beneficial:

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate
• Oracle Database Administration certifications
• Oracle Database architecture or cloud certifications
• AWS Certified Database – Specialty
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect
• Google Cloud Professional Cloud Database Engineer
• IBM Db2 certifications
• PostgreSQL professional certifications
• MongoDB professional certifications
• TOGAF Certification
• Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP)
• Relevant database architecture, cloud or enterprise architecture certifications

Key Personal Attributes

• Strong analytical and technical problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent understanding of complex database systems.
• Ability to design scalable and resilient enterprise solutions.
• Strong attention to detail and architectural accuracy.
• Excellent technical documentation skills.
• Ability to evaluate competing technology options objectively.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication abilities.
• Ability to lead technical design discussions.
• Structured approach to architecture governance and risk management.
• Ability to work effectively across multidisciplinary technical teams.
• Strong organisational and prioritisation skills.
• Commitment to database security, reliability and performance.
• High levels of professionalism, accountability and integrity.

Application Requirements

Interested candidates should submit an updated CV clearly demonstrating their database architecture and enterprise database design experience, together with copies of relevant qualifications and professional certifications.

Candidates should specifically highlight:

• Years of enterprise database and architecture experience.
• Database platforms and technologies personally architected.
• Complex database architectures designed and implemented.
• Conceptual, logical and physical data modelling responsibilities.
• Database performance optimisation and scalability experience.
• High-availability, replication and disaster recovery designs.
• Cloud database architecture and modernisation projects.
• Database security and governance responsibilities.
• Database migration and integration architecture experience.
• Enterprise systems supported and technical leadership responsibilities.
• Relevant database, cloud and architecture certifications.

Important: This is a specialist Database Architect role requiring demonstrable experience designing and leading enterprise database architecture solutions. General SQL development, routine database administration, data analysis or business intelligence reporting without substantial database architecture experience will not meet the intended specialist profile.

Please note: This is a provisional recruitment specification prepared pending confirmation of the client's detailed requirements. The preferred technologies, minimum experience, qualifications, certifications, remuneration, employment arrangements and working conditions will be confirmed during the recruitment process.