Oracle PL/SQL developer

Position: Oracle PL/SQL developer
Location: 2 positions will sit in Plano Texas and 2 positions will sit in Charlotte, NC
Onsite: 3 days onsite
Interview process: 2 video interviews to hire, no onsite interviews will be done.
Contract: 6-18 months

Overview: Client is hiring 4 Sr. Oracle Database Developers who can contribute immediately, partner effectively with technical teams, and support ongoing application enhancements. They are seeking candidates who can go beyond coding and demonstrate solution design, communication, and problem-solving abilities and have struggled with candidate quality. Major issues are misalignment technically - some candidates unable to adequately answer questions about their resumes like "What is your most exciting accomplishment/thing you did in your career?" or "What did you personally do on this project vs. the team?". Others unable to answer basic PL/SQL questions. On the other side, manager is getting candidates with a lot of experience who demonstrate an overall lack of passion and enthusiasm for their job. Needs someone who is curious, wants to continue learning, and brings energy to the role.


Role Notes:

• 4 openings total: 2 in Plano, TX and 2 in Charlotte, NC. Hiring is ongoing as the team continues to onboard new resources.
• Manager starts interviews by discussing the candidate's resume and experience before diving into technical questions. Strong emphasis is placed on understanding the candidate's actual contributions versus the overall project accomplishments.
• Looking for developers who can think critically, design solutions, and communicate effectively with teammates and business users, not just individuals who can write code. The team values problem-solving and solution ownership over pure development execution.
• Oracle database development is heavily focused on solution design, creating technical approaches, and developing enhancements to existing applications.
• Candidates should be capable of contributing from day one and be comfortable working within an Agile environment using user stories and business requirements.
• Ideal candidates can clearly explain:
  • Their most impactful or exciting project experience.
  • Their specific technical contributions.
  • Design decisions they influenced.
  • Challenges they solved independently.
• Manager is seeing candidates with strong resumes who struggle to answer fundamental technical and experience-based questions, particularly around PL/SQL development and project ownership.
• Seeking candidates with approximately 7+ years of experience who still demonstrate energy, curiosity, adaptability, and a desire to learn. There is concern that some highly tenured candidates (15+ years) may be overly set in their ways and less adaptable to new approaches.
• Preference for software developers and application-focused database engineers rather than individuals whose experience is primarily application support or maintenance.
• The role will initially focus on implementing enhancements and adding functionality to existing systems rather than creating entirely new designs from scratch.
• After onboarding, developers will receive user stories and requirements such as:
  • Adding new functionality to existing processes.
  • Creating reports from existing data.
  • Developing PL/SQL solutions to support business requests.
  • Enhancing existing database functions, tables, and processes.
• The typical workflow includes:
  • Reviewing user stories.
  • Designing a technical solution.
  • Creating design documentation.
  • Participating in design reviews.
  • Developing and testing the solution.
  • Supporting QA through validation and defect resolution.
• Approximately 90% of the work is performed in partnership with .NET developers. Database developers and application developers work closely together to design, build, and deliver enhancements.
• Candidates may occasionally support QA-related activities as part of the development lifecycle.

Requirements:

• 7+ years of Oracle database development experience.
• Strong PL/SQL development expertise (packages, procedures, functions, queries, database objects).
• Experience designing and implementing database solutions.
• Ability to create technical design documentation.
• Experience developing enhancements to existing applications and systems.
• Agile/Scrum experience working from user stories.
• Experience partnering with .NET development teams.
• Ability to translate business requirements into technical solutions.
• Experience supporting full software development lifecycle activities.
• Ability to work on enhancements, reporting solutions, and backend processing initiatives.
• Comfortable supporting QA and testing efforts when needed.
• Strong communication skills.
• Ability to articulate personal contributions and accomplishments.
• Solution-oriented mindset.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• High energy, curiosity, and willingness to learn.
• Strong collaboration skills and ability to work with business and technical teams.