Mainframe Developer

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Mainframe Developer with DevOps Migration

Location: Atlanta, GA, Maryland, MD

Visa: OPT /STEM OPT/ H1B

Duration: Long-term contract

Video Interview

Required Skills

• 6+ years Strong experience with COBOL, PL/I, JCL, REXX, and Assembler programming.
• Hands-on experience in IBM z/OS mainframe environments.
• Strong knowledge of DB2 for z/OS, CICS, IMS, and batch processing systems.
• Experience implementing CI/CD pipelines for mainframe applications.
• Expertise with IBM DBB, Jenkins, GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket, and DevOps automation tools.
• Experience with mainframe migration and modernization projects.
• Prior experience in large enterprise modernization or migration programs.
• Experience integrating mainframe DevOps with enterprise tools such as Jira, Confluence, and ServiceNow.
• Strong understanding of SMP/E, IDCAMS, FTP/XMIT, and dataset management.
• Experience troubleshooting production issues and performance tuning.
• Excellent communication, documentation, and stakeholder management skills.

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced Mainframe Developer with strong expertise in DevOps Migration to support modernization initiatives for enterprise mainframe environments. The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience in legacy application development, z/OS support, CI/CD enablement, and migration planning/execution within large-scale enterprise environments.

Key Responsibilities

Mainframe Development & Support

• Design, develop, and maintain mainframe applications using COBOL, PL/I, JCL, REXX, and Assembler.
• Analyze existing legacy programs and batch jobs to assess modernization readiness and reusability.
• Develop and optimize DB2 for z/OS queries, stored procedures, and data access logic.
• Support CICS and IMS transaction processing applications throughout the development lifecycle.
• Troubleshoot and resolve production incidents, abends, and performance issues in z/OS environments.

DevOps & CI/CD Enablement

• Implement and manage CI/CD pipelines for mainframe application delivery using IBM Dependency Based Build (DBB), Jenkins, Tekton, or equivalent tooling.
• Migrate mainframe source code to Git-based version control (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket) and establish branching and release strategies.
• Develop automated unit and regression test frameworks for COBOL/PL/I programs using tools such as IBM Rational Test RealTime or IBM Z Open Testing.
• Define and enforce DevOps standards, code review practices, and deployment governance for mainframe delivery teams.
• Integrate mainframe build and deploy processes with enterprise DevOps platforms (Jira, Confluence, ServiceNow).

Migration Planning & Execution

• Conduct discovery and impact analysis of z/OS workloads — JCL, batch jobs, datasets, and application interdependencies — to support migration planning.
• Prepare detailed migration plans, task breakdowns, and effort estimates for management and stakeholder review.
• Execute controlled migrations between environments (Dev, Test, Production) ensuring data integrity and minimal downtime.
• Manage cross-LPAR dataset transfers, SMP/E activities, and library migrations using approved methods (FTP, XMIT, IDCAMS).
• Document pre- and post-migration states, cutover procedures, and rollback plans.

Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement

• Work closely with infrastructure teams on LPAR configuration, storage, and system software upgrades (e.g., DB2 version upgrades, IBM software installs).
• Coordinate with application owners, QA teams, and project managers to align delivery timelines and resolve technical dependencies.
• Contribute to DevOps capability-building by coaching junior developers and conducting internal knowledge-transfer sessions.
• Prepare technical documentation, runbooks, and status reports for internal and client audiences.