Principal Mainframe Z/OS System Programmer

We are seeking an accomplished and innovative Mainframe z/OS Systems Programmer(IC4) to drive strategy, architecture, and hands-on excellence within our enterprise mainframe environments. In this senior individual contributor role, you will be a technical authority, leading the design, integration, and optimization of z/OS systems and related technologies across complex, high-availability environments. You will shape roadmap decisions, mentor team members, and serve as a strategic advisor to technical leadership and key customers.

Key Responsibilities:

.Provide technical leadership and strategic direction for the design, implementation, migration, and continuous improvement of enterprise-scale z/OS environments and their subsystems.

.Serve as a domain expert for critical mainframe technologies: influencing architecture, security, automation, high availability/disaster recovery, and performance strategies.

.Lead and oversee complex system and software upgrades, integrations, and conversions, ensuring zero/minimal downtime for mission-critical workloads.

.Architect and optimize storage management, system tuning, and capacity planning, proactively identifying performance bottlenecks and inefficiencies.

.Define and enforce enterprise-wide standards, processes, and policies for mainframe system management in alignment with business and compliance objectives.

.Mentor and coach other systems programmers, fostering technical growth and succession planning within the organization.

.Drive cross-team collaborations (application, infrastructure, security, business continuity) and provide thought leadership in technical forums.

.Shape and execute automation, monitoring, and recovery strategies-using advanced scripting (JCL , Assembler, CLIST) and orchestration tools.

.Champion the adoption of new tools, technologies, and innovative practices within the mainframe ecosystem.

.Lead root cause analysis for major system incidents, providing executive-level summaries and continuous improvement recommendations.

.Responsible for all the IBM operating systems and all 3rd party software running on these mainframes are kept at supported levels. Perform upgrades as necessary.

.Act as a senior point of contact for complex customer escalations, project planning, and external vendor/partner engagements.

Required Technical and Professional Expertise:

.Extensive, expert-level knowledge of z/OS operating system architecture, security (including RACF), storage, zVM's and parallel sysplex/GDPS environments.

.Demonstrated experience leading major z/OS upgrades, migrations, and large-scale software deployments using SMP/E.

.Working knowledge of the IBM virtual Tape system and Unix System Services

.Advanced scripting abilities (JCL, REXX, OPS/REXX, CLIST, Modify Assembler EXITS) strong experience automating enterprise mainframe operations.

.In-depth experience architecting and supporting critical subsystems: JES2, DB2 (advanced utilities, ZPARMS, DDF), CICS (installation, tuning, upgrades).

.Mastery in tuning, performance analysis, and capacity planning using enterprise tools (RMF, SMF, SAS, MXG, Omegamon, Strobe, IBM Products).

.Proven leadership implementing and supporting ISV/OEM products for automation, scheduling, and tape management (e.g., Netview, BMC, CA-7, SA z/OS, Tivoli Suite etc).

.Continually research, evaluate, recommend, develop, and implement new technologies, processes, and industry best practices to improve reliability and cost-effectiveness.

.Expertise designing and executing robust disaster recovery and business continuity plans, including backup/restore and failover testing.

.Significant experience with mainframe hardware planning (LPARs, HMC) and UNIX System Services (USS) management.

.Track record of successfully addressing skill/technology gaps-mentoring, training, and shaping technical direction.

.Hardware upgrades support, including HCD work to support the I/O subsystem environment.

.Strong communication, executive presence, and ability to convey complex technical concepts to senior leadership, business partners, and customers.

.Participate in audits, both internal and external, by providing any required information and quickly responding to any corrective actions.

.Provide on call support for mainframe system related issues.

.Involved with the Business Recovery for the Mainframe systems, ensuring that the systems are restored correctly and quickly.

Education & Experience:

.Bachelor's/master's degree in computer science, Information Technology, or related field (or equivalent experience).

.8-10 years of experiencein mainframe z/OS systems programming-with substantial leadership and architecture responsibilities.

.Relevant industry certifications are an advantage.

Career Level - IC4