Mainframe Modernization SME

Must currently play a leadership or decision maker role on one or more technical teams, evaluating technologies or design patterns and overseeing their implementation from concept to working product. Responsible for hands-on technical delivery of mainframe modernization engagements including legacy code analysis, cloud-native microservices architecture, database migration, batch processing migration, Kubernetes deployment, and CI/CD automation. Must be able to independently analyze legacy COBOL/JCL/VSAM systems, design and implement modern Java/Spring Boot replacements, build and manage relational database schemas, deploy to cloud Kubernetes environments, and troubleshoot end-to-end across the full modernization stack. Support marketing activities for related offerings. Assist with technical write-ups for proposal responses. Participate in weekly and monthly team meetings. Other similar professional duties may be assigned as needed. Support delivery of mainframe modernization engagements.

Required technical and professional expertise

• Must possess at time of hire and have the ability to maintain a Secret Clearance

• Provide methods, tools, techniques expertise related to mainframe modernization. Lead hands-on technical delivery of legacy mainframe-to-cloud migration projects including COBOL/JCL inventory analysis, cloud-native microservices development, relational database schema design, Kubernetes deployment, and CI/CD pipeline engineering.

• Ability to read, analyze, and decompose production COBOL programs, JCL jobs, VSAM datasets, copybooks (COPY/COPYLIB), and embedded SQL. Understand mainframe batch processing patterns including sequential file I/O (QSAM), KSDS/ESDS/RRDS VSAM operations, SORT/MERGE utilities, IDCAMS, IEBGENER, and conditional step execution via return codes and COND parameters. Map legacy data structures (PIC clauses, COMP-3 packed decimal, EBCDIC encoding, implied decimals, overpunch signs, binary COMP fields) to modern equivalents. Understand JCL PROC parameterization, GDG management, and JES job scheduling.

• Design and implement microservices using modern frameworks (Spring Boot, Spring Batch, or equivalent). Build batch processing jobs that replicate mainframe batch pipelines including chunk-oriented processing, database-driven paging readers, step-scoped components, and job parameterization. Implement ORM entity mappings with correct schema qualification, data type precision/scale for financial numeric types, and JSON column mappings. Build REST APIs for job triggering and operational status.

• Design and maintain relational schemas across multiple database schemas. Write and debug complex SQL including multi-table JOINs, window functions, aggregations, and conditional filtering. Manage database initialization scripts, ALTER TABLE migrations for running databases, and schema drift detection by comparing ORM entity definitions against actual database DDL dumps. Handle UUID primary keys, generated columns, partial indexes, sequence management, and schema-level isolation for batch vs. transactional data.

• Deploy containerized microservices to Kubernetes (EKS, AKS, GKE, or OpenShift). Build Helm charts with ConfigMaps, Secrets, Ingress, and service definitions. Configure managed relational database services, object storage, and container registries. Understand government cloud constraints including hardened base images, service account authentication, and restricted registry access. Troubleshoot pod failures, resource limits, and cross-service connectivity.

• Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines (GitLab CI, Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or equivalent) with multi-stage builds. Automate container image builds, database schema setup, multi-service builds (10+ services), and Helm deployments. Handle air-gapped and restricted environments requiring image mirroring and alternative build tooling (BuildKit, Kaniko).

• Translate mainframe batch job flows (JCL PROC chains with COND parameters, multi-step jobs) into modern batch processing pipelines with steps, tasklets, and chunk processing. Implement data converters for packed decimal (COMP-3), signed numeric (overpunch), implied decimal, and EBCDIC-to-ASCII translation. Build fixed-width file readers/writers that map COBOL copybook field layouts to modern data structures. Design staging table patterns for transaction processing pipelines. Replace mainframe utilities (IDCAMS, DFSORT, IEBGENER) with programmatic equivalents.

• Diagnose and fix runtime errors across the full modernization stack: SQL grammar errors from column/table mismatches, ORM entity mapping failures, data type truncation errors, missing column errors from schema drift, and ambiguous column references in JOINs. Compare production database DDL dumps against application code (entity definitions and native SQL queries) to identify and resolve discrepancies. Generate targeted database migrations for running systems without downtime.

• Decompose monolithic mainframe applications into bounded-context microservices. Design service boundaries based on mainframe program groupings and functional domains. Implement shared libraries with COBOL data converters, VSAM-equivalent database readers, mainframe utility replacements, and report writers that replicate mainframe print output (SYSPRINT/SYSOUT). Manage cross-service dependencies and shared schema access patterns.

• Experience with containerization (Docker/Podman), container orchestration (Kubernetes), object storage (S3/MinIO), message brokers (Kafka), caching (Redis), API gateways, monitoring and observability (Prometheus/Grafana), distributed tracing (Jaeger), workflow orchestration (Airflow), and identity management (Keycloak/OAuth2). Understand infrastructure-as-code for cloud-native deployments. Assist the Tech Lead coordinate tasks

• Proficiency using AI coding assistants (Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, or equivalent) to accelerate mainframe modernization tasks including legacy code analysis, schema reconciliation, test generation, and bulk code migration. Ability to effectively direct AI tools for complex multi-file refactoring, cross-service debugging, and documentation generation.

Preferred technical and professional experience

• Experience with government mortgage-backed securities or similar federal financial systems (3+ years)

• Experience with IBM mainframe z/OS, TSO/ISPF, JES2/JES3 (3+ years)

• Knowledge of financial industry file formats and electronic payment processing (2+ years)

• Frontend development (React/TypeScript) for admin dashboards or terminal emulators (2+ years)

• Experience with API mocking frameworks for service virtualization during migration

• Knowledge of FedRAMP/FISMA compliance requirements for government cloud deployments

A career in IBM Consulting is built on long-term client relationships and close collaboration worldwide. You'll work with leading companies across industries, helping them shape their hybrid cloud and AI journeys. With support from our strategic partners, robust IBM technology, and Red Hat, you'll have the tools to drive meaningful change and accelerate client impact. At IBM Consulting, curiosity fuels success. You'll be encouraged to challenge the norm, explore new ideas, and create innovative solutions that deliver real results. Our culture of growth and empathy focuses on your long-term career development while valuing your unique skills and experiences.