Mainframe Developer

As a Mainframe Modernization Enterprise Architect , you will make an impact by leading the target-state architecture for a large-scale legacy modernization program across a complex portfolio of applications. You will be a valued member of the technology delivery team and work collaboratively with client stakeholders, architecture leaders, engineering teams, and GenAI-enabled delivery workstreams.

In this role, you will:

• Own the end-to-end target-state architecture across legacy decomposition, API layer, front-end, data, cloud, and integration patterns for a portfolio of approximately 50 applications.
• Define modernization sequencing and architecture runway based on application complexity, dependencies, risks, and business priorities.
• Lead architecture governance, including Architecture Review Boards, solution design approvals, reusable standards, and technical decision-making across parallel teams.
• Guide the extraction and validation of business rules, data structures, control flow, and requirements from COBOL, JCL, copybooks, CICS, VSAM/DB2, and other mainframe artifacts.
• Define architecture and orchestration standards for Claude-based GenAI agents supporting automated COBOL rule extraction, forward engineering, Java service generation, Angular component generation, and test-case creation.
• Establish prompt engineering standards, agent evaluation criteria, human-in-the-loop validation checkpoints, and guardrails for accuracy, auditability, and hallucination risk.
• Define microservices, API, event-driven, Angular front-end, cloud, DevOps, observability, security, and quality standards across modernization teams.
• Act as the technical escalation point across workstreams, tracking architecture KPIs such as extraction accuracy, code-generation acceptance rate, defect leakage, and migration velocity.

Work model

We believe hybrid work is the way forward as we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible. Based on this role’s business requirements, this is a hybrid position in a client office in Hartford, CT . Regardless of your working arrangement, we are here to support a healthy work-life balance through our various wellbeing programs.

The working arrangements for this role are accurate as of the date of posting. This may change based on the project you’re engaged in, as well as business and client requirements. Rest assured; we will always be clear about role expectations.

• 15+ years of experience in software architecture, including 5+ years leading large-scale mainframe modernization or legacy transformation programs across multi-application portfolios.
• Strong hands-on knowledge of legacy/mainframe technologies, including COBOL, JCL, CICS, VSAM/DB2, copybooks, batch processing, and online processing patterns.
• Proven experience with reverse engineering, legacy code analysis, business rule extraction, requirement reconstruction, and traceability from legacy code to modern requirements.
• Strong architecture experience with Java, Spring Boot/Spring Cloud, REST or GraphQL API design, microservices, and event-driven architecture.
• Experience defining Angular front-end architecture, including component architecture, state management, design-system adoption, and reuse of enterprise component libraries.
• Deep AWS cloud architecture experience across compute, storage, networking, security, IAM, CI/CD landing zones, performance, resiliency, scalability, observability, and cost optimization.
• Experience with GenAI or agentic systems, including LLM-based agent design, prompt engineering, tool orchestration, and AI-assisted code transformation.
• Strong leadership, documentation, stakeholder management, and technical governance skills, with the ability to align multiple teams toward a shared modernization vision.

These will help you stand out

• Experience embedding GenAI or agentic tooling into enterprise software delivery pipelines.
• Insurance, financial services, healthcare, or other regulated-industry modernization experience.
• Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, ECS, EKS, Terraform, CloudFormation, DB2/VSAM data migration, and enterprise observability platforms.
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional certification.
• TOGAF or equivalent enterprise architecture certification.
• Experience working in offshore/onsite distributed delivery models.

Cognizant offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:

• Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance.
• Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off.
• 401(k) plan and contributions.
• Long-term/Short-term Disability.
• Paid Parental Leave.
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan.