IT Mainframe Developer

The IT Mainframe Developer designs, develops, enhances, maintains, and supports enterprise applications running on mainframe platforms. The role focuses on delivering reliable, secure, and high-performing solutions for critical business systems, often supporting banking, insurance, retail, healthcare, manufacturing, or other large-scale enterprises., * Design, develop, test, debug, and maintain mainframe applications.

• Develop and enhance applications using COBOL, JCL, CICS, DB2, and VSAM.
• Analyze business and technical requirements and translate them into application solutions.
• Perform application coding, unit testing, integration testing, and production implementation.
• Troubleshoot production issues and perform root-cause analysis.
• Optimize application performance, batch processing, and database operations.
• Develop and maintain JCL jobs, procedures, utilities, and batch processes.
• Work with DB2 databases, including SQL development, data access, and performance optimization.
• Develop and support CICS online transaction-processing applications.
• Maintain interfaces between mainframe applications and distributed/cloud systems.
• Participate in application modernization, migration, and integration initiatives.
• Perform impact analysis for system enhancements and changes.
• Prepare technical specifications, design documentation, test plans, and deployment documentation.
• Follow SDLC, change-management, security, and IT governance standards.
• Collaborate with business analysts, architects, QA teams, infrastructure teams, and other developers.
• Participate in production support and on-call rotations, where required.

Batch processing/job control

DB2

Database & SQL

CICS

Online transaction processing

VSAM

File/data management

z/OS

Mainframe operating system

TSO/ISPF

Mainframe development environment

Endevor / ChangeMan

Source & change management

Git / CI/CD

Increasingly used in modernization

REXX

Scripting/automation

MQ

Enterprise messaging

CA7 / Control-M

Job scheduling

Mainframe Development Lifecycle

Requirements * Design * COBOL/JCL Development * DB2/CICS Development * Unit Testing * Integration Testing * QA * Production Deployment * Production Support, * Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or related field.

• Typically 5+ years of mainframe development experience for a senior position.
• Strong experience with COBOL, JCL, DB2, and CICS.
• Experience with SDLC and enterprise application development.
• Strong troubleshooting and analytical skills.
• Experience working with production-critical applications.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.

Senior Mainframe Developer

For a Senior IT Mainframe Developer, employers commonly expect additional experience with:

• Complex COBOL application architecture
• DB2 performance tuning
• CICS transaction optimization
• Large-scale batch processing
• Production incident management
• Application modernization
• Mainframe-to-cloud integration
• API and distributed-system integration
• Technical leadership and mentoring
• Code reviews and development standards
• Migration/conversion projects