Senior Mainframe Architect

V2Soft • Auburn Hills, MI

4d

About The Position

V2Soft is seeking a Senior Mainframe Architect to set the architecture, standards, and roadmap for a client’s IBM Z estate, which supports mission-critical manufacturing, supply chain, dealer network, finance, and customer processes. The role is a hands-on subject matter expert across the z/OS ecosystem and provides technical direction to the client’s external managed services partner, Kyndryl.

The architect will define target-state architecture and a multi-year roadmap for z/OS, CICS, DB2, IMS, and WebSphere Liberty; design scalable, secure, highly available solutions integrating mainframe systems with enterprise and cloud platforms; and evaluate modernization options with clear cost, risk, and value cases. The role also establishes standards, patterns, and governance for mainframe changes.

This position provides technical leadership for complex incidents, performance issues, and root cause analysis; guides application and platform teams across transaction processing, database management, and batch job control; and architects WebSphere Liberty on z/OS for Java workloads and REST/JSON services. It also provides guidance on COBOL application design, maintenance, and modernization.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experience.
• 12+ years of mainframe experience, including 5+ years in an architect or senior technical lead role.
• Proficiency with IBM z/OS and related environments, including system programming concepts, Parallel Sysplex, and storage.
• Expertise in CICS, DB2, IMS, and JCL.
• Hands-on experience with IBM WebSphere Liberty on z/OS.
• Working knowledge of messaging on z/OS, such as IBM MQ.
• Experience working with an external outsourcing partner.
• Excellent communication skills, including presenting to senior leadership.

Nice To Haves

• Kyndryl experience.
• Experience with z/OS Connect, API management, and hybrid cloud integration.
• Mainframe DevOps experience with Git, CI/CD, automated testing, IBM DBB, Zowe, or Ansible for z/OS.
• Familiarity with Omegamon, NetView, SA z/OS, and CICSPlex SM.
• Experience in automotive or large-scale manufacturing.
• Certifications such as IBM Z, ITIL, TOGAF, or cloud architecture credentials.

Responsibilities

• Define target-state architecture and a multi-year roadmap for z/OS, CICS, DB2, IMS, and WebSphere Liberty.
• Design scalable, secure, high-availability solutions that integrate the mainframe with enterprise systems and cloud platforms.
• Evaluate and recommend modernization approaches, including API enablement, hybrid cloud, refactoring, and selective migration, with cost, risk, and value cases.
• Establish architectural standards, patterns, and governance for mainframe changes.
• Serve as the escalation point for complex incidents, performance issues, and root cause analysis.
• Guide application and platform teams on transaction processing (CICS, IMS TM), database management (DB2, IMS DB), and batch job control (JCL).
• Architect WebSphere Liberty on z/OS for Java workloads and REST/JSON services connecting mainframe applications to distributed and cloud systems.
• Provide guidance on COBOL application design, maintenance, and modernization.
• Provide technical direction to the external managed services partner, Kyndryl.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior