Systems Administrator / Operations Support Specialist

emergiTEL Inc.; Toronto; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A technology services company is looking for a Systems Administrator / Operations Support Specialist in Toronto. The role involves providing advanced operational and technical support for mission-critical applications in a large mainframe environment. Candidates should have over 10 years of experience in mainframe batch processing, strong skills in JCL, and familiarity with ITIL processes. The position requires excellent analytical abilities and communication skills, along with the ability to work independently in high-pressure scenarios.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience supporting mainframe batch processing in complex environments.
• Strong expertise in JCL, TSO / ISPF, and file transfer protocols.
• Experience with ITIL frameworks, particularly incident, change, and release management.

Responsibilities

• Provide advanced technical coordination for batch processing operations.
• Support JCL job development, testing, and implementation.
• Monitor file transfers and manage client confirmations.

Skills

Mainframe batch processing

JCL

TSO / ISPF

SFTP, FTP, IND$ file transfers

Analytical skills

Clear communication

Independent work

Troubleshooting skills

Detail-oriented

Tools

ISPF

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job Title: Systems Administrator / Operations Support Specialist

Work Arrangement: Onsite
Work Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (excluding lunch)

Role Overview

The Systems Administrator / Operations Support Specialist provides advanced operational and technical support for a mission-critical, public-facing enterprise application operating in a large-scale mainframe environment.

This role focuses on batch processing, file transfers, incident and change management, operational stability, and automation support, while ensuring compliance with ITIL processes.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide advanced technical coordination for batch processing operations in a large mainframe environment

• Support development, testing, and implementation of JCL jobs, reporting tools, and operational utilities

• Monitor and manage file transfers using SFTP, FTP, and IND$ for overnight and transactional processing

• Monitor input queues and respond to client confirmations and inquiries related to file processing

• Lead incident analysis, root‑cause identification, and resolution for batch processing issues

• Ensure ITIL processes (incident, change, and release management) are consistently followed

• Coordinate and lead change and release implementations for production environments

• Maintain and update operational procedures and documentation as systems and processes evolve

• Provide expert technical guidance to stakeholders and support future automation initiatives

• Deliver technical training and knowledge transfer to supporting resources

• Participate in on‑call support as required to ensure operational continuity

Required Skills & Experience

Core Technical Experience

• 10+ years of hands‑on experience supporting mainframe batch processing in large, complex enterprise environments

• Advanced expertise with:

  • JCL

  • TSO / ISPF

  • Mainframe dataset structures

  • SFTP, FTP, IND$ file transfers

• Strong experience supporting overnight transactional processing and application recovery procedures

• Experience monitoring and managing email queues and operational inputs tied to batch processing

• Strong understanding of application recovery, restart, and operational resilience

• Experience supporting mission‑critical, high‑availability applications

Operations & Process Expertise

• Proven experience working within ITIL frameworks, specifically:

  • Incident Management

  • Change Management

  • Release Management

• Experience leading or coordinating production support, migrations, or tool implementations

• Strong documentation skills for operational procedures, runbooks, and change records

Tools & Environment

• Mainframe utilities: ISPF, JCL, file transfer protocols

• Enterprise reporting and monitoring tools

• Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, email tools)

• Experience working in Tier‑4 or equivalent enterprise infrastructure environments

Soft Skills

• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills

• Clear written and verbal communication skills

• Ability to work independently in high‑pressure production environments

• Proven ability to coordinate with multiple stakeholders

• Detail‑oriented with strong ownership mindset