Senior IBM AS400 / RPG Retail Application Consultant – Modernization & Support

ThoughtStorm; Mississauga; On-site; CAD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

ThoughtStorm is seeking a highly experienced Senior Retail Technology Consultant / Application SME to deliver L2/L3 support for IBM AS400-based retail applications and lead modernization, migration and integration initiatives in large-scale retail and pharmacy environments.

The role requires deep knowledge of IBM i, RPG/RPGLE, CL/CLLE, DB2 for AS400 and SQL, plus strong troubleshooting and stakeholder communication to work with cross-functional teams on roadmaps and modernization programs.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of IT/Application experience in retail technology.
• Extensive hands-on IBM AS400 / IBM i experience.
• Strong RPG/RPGLE, CL/CLLE, DB2 for AS400 and SQL skills.
• Production support for mission-critical retail applications.
• Experience with modernization, migration and integration initiatives.
• Ability to work with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Provide L2/L3 production support for IBM AS400-based retail apps.
• Troubleshoot incidents, batch failures, data issues and integrations.
• Perform root-cause analysis and develop sustainable solutions.
• Act as senior AS400/RPG SME for legacy retail apps.
• Analyze dependencies, interfaces, batch processes and data flows.
• Identify modernization, migration, and integration opportunities.
• Contribute to modernization roadmaps and transition plans.
• Support legacy-to-cloud, platform migrations and data migration.
• Lead technical discovery and application assessment sessions.
• Provide input for RFPs, evaluations and vendor discussions.

Skills

IBM AS400

RPG/RPGLE

CL/CLLE

DB2 for AS400

SQL

Application modernization

Legacy migration

Root-cause analysis

Stakeholder management

Job description

Engagement: Senior Application Support, SME & Modernization Consulting

Experience: 15+ Years

Industry: Retail / Pharmacy / Multi-Store Retail

Position Overview

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Retail Technology Consultant / Application SME with deep expertise in IBM AS400, RPG/RPGLE, CL/CLLE, DB2 for AS400 and SQL. The ideal candidate will provide senior-level L2/L3 application support for mission-critical retail applications while also contributing to legacy application modernization, migration, integration and transformation initiatives.

The successful candidate should have strong experience within large-scale retail or pharmacy environments, including knowledge of POS/store systems, merchandising, inventory, pricing, promotions, purchasing, replenishment, distribution, pharmacy operations and retail financial processes.

This role requires a hands-on, self-directed consultant who can independently troubleshoot complex production issues, perform root-cause analysis, assess legacy application landscapes, identify modernization opportunities and communicate recommendations directly to technical and business stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide L2/L3 production support for IBM AS400-based retail applications.
• Troubleshoot complex incidents, batch failures, data issues, integrations and application problems.
• Perform root-cause analysis and develop sustainable solutions.
• Act as a senior AS400/RPG SME for legacy retail applications and business processes.
• Analyze application dependencies, interfaces, databases, batch processes and data flows.
• Assess legacy AS400 applications and identify modernization, migration, replacement and integration opportunities.
• Contribute to modernization roadmaps, migration strategies, transition approaches and target-state planning.
• Support legacy-to-cloud, platform migration, application replacement and data migration initiatives.
• Work with architecture, development, infrastructure, data, integration and business teams.
• Lead technical discovery and application assessment sessions.
• Provide technical input for RFPs, solution evaluations, modernization business cases and vendor discussions.
• Communicate technical findings, risks, dependencies and recommendations to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Required Skills & Experience

• 15+ years of IT/Application experience with significant experience in retail technology.
• Extensive hands-on experience with IBM AS400 / IBM i environments.
• Strong expertise in RPG/RPGLE, CL/CLLE, DB2 for AS400 and SQL.
• Strong production support experience with mission-critical retail applications.
• Deep understanding of retail and multi-store business processes.
• Experience with application integrations, interfaces, batch processing and data flows.
• Demonstrated experience in application modernization, legacy migration, transformation or replacement initiatives.
• Ability to assess legacy applications and identify modernization options, risks, dependencies and trade-offs.
• Strong troubleshooting, analytical and root-cause analysis capabilities.
• Excellent stakeholder management, consulting and communication skills.
• Ability to work independently as a Senior Consultant / SME with minimal supervision.

Preferred Experience

• Experience with large Canadian or North American retailers.
• Pharmacy or healthcare retail technology experience.
• Experience with POS, merchandising, inventory, pricing, promotions, replenishment, purchasing or pharmacy systems.
• Experience integrating AS400 applications with APIs, cloud platforms, SaaS or modern enterprise platforms.
• Experience with legacy-to-cloud or legacy-to-modern-platform migrations.
• Experience creating application modernization roadmaps.
• Experience working with Enterprise Architecture teams.