Principal Mainframe Architect

Unisys; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 3,500,000 - 5,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Unisys in Bengaluru, India seeks a Principal Mainframe Architect to define the enterprise mainframe strategy and roadmap. You will guide modernization efforts, oversee architecture for z/OS, CICS, and DB2, and ensure security, compliance, and high availability across critical systems.

You will lead large-scale initiatives, provide technical governance, and mentor senior engineers while collaborating with senior leaders to drive transformational change.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of IT experience with 10+ years in large-scale mainframe environments.
• IBM certifications (z/OS, z Systems Architecture, DB2, CICS) preferred.
• Experience in regulated industries (banking, insurance, government, healthcare preferred).
• Comfortable operating at both strategic and hands-on architectural levels.

Responsibilities

• Define enterprise mainframe architecture vision, strategy, and roadmap.
• Lead modernization initiatives including re-hosting, re-platforming, refactoring, and re-architecting.
• Act as top technical authority for IBM mainframe solutions (z/OS, CICS, DB2).
• Drive hybrid cloud integration, API enablement, and DevOps in mainframe contexts.
• Set architecture standards, reference architectures, and best practices across platforms.
• Provide capacity planning, performance, resilience, and cost optimization oversight.
• Influence technology choices with CIO/CTO and senior stakeholders.
• Ensure security, regulatory, audit, and risk requirements compliance.
• Evaluate tools and vendor solutions to enhance efficiency and innovation.
• Mentor architects and engineers; drive architectural governance.

Skills

Mainframe architecture

z/OS

CICS

DB2

COBOL

High availability

Performance optimization

DevOps integration

Cloud integration

Education

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Sysplex

GDPS

RACF/ACF2/Top Secret

Mainframe tooling (APIs)

Job description

What success looks like in this role

The Principal Mainframe Architect is a senior technical leadership role responsible for defining the strategic direction, architecture standards, and long-term roadmap of the enterprise mainframe ecosystem. This role blends deep mainframe expertise with enterprise architecture thinking to modernize mission-critical platforms while ensuring high levels of reliability, performance, security, and compliance. The role acts as a trusted advisor to senior leadership and plays a key role in large-scale transformation initiatives.

Principal Responsibilities

• Own and drive the enterprise mainframe architecture vision, strategy, and roadmap aligned with business goals
• Lead and govern large-scale application modernization initiatives including re-hosting, re-platforming, refactoring, and re-architecting.
• Act as the highest-level technical authority for IBM z/OS and mainframe-centered solutions
• Lead and govern mainframe modernization and transformation initiatives, including hybrid cloud integration, API enablement, and DevOps adoption
• Define and enforce architecture standards, reference architectures, and best practices across mainframe platforms
• Provide architectural oversight for capacity planning, performance, scalability, resilience, and cost optimization
• Partner with CIO/CTO, Enterprise Architecture, and senior stakeholders to influence technology and investment decisions
• Ensure architecture compliance with security, regulatory, audit, and risk management requirements
• Evaluate and recommend tools, platforms, and vendor solutions to improve efficiency and innovation
• Serve as an escalation authority for critical production and systemic issues, ensuring long-term architectural fixes
• Provide technical leadership, design reviews, and risk mitigation guidance across delivery programs.
• Mentor architects and senior engineers, setting standards for engineering excellence and technical governance

Critical Skills

• Expert-level knowledge of IBM Mainframe architecture including z Systems, z/OS, Sysplex, and GDPS
• Extensive experience with CICS, IMS, DB2, MQ, VSAM, and high-volume transaction systems
• Strong background in mainframe application architecture (COBOL, PL/I, Assembler, JCL)
• Strong knowledge of legacy mainframe stack (Fujitsu GS21)
• Proven expertise in performance engineering, workload management (WLM), and capacity planning
• Deep understanding of mainframe security (RACF / ACF2 / Top Secret) and compliance frameworks
• Experience integrating mainframe workloads with distributed systems, APIs, and cloud platforms (Mainframe → AWS / Azure / GCP)
• Exposure to DevOps, CI/CD, and automation in mainframe environments
• Strong knowledge of DR, BC planning, high availability, and data resiliency architectures
• Leadership & Soft Skills Strong architectural and strategic thinking capability
• Excellent communication skills, including executive-level stakeholder engagement
• Ability to influence and lead across large, globally distributed teams
• Customer-focused approach aligned with Unisys delivery and transformation objectives.

Candidate Profile

• 15+ years of IT experience with 10+ years in large-scale mainframe environments
• Previous experience as a Mainframe Architect, Enterprise Architect, or Principal Engineer
• Proven track record leading enterprise-scale modernization or transformation programs
• Experience working in regulated industries (banking, insurance, government, healthcare preferred)
• Comfortable operating at both strategic and hands-on architectural levels
• IBM certifications (z/OS, z Systems Architecture, DB2, CICS) preferred. #LI-SN1

You will be successful in this role if you have: Master’s degree preferred and 15+ years’ relevant experience OR equivalent combination of education and experience.

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Notice for U.S. Applicants: Unisys is an Equal Opportunity Employer – Minorities/ Females/ Veterans/ Individuals with Disabilities/ Sexual Orientation/ Gender Identity