Mainframe Application Developer

Guidesoft, Inc.; United States; Remote; USD 83,000 - 124,000; Full time

Job summary

Knowledge Services is seeking a remote Mainframe Application Developer for a 12-month contract with the North Dakota Department of Information Technology. The role is 100% remote, with requirements for COBOL, Natural, JCL, ADABAS, and DB2 experience.

The ideal candidate will translate business requirements into practical technical solutions, produce clear documentation, and collaborate in Agile teams while supporting services in a shared on-call rotation.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of mainframe development in enterprise settings.
• Proficient in COBOL and Natural maintenance and development.
• Strong knowledge of JCL, batch processes, and DB2/ADABAS queries.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, test, and support enhancements to mainframe applications used across ND programs.
• Translate business requirements into technical solutions and document results.
• Collaborate in Agile teams and participate in on-call rotation.

Skills

COBOL

Natural

JCL

ADABAS

DB2

Oracle

Agile

Documentation

On-call

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

QMF

Visio

Endevor

ChangeMan

ISPW

Job description

Knowledge Services is seeking a remote Mainframe Application Developer for a 12-month contract (potential for extension) with the State of North Dakota Department of Information Technology.

• Work Location: 100% remote
• Applicants with prior state government experience are strongly preferred

• The Mainframe Developer will design, develop, test, and support enhancements to existing mainframe applications used across State of North Dakota programs.
• The role is primarily hands-on development with COBOL, Natural, JCL, and databases such as ADABAS and DB2 (Oracle familiarity is a plus).
• The ideal candidate is a subject matter expert using Natural programming languages with recent relevant experience.
• Will be asked to translate business requirements into practical technical solutions, produces clear documentation, collaborates in Agile teams, and participates in a shared on-call rotation.

Technical Analysis & Design (mid-to-senior scope)

• Analyze requirements and produce practical technical designs for moderate to complex changes within established patterns/standards.
• Create and update design documentation (program specs, data mappings, flow diagrams) and walk through with stakeholders for approval.
• Recommend incremental improvements that align with existing architecture (no enterprise architecture ownership).

Coding & Configuration

• Develop and maintain programs using COBOL and/or Natural.
• Author and troubleshoot JCL for batch processes, job streams, and error handling.
• Build test scenarios and perform unit, system, and acceptance testing; document results.
• Participate in peer code reviews and apply feedback to improve quality.
• Maintain runbooks, deployment notes, and solution documentation.
• Provide production support in a rotational 24×7 on-call model; perform root-cause analysis and implement fixes.
• Provide time and effort estimates for assigned work items and small enhancements; assist on estimates for moderate projects.
• Document tickets, decisions, and work acceptance in team tools.
• Mentor peers informally on standards and procedures as needed (no formal people leadership).
• 5+ years of mainframe development in enterprise settings (or equivalent).
• Proficient in COBOL (maintenance and net-new development).
• Proficient in Natural (maintenance and net-new development).
• Strong working knowledge of JCL (batch authoring, scheduling handoff, troubleshooting).
• Experience with ADABAS and DB2 (queries, data analysis, understanding of performance basics).
• Familiarity with Oracle concepts and SQL tooling (e.g., PL/SQL Developer or equivalent).
• Comfortable with tools such as QMF, Visio (or equivalents) for data and design work.
• Solid testing discipline and defect management.
• Ability to explain technical concepts clearly to non-technical stakeholders.
• Detail-oriented, organized, and dependable follow-through.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with Natural/ADABAS in public sector or large enterprise environments.
• Exposure to mainframe CI/CD and change tools (e.g., Endevor, ChangeMan, ISPW).
• Familiarity with job scheduling platforms (Control M, CA 7, TWS).
• Integration experience (e.g., MQ, file-based interfaces, service layers).
• Prior participation in rotational on-call support.
• Informal mentorship or focal-point experience.
• State government or regulated industry experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field