Mainframe Applications Developer (Batch & Online)

MainframeMaster; Morris Plains, Northern (NJ, KY); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 94,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Paid holidays and PTO

401(k) plan and contributions

Disability insurance

Parental Leave

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Job summary

Cognizant is seeking an experienced Mainframe Applications Developer to support critical enterprise applications. You will design, develop, and maintain mainframe systems using COBOL, CICS, DB2, VSAM, and JCL, across batch and online processing.

The role emphasizes analysis, debugging, and collaboration with cross-functional teams while mentoring juniors. The role features hybrid work with 3 days/week in Morris Plains, NJ, and a comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• Minimum 8+ years of hands-on COBOL development in a mainframe environment.
• Solid DB2 experience including SQL development, stored procedures, and tuning.
• In‑depth VSAM file structures and JCL for batch processing and job scheduling.
• Experience across both batch and online mainframe applications with CICS.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, enhance, and maintain mainframe applications using COBOL, CICS, DB2, VSAM, and JCL.
• Analyze requirements and translate them into scalable mainframe solutions.
• Develop and support online transaction processing with CICS.
• Create, modify, and troubleshoot batch jobs and workflows using JCL.
• Design and optimize DB2 queries and data access components; perform debugging and root cause analysis.

Skills

COBOL

CICS

DB2

VSAM

JCL

Batch processing

Online processing

Debugging

Tools

SQL Development

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Mainframe Applications Developer with strong expertise in COBOL, CICS, DB2, VSAM, and JCL to support and enhance critical enterprise mainframe applications. The ideal candidate will have hands‑on experience working across both batch and online processing environments, providing application development, maintenance, troubleshooting, and production support. This role requires strong analytical skills, technical leadership, and the ability to collaborate effectively with cross‑functional teams while mentoring junior developers.

In this role, you will:

• Design, develop, enhance, and maintain mainframe applications using COBOL, CICS, DB2, VSAM, and JCL.
• Analyze business and technical requirements and translate them into scalable application solutions.
• Develop and support online transaction processing systems utilizing CICS.
• Create, modify, and troubleshoot batch processing jobs and workflows using JCL.
• Design and optimize DB2 database queries, stored procedures, and data access components.
• Perform application debugging, root cause analysis, and issue resolution across production and non-production environments.

Work model

We believe hybrid work is the way forward as we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible. Based on this role’s business requirements, this is a hybrid position requiring 3 days a week in a client office in Morris Plains, NJ. Regardless of your working arrangement, we are here to support a healthy work‑life balance through our various wellbeing programs. The working arrangements for this role are accurate as of the date of posting. This may change based on the project you’re engaged in, as well as business and client requirements. Rest assured; we will always be clear about role expectations.

Please note: A few of our roles may require in-person interviews at Cognizant offices or client locations, depending on project or client needs.

What you need to have to be considered

• Minimum 8+years of experience in hands‑on development using COBOL programming within a mainframe environment.
• Solid experience with DB2, including SQL development, stored procedures, query optimization, and performance tuning.
• In‑depth knowledge of VSAM file structures, access methods, and file handling techniques.
• Experience developing and supporting applications using CICS.
• Strong proficiency in JCL for batch processing, job scheduling, monitoring, and troubleshooting.
• Demonstrated experience working across both batch and online mainframe applications.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and debugging skills.

Salary and Other Compensation:

The annual salary for this position is between $ 60,000 to $ 93,500 depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate. This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant’s applicable plans.

Benefits:

• Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance
• Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off
• 401(k) plan and contributions
• Long‑term/Short‑term Disability
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Disclaimer: The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.