Mainframe Operations Specialist

NOVA Corporation; United States; Remote; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is looking for a dedicated Mainframe Operations Specialist to ensure the smooth operation of its IBM Z environment. This role involves managing batch jobs, monitoring system consoles, and performing routine maintenance tasks. The ideal candidate will have over five years of experience in mainframe operations, strong problem-solving skills, and an active DoD Secret clearance. Join a team that values precision and reliability, where your expertise will contribute to the seamless operation of critical systems in a mission-critical environment. If you're ready to take on challenges and make an impact, this opportunity is for you.

Qualifications

• 5+ years experience in mainframe operations with skills in JCL and system logs.
• Active DoD Secret clearance is required for sensitive data processing.

Responsibilities

• Manage daily batch job execution and monitor system consoles for alerts.
• Act as first-line support for production issues and escalate when necessary.

Skills

Mainframe Operations

JCL

Problem-Solving

Backup and Restore Procedures

Incident Management

Education

5+ years in mainframe operations

Active DoD Secret clearance

Tools

DFSort

IEBGENER

z/OS

Job description

Job Summary:

We are seeking a Mainframe Operations Specialist who will take over the day-to-day operation of the IBM Z environment once it’s in production (post go-live). This is the classic operations role ensuring that the mainframe runs smoothly each day: managing batch job execution, monitoring consoles, handling routine backups, and being the first responder to any production issue. They will ensure the system meets the operational SLAs and that any issues are quickly escalated or resolved.

This position is contingent upon contract award.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

• Batch Job Management: Oversee the scheduling and execution of daily/weekly batch jobs on the mainframe. Use the established scheduling tools or JCL to submit jobs, and verify they complete successfully. Handle outputs, print jobs, and ensure reports are delivered. If a job fails, investigate the cause (check logs, dumps) and restart or fix JCL, or escalate to developers as needed.
• Console Monitoring: Monitor the system console and automation alerts for any system messages or warnings. Acknowledge and respond to messages (e.g., mount tape requests, security alerts, hardware messages). Maintain the operations log and follow standard operating procedures for any interventions.
• Routine Maintenance: Perform regular operational tasks like kicking off backups, executing disaster recovery drills (if scheduled), managing storage allocations (ensure disks don’t fill up), and applying routine fixes or updates as instructed (under change management).
• Incident First Response: Act as first-line support for any production issues on the mainframe. For example, if a CICS region goes down or a critical job fails at 2 AM, the Ops Specialist will respond, attempt initial troubleshooting or remediation, and call in the SRE or system engineers if it’s beyond the operational runbook. They ensure swift communication of incidents to leadership per incident management protocols.
• Other duties as assigned.

Job Requirements (Education/Skills/Experience):

• 5+ years in mainframe operations or systems support. Skilled in reading system logs, JES2/JES3 queues, and using operator commands on z/OS.
• Proficiency in JCL and utilities (DFSort, IEBGENER, etc.), and experience with job scheduling systems.
• Familiar with backup and restore procedures on mainframe, tape operations, and basic DASD management from an ops perspective.
• Strong problem-solving under pressure, and knowledge of when/how to escalate issues.
• Clearance: Active DoD Secret clearance required (operations will involve sensitive data processing).

Preferred Qualifications:

• ITIL Foundation or similar certification in IT service management (helps with understanding incident, problem, change processes).
• Experience working in a mission-critical 24x7 operations center.
• Familiarity with the specific mainframe applications in use (if any business knowledge is relevant).