Remote Mainframe Developer - COBOL/NATURAL & ADABAS

CAI; Madison (WI); Remote; USD 160,463,000 - 174,790,000; Full time

Job summary

CAI is seeking an experienced Mainframe Developer to join our IT team on a full-time, remote contract basis. The role focuses on COBOL, JCL, NATURAL, and ADABAS, supporting multiple client projects across legacy mainframe environments.

You will develop, maintain, and troubleshoot batch and online applications, analyze systems, and contribute to modernization efforts. Strong debugging skills and knowledge of mainframe tools are essential, as is the ability to work independently in a remote

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience developing enterprise mainframe applications using COBOL
• 5+ years of experience with JCL development and job scheduling
• 3+ years of experience with NATURAL/ADABAS
• 5+ years of experience using TSO/ISPF or similar mainframe editing tools
• 3+ years of experience with AFP, PAGEDEF, FORMDEF, and OVERLAY technologies
• Advanced expertise in COBOL, JCL, and NATURAL programming
• Working knowledge of ADABAS database architecture and file structures
• Experience maintaining and enhancing large legacy mainframe systems
• Strong troubleshooting, debugging, and problem-solving skills for batch and online applications
• Experience developing system integrations, data interfaces, file transfers, and data feeds
• Ability to analyze technical specifications, system workflows, and data models
• Experience with mainframe utilities, job monitoring tools, and debugging tools
• Experience supporting taxation, revenue, or government systems
• Familiarity with CICS and online transaction processing environments
• Experience with legacy modernization or data migration initiatives
• Knowledge of mainframe security, scheduling tools, and source code management practices

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain COBOL, NATURAL, and JCL programs for multiple client projects
• Work on legacy mainframe applications and integration efforts involving taxation and client systems
• Analyze existing mainframe applications and provide code walkthroughs, technical analysis, and documentation to support modernization teams
• Design, code, test, implement, and maintain new and existing batch and online mainframe applications
• Troubleshoot production issues, job failures, and abends; perform root cause analysis and implement corrective actions
• Analyze and support ADABAS databases, file structures, and data access methods
• Develop and maintain data feeds, interfaces, file layouts, and integration processes between legacy systems and modernized platforms
• Participate in system design reviews, technical planning sessions, and code reviews
• Create and maintain technical documentation including program specifications, job flows, system architecture diagrams, and data definitions
• Support system testing, integration testing, user acceptance testing (UAT), and production deployments

Skills

COBOL

JCL

NATURAL

TSO/ISPF

ADABAS

CICS

debugging

Tools

ADABAS databases

AFP/PAGEDEF/FORMDEF/OVERLAY

Job description

CAI is seeking an experienced Mainframe Developer to join our IT team on a full-time, remote contract basis. The role focuses on COBOL, JCL, NATURAL, and ADABAS, supporting multiple client projects across legacy mainframe environments.

You will develop, maintain, and troubleshoot batch and online applications, analyze systems, and contribute to modernization efforts. Strong debugging skills and knowledge of mainframe tools are essential, as is the ability to work independently in a remote