Senior Engineer, Application Support

Sharp Decisions; Winston-Salem (NC); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Sharp Decisions is seeking an Application/Production Support professional to back payment systems and transaction-processing platforms in a fully onsite role in the Winston-Salem area. You will support critical production workflows and coordinate with cross-functional teams to maintain system reliability.

The role requires strong incident management, problem-solving, and technical communication skills, with experience in Windows/Linux environments and change management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience providing application support in a fast-paced, high-availability production environment.
• Experience supporting payment systems, transaction processing platforms, and operational workflows.
• Experience handling system incidents, payment investigations, technical escalations, and support activities.

Responsibilities

• Train co-workers and technical support teams for daily operational activities.
• Identify opportunities for automation, optimization, and process improvement.
• Oversee incident triage and ensure timely escalation and resolution.
• Support project activities and VHIPS-related technical support matters.
• Manage changes and releases, including weekend maintenance.
• Coordinate and participate in Disaster Recovery exercises.
• Contribute to developing, and eventually assuming, the role of Problem Manager.
• Ensure incident tickets with open escalations are addressed promptly.
• Ensure data center asset management processes are followed during transitions.

Skills

Analytical skills

Troubleshooting

Problem solving

Communication

Team collaboration

Independent work

Leadership (in manager absence)

Windows environments

Linux/Unix environments

Incident management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

IBM MQ

SFTP

Connect:Direct

VHIPS

Job description

Location: Winston-Salem, NC / Charlotte, NC

Employment Type: Full Time

Schedule: Fully onsite, Saturday-Wednesday, 11:00 PM-7:00 AM EST

Role Overview

This is primarily an Application/Production Support position supporting payment systems, transaction-processing platforms, and related operational workflows.

Key Requirements

• Experience supporting payment systems and transaction-processing platforms
• Strong experience with message processing, particularly IBM MQ and SFTP
• Working knowledge of Windows and Linux/Unix environments
• Experience with incident management and production issue resolution
• Understanding of risk management and change management
• Networking knowledge and troubleshooting experience
• Ability to support critical production/operational workflows in a financial services environment

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

• Ensure co-workers and technical support teams are accurately trained and prepared for daily operational and application support activities.
• Identify opportunities for improvement of Operations tasks and services through automation, optimization, and process enhancement.
• Oversee issue triage activities and ensure timely escalation and resolution of incidents impacting business applications and payment systems.
• Support project activities and collaborate with internal teams on VHIPS related to technical support matters.
• Manage and implement changes and releases, including Weekend Maintenance window activities.
• Coordinate and participate in Disaster Recovery exercises.
• Contribute to the development, and eventually assume the role, of Problem Manager.
• Ensure Incident tickets with open escalation assignments are being addressed promptly and effectively.
• Ensure technology is transitioned in and out of the data center according to established Asset Management processes.

Qualifications Required

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills, including issue identification, triage, root cause analysis, and resolution management.
• Experience providing application support in a fast-paced, high-availability production environment.
• Experience supporting payment systems, transaction processing platforms, and operational workflows.
• Experience handling system incidents, payment investigations, technical escalations, and support activities.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and perform effectively under pressure.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to interact professionally with customers, vendors, management, and technical teams.
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Ability to work independently, make sound decisions, and collaborate effectively across cross-functional teams.
• Ability to lead the team in the absence of the manager.
• Technical expertise supporting Windows and Linux environments, network technologies, and enterprise integration solutions such as IBM MQ, Connect:Direct, and SFTP.
• Commitment to operational excellence, platform stability, and service reliability.
• Availability to participate in a 24x7x365 support model, including system alerts, critical incident response, and weekend maintenance activities.

Qualifications Preferred

• Experience supporting real-time payments, ACH, wire, or other financial transaction processing systems.
• Experience driving operational improvements through automation, process optimization, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Experience participating in disaster recovery planning, testing, and execution.
• Knowledge of ITIL processes, including Incident, Problem, and Change Management.
• Experience managing application releases and production change implementations.
• Previous experience mentoring team members or serving in a technical lead capacity.
• Experience within financial services, banking, or payments industry environments.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

Work is generally sedentary in nature. The working environment is generally favorable. Lighting and temperature are adequate, and there are no hazardous or unpleasant conditions caused by noise, dust, etc. Work is generally performed within an office environment, with standard office equipment available.