Senior Mainframe Systems Programmer – IBM z/OS

Bayforce, Inc.; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Part time

Job summary

Bayforce, Inc. is seeking a Senior Mainframe Systems Programmer to support a large IBM z/OS environment remotely (EST).

The role focuses on installation, configuration, maintenance, upgrades, troubleshooting, resiliency, and automation across production and non-production systems. The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience with z/OS administration, SMP/E, and Parallel Sysplex, along with strong disaster recovery skills and the ability to lead complex initiatives.

Qualifications

• Extensive hands-on experience as an IBM z/OS Systems Programmer in a large enterprise.
• Deep knowledge of z/OS administration, config, maintenance, and support.
• Hands-on SMP/E experience for software installation and service implementations.
• Experience planning and executing z/OS upgrades and migrations.
• Experience supporting Parallel Sysplex environments.
• Strong mainframe resiliency, recovery, and disaster recovery knowledge.
• Proficient troubleshooting using dumps, traces, logs, and diagnostics.
• Experience installing IBM and ISV software; automation and scripting skills.
• Ability to lead technical initiatives and collaborate across teams.
• Excellent documentation and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Install, configure, maintain, and support IBM z/OS and related software in production and non-production environments.
• Plan and execute z/OS upgrades, migrations, and service implementations.
• Perform system software installation and maintenance using SMP/E.
• Install, maintain, and support IBM and ISV software products.
• Monitor system health, performance, capacity, and availability.
• Troubleshoot complex issues using traces, dumps, logs, and diagnostics.
• Support resiliency technologies including Parallel Sysplex, recovery, and disaster recovery.
• Develop automation solutions to reduce manual work and improve reliability.
• Participate in capacity planning and analyze resource utilization.
• Coordinate with IBM and third-party vendors to troubleshoot issues and apply fixes.
• Create technical documentation and runbooks.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior staff.
• Participate in after-hours maintenance and critical incidents.

Skills

IBM z/OS

SMP/E

Parallel Sysplex

Disaster recovery

Troubleshooting

Automation scripting

Capacity planning

Documentation

Leadership

Tools

SMP/E

Job description

Employment Type: Contract – W2 Only

Duration: 1 year with possible extension

Location: Remote – EST

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Senior Mainframe Systems Programmer to support the installation, configuration, maintenance, and administration of a large-scale IBM z/OS mainframe environment.

This role will focus on z/OS systems programming, system software maintenance, upgrades, troubleshooting, resiliency, performance, and automation. The ideal candidate will have strong hands-on experience supporting enterprise IBM Z environments and the ability to troubleshoot complex infrastructure and production issues.

Key Responsibilities

• Install, configure, maintain, and support IBM z/OS operating systems and related system software across production and non-production environments.
• Plan and execute z/OS upgrades, migrations, maintenance, and service implementations.
• Perform system software installation and maintenance using SMP/E.
• Install, maintain, and support IBM and third-party ISV software products.
• Monitor system health, performance, capacity, and availability and recommend improvements.
• Troubleshoot complex system issues using system traces, dumps, logs, diagnostic utilities, and problem determination techniques.
• Support enterprise resiliency technologies, including Parallel Sysplex, system recovery, and disaster recovery.
• Develop and maintain automation solutions to reduce manual processes and improve system reliability.
• Participate in capacity planning and analyze processor, memory, storage, and workload utilization.
• Coordinate with IBM and third-party vendors to troubleshoot issues and implement fixes.
• Support infrastructure modernization, security, resiliency, automation, and performance initiatives.
• Create and maintain technical documentation, procedures, standards, and operational runbooks.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to less experienced systems programmers.
• Participate in after-hours support for planned maintenance, implementations, and critical production incidents.

Required Qualifications

• Strong hands-on experience as an IBM z/OS Systems Programmer in a large enterprise environment.
• Strong knowledge of z/OS operating system administration, configuration, maintenance, and support.
• Hands-on experience with SMP/E for software installation, maintenance, and service implementation.
• Experience performing z/OS upgrades and migrations.
• Experience supporting Parallel Sysplex environments.
• Strong knowledge of mainframe resiliency, system recovery, and disaster recovery.
• Strong troubleshooting skills with experience analyzing system dumps, traces, logs, and diagnostic information.
• Experience installing and supporting IBM and ISV system software.
• Experience with mainframe automation and scripting.
• Understanding of mainframe performance monitoring and capacity planning.
• Ability to lead complex technical initiatives and collaborate across infrastructure, application, security, storage, and network teams.
• Strong documentation, communication, and technical leadership skills.