Systems Administrator III

Horizontal Talent; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 118,000 - 191,000; Full time

Job summary

Horizontal Talent is seeking a hands-on IBM MQ administrator for a 12-month contract to support enterprise messaging infrastructure, ensuring secure, reliable operations across Windows, Linux, Unix, and AIX.

The role emphasizes installing, configuring, and maintaining MQ components, monitoring performance, applying patches, and collaborating with application, network, and infrastructure teams.

Qualifications

• Strong experience administering IBM MQ messaging middleware.
• Hands-on knowledge configuring queue managers, channels, and listeners.
• Experience with secure communications (SSL/TLS) and access controls.
• Ability to monitor performance, identify bottlenecks, and tune settings.
• Solid troubleshooting skills and log analysis.
• Experience with maintenance, upgrades, and operational continuity.
• Experience with backup and disaster recovery processes.

Responsibilities

• Install, configure, and maintain IBM MQ across Windows, Linux, Unix, and AIX.
• Set up and support queue managers, queues, channels, listeners, and HA environments.
• Implement and maintain security controls including authentication and TLS.
• Monitor queue depths, channel activity, and system performance.
• Troubleshoot connectivity, delivery failures, and backlog issues.
• Apply patches, upgrades, and version updates.
• Perform health checks, audits, and capacity planning.
• Support backup, recovery, and DR activities.
• Collaborate with application, network, and infra teams to resolve issues.
• Create and maintain technical docs and reports.

Skills

IBM MQ

Queue managers

Security (SSL/TLS)

Performance monitoring

Troubleshooting

Backup & DR

Documentation

Cross-team collaboration

Multi-platform admin

Job description

Join a dynamic systems administration opportunity focused on supporting enterprise messaging infrastructure that helps keep critical applications connected and running smoothly. This 12-month role is ideal for an IBM MQ professional who enjoys hands-on administration, troubleshooting, and working across teams to maintain secure, reliable system operations.

Responsibilities

• Install, configure, and maintain IBM MQ software across supported platforms, including Windows, Linux, Unix, and AIX.
• Set up and support queue managers, queues, channels, listeners, clustering, and high availability environments.
• Implement and maintain security controls, including authentication, authorization, SSL/TLS, and Channel Authentication Records.
• Monitor queue depths, channel activity, and overall system performance to help ensure reliable message flow.
• Troubleshoot connectivity issues, delivery failures, and message backlogs while analyzing logs and error files.
• Apply patches, updates, and version upgrades to maintain a healthy and stable messaging environment.
• Perform routine health checks, audits, and capacity planning to support ongoing performance and reliability.
• Support backup, recovery, and disaster recovery activities for queue manager data and configurations.
• Partner with application, network, and infrastructure teams to resolve integration and deployment issues.
• Create and maintain technical documentation, procedures, and operational reports.

Skills

• Strong experience administering IBM MQ messaging middleware.
• Hands-on knowledge of configuring and supporting queue managers, channels, listeners, and related components.
• Experience working with secure communications, including SSL/TLS and access controls.
• Ability to monitor performance, identify bottlenecks, and tune system settings for stability.
• Solid troubleshooting skills with the ability to analyze logs and resolve technical issues effectively.
• Experience supporting system maintenance, upgrades, and operational continuity.
• Familiarity with backup and recovery processes for enterprise systems.
• Clear communication skills and the ability to collaborate across technical teams.
• Strong documentation habits and attention to detail.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with high availability and multi-instance queue manager configurations.
• Background supporting enterprise environments with 24/7 operational needs.
• Familiarity with disaster recovery testing and business continuity planning.
• Exposure to configuration management databases and incident/change tracking processes.
• Experience escalating and coordinating issues with vendor support when needed.
• Ability to contribute to architecture or design discussions around messaging solutions.
• A proactive, service-oriented approach to supporting internal teams and business needs.

Horizontal is committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive workplace where people of all backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences can thrive. We value diversity, equity, and inclusion as essential to innovation, collaboration, and success.

The pay range for this role is $57 - $92 per hour based on qualifications and experience.