Senior Mainframe CICS System Programmer

Job Title: Senior Mainframe CICS Systems Programmer

Position Summary:

We are seeking a Senior Mainframe CICS Systems Programmer to lead the administration, architecture, and optimization of an IBM z/OS CICS environment. This role requires deep technical expertise in CICS Transaction Server, strong z/OS systems programming skills, and the ability to drive performance, stability, automation, and modernization initiatives across mission-critical enterprise platforms.

The ideal candidate will serve as a technical leader, mentor junior staff, and partner with infrastructure, security, and application teams to ensure highly available, secure, and scalable CICS systems. Application development skills would be a plus.

Key Responsibilities:

Technical Leadership

• Architect, install, configure, and maintain IBM CICS Transaction Server environments across multiple LPARs
• Lead CICS version upgrades, migrations, and maintenance strategies
• Design and manage CICSPlex SM environments
• Provide expert-level support for complex CICS and z/OS issues

Systems Management & Optimization

• Perform advanced performance tuning, capacity planning, and workload management
• Analyze and resolve complex system abends and dumps using IPCS
• Implement and maintain high availability and disaster recovery solutions
• Apply and manage IBM maintenance using SMP/E

Integration & Security

• Integrate CICS with DB2, MQ, Web Services, and z/OS Connect
• Ensure compliance with RACF security standards and enterprise audit requirements
• Configure and maintain TCP/IP, VTAM, and related communication components

Automation & Modernization

• Implement automation using SA z/OS, NetView, or equivalent tools
• Drive modernization initiatives including CICS APIs, RESTful services, and cloud integration
• Improve operational efficiency through scripting and process automation

Collaboration & Governance

• Partner with development teams to support application deployments and performance testing
• Develop and maintain technical documentation and standards
• Participate in architecture reviews and strategic planning
• Provide 24x7 escalation support as part of senior on-call rotation

Required Qualifications

• 30+ years of advanced CICS systems programming experience
• Deep expertise in:
  • CICS Transaction Server (installation, configuration, tuning)
  • CICSPlex SM
  • SMP/E maintenance
  • JES2/JES3
  • RACF
  • IPCS dump analysis
  • z/OS internals
• Strong understanding of mainframe networking (VTAM, TCP/IP)
• Experience with DB2 and MQ integration
• Proven experience supporting high-volume production environments
• Strong leadership, documentation, and communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with CICS Web Services, APIs, and z/OS Connect
• Knowledge of DevOps practices in mainframe environments
• Experience with automation frameworks and infrastructure-as-code concepts
• Exposure to hybrid cloud integration strategies
• IBM certifications related to z/OS or CICS

Key Competencies

• Strategic technical thinking
• Incident management and root cause analysis
• Mentorship and team leadership
• Change and release management
• Risk assessment and mitigation