Mainframe - MQ - z Platform & IBMi EL5

MF MQ Support – zSystem and IBMi MQ Software Engineer

·       At least 5 -6 years of experience in IBM MQ support.

·       Hands on experience with MQ on z/OS; creating and maintaining QMGRs and objects (queues, channels, etc.) 

·       Experience with MQ on IBMi (preferred).

·       Experience with/knowledge of MQ and MQIPT on Distributed platforms (preferred).

·       Understanding of how applications work with MQ (API’s).

·       Application development experience (preferred).

·       MF Operations experience (preferred). 

·       Basic knowledge of containers and IBM CP4I (preferred).

·       Proficiency with z/OS, ISPF, JCL, SDSF, JES, PDSE, VSAM, and related utilities.

·       Understanding of/experience with SMP/E DB2, CICS, IMS, Network/TCPIP, MF Automations - OPS/MVS, as they relate to MQ.

·       Experience with MQ Monitoring solutions for real-time and historical perspectives on status, trouble shooting, tuning, and trending.

·       Experience with MQ dashboarding tools (PrometheGrafana, Ironstream/Splunk).

·       Experience with IBM SMF data for statistical analysis. 

·       Experience with MQ alerting implications and configurations; thresholds, traps, flows and notifications, including auto-ticketing.

·       Experience with Automations for MQ operations, syslog messages, and other functionality.

·       Experience with Capexpry implementations to prevent orphaned/stale messages where appropriate.

·       Experience with Queue Streaming, an MQ feature used to replicate messages to a specified secondary queue as must duplicate, or best effort.

·       Experience with change, incident, problem, request, configuration item, event, and oncall management.

·       Experience with MQ PLM, upgrades, maintenance, testing, implementations, integration. 

·       Experience with Queue Sharing Groups (QSGs), Coupling facilities, Coupling Facility Structures (CFStructs), Shared Message Data Sets (SMDS), SCM (flash memory); shared queueing.

·       Experience with various MQ connectivity methods; Batch, MQ clustering, point to point channels, direct client connections via SVRCONN channels, batch, MQ triggering to CICS/IMS/zOS, IMS Bridge (OTMA), and MQIPT TCPIP/ HTTPS protocol conversion connections between MQ external/ core.

·       Experience with MQ logging, active logs, archive logs, dual logging, zHyperwrite, logload/checkpointing frequency  

·       Excellent communication (oral and written), interpersonal, and organizational skills are required for teamwork and collaboration.

·       Excellent problem-solving skills.

·       Experience working with IBM software and other 3rd party vendor support for PLM, documentation, and technical support/troubleshooting.   

·       Support Disaster Recovery exercises as required.

·       Create and maintain technical and procedural documentation for the team and others as required.

·       Design, create and maintain messaging flows with diagrams, as required.  

·       Work well with teammates, other teams, and management.

·       Provide excellent and timely customer service.

·       Participation in periodic oncall rotations for technical and warroom support.

·       Experience with IBMi menus, help, commands (preferred).

·       Experience with IBMi Integrated File Systems, Jobs, Libs, Logs (preferred).

·       Experience with IBMi IASP/Mimix replication for high availability Role Swaps (preferred).

·       Experience with IBMi DB2 Mirror configurations for redundancy (preferred).

·       Experience with IBMi MQ menus, commands, and administration (preferred).

·       Experience with IBMi MQ environment variables (preferred).

·       Experience with IBMi automation controls (preferred).

·       Experience with IBMi FISMA enclave (highly secured, isolated environment to support government clients as required). This would include MQ architecture and admin support on IBMi, MQIPT (on Distributed) for TCPIP/ HTTPS protocol conversions between core/FISMA MQ, SAW workbench access, related Firewall, SSL, F5 configurations. 

·       Experience implementing changes with documentation and approval during prescribed change windows.

·       Ability to use AI tools to analyze data and provide recommendations and implement solutions. 

·       Ability to use M365 Copilot AI to recap meetings and draft emails

·       Ability to stay educated in the role of AI for an IMS System Programmer.

* Note:  RxClaims/OptumRx, on the IBMi platform, has many government clients that require vetted US onshore support staff; US onshore staff is required to support MQ on the IBMi, particularly for MQ support in their FISMA/OFE environment.