AS400 / IBM i Application Architect

AS400 / IBM i Application Architect
Work Authorization: USC and GC
Active Public Trust Clearance – 6C (required)
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
It is a hybrid role, with some travel required. Candidate is expected to work from the client location.

Position Summary
We are seeking a highly experienced AS400 (IBM i) Architect to own the end-to-end architecture, modernization strategy, and technical governance for financial domain client.
This role requires deep expertise in IBM i (AS400) ecosystem, Synon (CA 2E), RPG/ILE, and DB2 for i, with proven ability to integrate and modernize legacy AS400 applications into .NET-based platforms while ensuring regulatory compliance, performance, reliability, and auditability.
The architect will evaluate the complete landscape—applications, data, batch/online workloads, integration patterns, security controls, operational processes—and lead design decisions that support modernization without disrupting high-volume financial processing.

Experience Requirements (Mandatory)

• 25+ years total IT experience
• 15+ years of relevant hands-on experience designing, building, modernizing, or governing IBM i (AS400) enterprise systems
• Synon / CA 2E experience (mandatory) – deep hands-on: model-driven generation, impact analysis, modernization planning, and refactoring strategies
• Significant experience with financial domain systems
• Demonstrated experience bridging AS400 to .NET legacy systems (integration, coexistence, refactor, re-platform, or phased migration)

Core Technical Skills:

IBM i / AS400 Architecture & Development

• IBM i / AS400 platform architecture: subsystem design, job queues, memory/storage planning, object-level security
• RPG III/IV, RPGLE (ILE RPG), CL/CLLE, COBOL (nice-to-have)
• DB2 for i: schema design, query tuning, indexing strategy, journaling, commitment control
• Batch & online processing: job scheduling, workload management, throughput tuning for high-volume financial processing
• SQL on IBM i: embedded SQL, stored procedures, optimization and performance diagnostics
• Tools: SEU/PDM (legacy), RDi (preferred), compare/merge tooling, change management

Synon / CA 2E

• CA 2E/Synon model maintenance, generation cycles, and customization
• Impact analysis for model changes; regeneration strategy
• Techniques for modernization: documentation extraction, model rationalization, interface stabilization, phased refactoring
• Risk identification: generated code dependencies, customization hotspots, regeneration conflicts

Integration & Modernization to .NET

• Integrate IBM i applications and services with .NET solutions through APIs, service layers, messaging, and ETL feeds
• Implement data synchronization and coexistence strategies between IBM i and .NET systems
• Apply modernization patterns such as strangler pattern, domain decomposition, and capability‐based migration
• Modernize user interfaces, expose services, offload batch processes, and update reporting solutions
• Use integration technologies such as IBM i web services, IWS, ODBC/JDBC, MQ, SFTP, and event‐driven patterns

Key Responsibilities

• Own enterprise and solution architecture for IBM i (AS400) systems supporting financial processing
• Assess the full system landscape: application inventory, dependencies, integrations, data flows, batch processes, and operational controls
• Define target-state architecture connecting AS400 with .NET legacy systems, including integration standards, data governance, service boundaries, and security
• Create key architecture deliverables such as HLD/LLD, sequence diagrams, integration contracts, deployment diagrams, and runbooks
• Lead modernization from Synon/CA 2E and RPG toward modern services and user interfaces
• Develop and drive a phased migration roadmap covering stabilization, encapsulation, modularization, service extraction, and selective re‐platforming
• Make refactoring decisions that preserve transaction integrity, auditability, performance SLAs, and batch window constraints
• Define coding standards for RPGLE/CLLE/SQL and service/API interfaces
• Lead performance tuning across DB2, queries, batch parallelization, and job orchestration
• Improve DevOps/ALM practices including version control, build/release automation, and regression test frameworks
• Ensure systems meet federal public trust security requirements, including least privilege, segregation of duties, logging, and secure data handling
• Support audits through evidence gathering such as access logs, change logs, and approval trails
• Collaborate with security teams on vulnerability management and remediation
• Translate complex legacy constraints into clear modernization strategies for business and technical stakeholders
• Align architecture plans with product, compliance, and operational priorities
• Mentor senior developers and lead technical design reviews and architecture sessions

Employment is contingent upon verification of U.S. citizenship and maintaining an active Public Trust (6C) clearance. Candidate must comply with federal security and data handling policies.