Mainframe Developer

Ardent Technologies, Inc. is an accredited small business providing a full range of IT support services, cybersecurity services, staff augmentation, fiscal management, and administrative support. Headquarters in Dayton, OH, near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ardent has served federal, state/local government, commercial, and higher education markets across the US since 2000. Our commitment to excellence, integrity, and client satisfaction drives our growth—and yours.

Job Description 

We are currently seeking a highly motivated “Mainframe Developer ” to join our team for a project with our esteemed client. The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in “ COBOL and/or Natural , JCL  ,  Agile , QMF, Visio , ADABAS and DB2 ) with a proven track record of delivering high-quality results.

Job Description:

·       The Mainframe Developer will design, develop, test, and support enhancements to existing mainframe applications used across programs.

·       The role is primarily hands-on development with COBOL, Natural, JCL, and databases such as ADABAS and DB2 (Oracle familiarity is a plus).

·       The ideal candidate translates business requirements into practical technical solutions, produces clear documentation, collaborates in Agile teams, and participates in a shared on-call rotation.

Key Responsibilities:

·       Analyze requirements and produce practical technical designs for moderate to complex changes within established patterns/standards.

·       Create and update design documentation (program specs, data mappings, flow diagrams) and walk through with stakeholders for approval.

·       Recommend incremental improvements that align with existing architecture (no enterprise architecture ownership).

·       Develop and maintain programs using COBOL and/or Natural.

·       Author and troubleshoot JCL for batch processes, job streams, and error handling.

·       Build test scenarios and perform unit, system, and acceptance testing, document results.

·       Participate in peer code reviews and apply feedback to improve quality.

·       Maintain runbooks, deployment notes, and solution documentation.

·       Provide production support in a rotational 24?7 on-call model; perform root-cause analysis and implement fixes.

·       Provide time and effort estimates for assigned work items and small enhancements; assist on estimates for moderate projects.

·       Actively participate in Agile ceremonies (stand-ups, planning, reviews, retros).

·       Document tickets, decisions, and work acceptance in team tools.

·       Mentor peers informally on standards and procedures as needed (no formal people leadership).

Required Skills & Qualifications:

·       5+ years of mainframe development in enterprise settings (or equivalent).

·       Proficient in COBOL (maintenance and net-new development).

·       Proficient in Natural (maintenance and net-new development).

·       Strong working knowledge of JCL (batch authoring, scheduling handoff, troubleshooting).

·       Experience with ADABAS and DB2 (queries, data analysis, understanding of performance basics).

·       Familiarity with Oracle concepts and SQL tooling (e.g., PL/SQL Developer or equivalent).

·       Comfortable with tools such as QMF, Visio (or equivalents) for data and design work.

·       Solid testing discipline and defect management.

·       Strong technical writing (design docs, runbooks, change notes).

·       Ability to explain technical concepts clearly to non-technical stakeholders.

·       Detail-oriented, organized, and dependable follow-through.

Preferred Qualifications:

·       Experience with Natural/ADABAS in public sector or large enterprise environments.

·       Exposure to mainframe CI/CD and change tools (e.g., Endevor, ChangeMan, ISPW).

·       Familiarity with job scheduling platforms (Control‑M, CA‑7, TWS).

·       Integration experience (e.g., MQ, file-based interfaces, service layers).

·       Prior participation in rotational on-call support.

·       Informal mentorship or focal-point experience.

·       State government or regulated industry experience.

Submit your resume to or apply directly through Dice. For immediate consideration, please include the “Mainframe Developer ” in the subject line.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Ardent Technologies, Inc., is an equal opportunity employer that relies on the strength of a diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.