Principal Software Engineer

It's fun to work in a company where people truly BELIEVE in what they're doing!

Job Description Summary:

Rocket Software is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to help design, develop, and support strategic products for IBM z/OS mainframes. In this role, you will act as a trusted technical expert, taking ownership of critical components across one or more products, with support from a globally distributed team of engineering specialists.

You will collaborate closely with peers to design, enhance, and maintain our world-class portfolio of system-level products. This role is well suited to engineers with a strong foundation in modern programming languages, experience building enterprise software, and a genuine interest in IBM mainframe environments. You will be encouraged to continuously learn, share knowledge, and drive technical excellence across the team.

Responsibilities

There is a wide range of opportunities at Rocket across the product portfolio. Responsibilities in this role may vary based on experience and strengths, with the expectation that engineers will grow into broader technical leadership and ownership over time.

• Own and evolve common software components that are critical to multiple Rocket products, ensuring scalability, reliability, and long-term maintainability.
• Provide technical leadership in the design and development of common platform capabilities, setting standards and guiding architectural decisions across teams.
• Act as a subject matter expert, mentoring engineers and enabling teams through training, documentation, and hands-on guidance to effectively leverage common software components.
• Drive cross-team collaboration, partnering with product and engineering teams to deliver strategic solutions-particularly in modernization and middleware layers of the technology stack.
• Identify and address systemic challenges, proactively improving platform capabilities, performance, and developer experience across the organization.

Required Skills and Experience

• Strong proficiency in C, C++, and Java
• Demonstrated familiarity with IBM mainframe operating systems (z/OS)
• Experience developing, maintaining, or supporting complex, high-performance software systems

Highly Desirable Skills and Experience

• High Level Assembler (HLASM) programming experience
• Familiarity with ISPF, REXX and DTL
• Technical knowledge of key mainframe subsystems (e.g., IMS, CICS)

The successful applicant will bring strong technical judgment, an architectural mindset, attention to detail, and enthusiasm for working in a technically deep, highly collaborative engineering environment, along with a proactive approach to researching, evaluating, and applying new technologies, processes, and engineering practices.

Rocket Software's Perth office is located in the Elizabeth Quay precinct, overlooking the Swan River, placing it at the heart of the city's vibrant waterfront and business district. The office is continuing to grow and evolve, reflecting Rocket's long-term investment in the region. This year marks an important milestone with the introduction of the Next Gen Program, welcoming ten entry level candidates into the team and strengthening the office's focus on developing emerging engineering talent. Together, the location, growth, and commitment to early-career development make Rocket Perth a dynamic and exciting place to work.

Rocket Software Inc. is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. Rocket Software Inc. is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.

As part of our commitment to a safe and trustworthy workplace, we include background and reference checks in our hiring process.

Rocket is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you need special assistance or an accommodation while seeking employment, please call: or send an email to We will make a determination on your request for reasonable accommodation on a case-by-case basis.

If you like wild growth and working with happy, enthusiastic over-achievers, you'll enjoy your career with us!