Mainframe Developer

Title: Mainframe Developer.

Location: 100% Remote.

Duration: 12+ Months Contract (Possible to extend).

Note: This role is scoped for a mid-to-senior practitioner—strong hands-on developer who collaborates and owns deliverables with increasing autonomy, but not an Architect/Lead role.

The ideal candidate is a subject matter expert using Natural Programming Languages with recent relevant experience.

Job description:                             

The Information Technology Department is seeking a Mainframe Developer. The Mainframe Developer will design, develop, test, and support enhancements to existing mainframe applications used across State of North Dakota 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 is a subject matter expert using Natural Programming Languages with recent relevant experience. They will be asked to translate business requirements into practical technical solutions, produces clear documentation, collaborates in Agile teams, and participates in a shared on-call rotation.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Analysis & Design (mid-to-senior scope)

• 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).

Coding & Configuration

• 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.

Project & Team Collaboration

• 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

• 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.

 Communication & Delivery

• 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.

 Experience

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

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.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field.