Senior Mainframe DB2 z/OS DBA / Systems Administrator
Location: Remote
Job Type: Contract
Experience: 10+ Years
Role Overview
We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Mainframe DB2 z/OS DBA / Systems Administrator with strong hands-on expertise across the IBM Mainframe ecosystem.
The ideal candidate will have deep experience with DB2 for z/OS combined with strong z/OS systems and infrastructure skills, including RACF, CICS, IBM MQ, z/VM, z/Linux, SMP/E, system maintenance, performance monitoring, security, storage, and production support.
This is a highly technical role. The primary focus is on hands-on Mainframe technical expertise, troubleshooting, administration, performance, availability, and production support. Project management experience is a plus but is secondary to technical capability.
Key Responsibilities DB2 for z/OS Administration
- Install, configure, maintain, upgrade, and support DB2 for z/OS subsystems.
- Administer production and non-production DB2 environments.
- Perform DB2 subsystem maintenance, upgrades, migrations, and configuration changes.
- Apply DB2 and related Mainframe maintenance using SMP/E.
- Execute and optimize DB2 utilities including:
- REORG
- RUNSTATS
- COPY
- RECOVER
- LOAD
- REBUILD INDEX
- Monitor and tune DB2 subsystems, SQL, buffer pools, locking, logging, storage, and application performance.
- Perform DB2 performance analysis and SQL optimization.
- Support backup, recovery, high availability, and disaster recovery activities.
- Participate in disaster recovery testing and recovery validation.
- Troubleshoot complex DB2 production issues and perform root-cause analysis.
Mainframe / z/OS Systems Administration
- Provide hands-on administration and operational support for IBM z/OS / MVS environments.
- Monitor system health, availability, CPU, memory, workloads, batch processing, storage, and subsystem performance.
- Support IPL/POR, system startup/shutdown, started tasks, JES and batch processing.
- Perform z/OS maintenance, upgrades, patching, and system configuration activities.
- Work with PARMLIB, PROCLIB, TSO/ISPF, SDSF, JES2/JES3, JCL, and z/OS utilities.
- Support SMP/E RECEIVE/APPLY/ACCEPT, PTF maintenance, HOLDDATA review, and USERMOD activities.
- Troubleshoot complex system, subsystem, batch, storage, and production incidents.
- Support enterprise Mainframe availability and high-availability environments.
RACF / Mainframe Security
- Provide hands-on RACF administration and security support.
- Administer users, groups, profiles, permissions, and protected resources.
- Perform access reviews, privilege validation, and security troubleshooting.
- Support RACF audits, compliance activities, security hardening, and remediation.
- Collaborate with security teams to resolve access-control and authorization issues.
CICS / IBM MQ
- Support CICS environments and troubleshoot CICS-related production issues.
- Collaborate with application and infrastructure teams on CICS availability, performance, and transaction issues.
- Support IBM MQ / MQSeries environments and troubleshoot messaging issues.
- Monitor and troubleshoot queues, message processing, connectivity, and integration issues.
- Work across CICS, DB2, MQ, application, network, and infrastructure teams to resolve complex production incidents.
z/VM / z/Linux
- Support IBM z/VM environments and related Mainframe infrastructure.
- Support Linux on IBM Z / z/Linux environments and integration with the broader Mainframe ecosystem.
- Troubleshoot operating-system, connectivity, storage, workload, and infrastructure issues across z/OS, z/VM, and z/Linux environments.
- Collaborate with platform, infrastructure, storage, network, and security teams on cross-platform issues.
Replication & Data Integration
- Support Q Replication, SQL Replication, and Change Data Capture (CDC).
- Support DB2 Connect and related DB2 connectivity.
- Support Informatica PowerExchange where required.
- Troubleshoot data movement, replication, connectivity, and integration issues.
Performance & Monitoring
Experience with one or more of the following is preferred:
- OMEGAMON
- IntelliMagic
- MXG
- BMC MainView
- Apptune
- Query Monitor
- TMON
- Strobe
- Db2PM
- RMF/SMF
- SDSF
Responsibilities include:
- Monitor DB2 and z/OS performance.
- Analyze CPU, memory, I/O, storage, workload, locking, and subsystem performance.
- Identify performance bottlenecks and recommend corrective actions.
- Support capacity planning and performance optimization.
Automation & Scheduling
Experience with:
- REXX
- CLIST
- JCL
- TWS/OPC
- Control-M
- SA z/OS
- NetView
- Mainframe automation and operational scripting
Use automation to improve system monitoring, maintenance, reporting, health checks, and repetitive operational activities.
Production Support & ITIL
- Provide 24x7 / rotational on-call production support.
- Act as a technical escalation point for high-severity incidents.
- Perform detailed root-cause analysis and develop permanent corrective actions.
- Follow ITIL processes for:
- Incident Management
- Problem Management
- Change Management
- Release Management
- Support major incidents and production recovery activities.
- Maintain SOPs, runbooks, implementation plans, technical documentation, and operational procedures.
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