Job ID: JOB_ID_1832
Position Summary: Mainframe Operations Technical Leader
We are looking for a seasoned Mainframe Operations Technical Leader to oversee the stability, resilience, and compliance of our enterprise mainframe platforms. Located onsite in Plano, TX, this leadership role is responsible for the run-and-maintain operations of z/OS, DB2, IMS, CICS, and MQ subsystems. You will lead a technical operations team to orchestrate complex workflows, ensure product currency, and drive operational excellence through advanced automation and observability strategies.
Core Responsibilities and Leadership
- Own 24×7 availability and SLA adherence for critical mainframe regions, targeting 99.9% availability and 98% batch SLA.
- Lead major incident management processes, including bridge leadership, technical triage, and the development of comprehensive Root Cause Analysis (RCA) reports.
- Govern problem management and chair the Change Advisory Board (CAB) to ensure audit-compliant change execution and risk mitigation.
- Plan and execute large-scale platform upgrades for z/OS, DB2 (V12/V13), and IMS, including fallback strategies and regression validation.
- Drive SRE-aligned practices, establishing SLIs/SLOs and error budgets to optimize performance for DB2 buffer pools and CICS regions.
- Implement automation using Rexx, JCL, and Ansible for z/OS to reduce manual toil and improve batch window efficiency.
- Ensure 100% audit readiness by enforcing RACF access controls and maintaining detailed configuration baselines and DR runbooks.
- Mentor junior system programmers and standardize operational procedures across the infrastructure and security teams.
Technical Expertise and Qualifications
- 10+ years of experience in Mainframe Operations and System Programming.
- Expertise in IBM tooling, including SMP/E, PARMLIB/PROCLIB, ISPF, SDSF, and JES2/3.
- Advanced knowledge of OMEGAMON, IBM Z Observability, and IBM Workload Scheduler (IWS/TWS).
- Proven experience with hardware migrations, specifically IBM z16 deployments.
- Strong understanding of MQ clustering, message routing, and transmit queue backlog resolution.
- Familiarity with DevOps for mainframe and CI/CD pipeline integrations via ChangeMan.
- Relevant certifications in IBM z/OS, DB2, or ITIL are highly preferred.
Operational Excellence and Metrics
The successful candidate will be measured against key performance indicators including MTTR reduction, change quality (less than 1% failed changes), and zero audit findings. This role requires a leader who can produce executive-level summaries while maintaining a deep technical understanding of the day-to-day triage of MQ transmit queues, DB2 locking, and IMS region abends. You will partner closely with application and delivery teams to ensure data integrity and seamless cutover planning.
Special Requirements
Onsite requirement in Plano, TX; C2C role; 10+ years experience required; Expertise in IBM z/OS subsystems essential.
Compensation & Location
Salary: $165,000 – $215,000 per year (Estimated)
Location: Plano, TX
Recruiter / Company – Contact Information
Recruiter / Employer: SYSMIND LLC
Email: alokk@sysmind.com
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