Mainframe Engineer
Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
Contract
2 weeks ago
Key skills
SQLETLELTData EngineeringAWSAzure
About this role
Mainframe Engineer
Location: Saint Paul, Minnesota (Hybrid) only on w2
- Looking for a senior engineer/architect with a DBA background focused on mainframe IMS, DB2 and z/OS.
- Need to have experience doing mainframe exits/mainframe modernizations.
- Will be moving to AWS so would be a big plus if they have done that before.
Role Overview
- An experienced IMS & DB2 Mainframe Engineer is sought to support a mainframe exit program.
- This role is central to understanding, stabilizing, and migrating enterprise data from IMS and DB2 on the mainframe to future-state platforms.
- The position requires a combination of hands-on mainframe engineering, modernization, migration, and architecture experience.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide expert-level support and engineering for IMS and DB2 environments on z/OS.
- Analyze and optimize database structures, access patterns, and performance.
- Support backup/recovery, data integrity, and availability of critical systems.
- Troubleshoot complex issues across IMS, DB2, application dependencies, and batch processing.
- Lead and contribute to data migration strategies from IMS and DB2 to distributed/cloud platforms.
- Develop and execute data extraction, transformation, and migration (ETL/ELT) strategies.
- Translate hierarchical (IMS) and relational (DB2) data models into modern data platforms.
- Collaborate with Application Development, Enterprise Architecture, and Data Engineering teams.
- Act as a subject matter expert for IMS/DB2 in modernization discussions.
- Assist with knowledge transfer, documentation, and dependency mapping.
Required Qualifications
Experience:
- 10+ years of hands-on experience with IMS DB (DL/I, PSBs, ACBs, transactions) and DB2 for z/OS (database design, SQL, utilities, performance tuning).
- Experience with data migration from mainframe to distributed/cloud platforms is required.
Technical Skills:
- Deep expertise in the z/OS mainframe environment, including batch processing, job control (JCL), and system utilities.
- A strong understanding of database backup/recovery processes and data lifecycle management is necessary.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with mainframe modernization or exit programs.
- Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure) and modern data platforms.
- Familiarity with data integration tools such as Informatica.
- Knowledge of mainframe security, access controls, and audit considerations.
- Knowledge of enterprise data architecture and governance practices.