W2 Role - Senior z/OS Systems Administrator - 100% Remote

 

W2 ONLY
 
Job Description:
Position Overview
We are seeking an experienced Senior z/OS Systems Administrator to support and maintain a large-scale IBM mainframe environment. The ideal candidate will be a senior-level z/OS professional with deep hands-on expertise in SMP/E, REXX scripting, and z/OSMF, along with strong knowledge of z/OS systems administration, maintenance, upgrades, troubleshooting, and automation.

 

Key Responsibilities
•    Install, configure, maintain, and support IBM z/OS operating systems and related system software.
•    Perform z/OS upgrades, maintenance, system modifications, and lifecycle management.
•    Provide advanced administration and troubleshooting of z/OS environments.
•    Use SMP/E (System Modification Program/Extended) extensively for installation, maintenance, upgrades, PTFs, APARs, HOLDDATA processing, and management of IBM and third-party software.
•    Analyze SMP/E environments, zones, CSI datasets, SYSMODs, and maintenance requirements.
•    Develop and maintain REXX scripts to automate z/OS administration, monitoring, reporting, maintenance, and operational processes.
•    Identify manual processes that can be improved through REXX-based automation.
•    Administer and support IBM z/OS Management Facility (z/OSMF).
•    Configure and maintain z/OSMF services, workflows, plugins, and system management functions.
•    Utilize z/OSMF for system management, configuration, monitoring, and automation.
•    Perform system problem determination, root-cause analysis, and resolution of complex z/OS issues.
•    Monitor system performance, availability, capacity, and overall system health.
•    Work with operations, application, storage, network, security, and database teams to resolve mainframe infrastructure issues.
•    Participate in system upgrades, migrations, disaster recovery testing, and infrastructure modernization initiatives.
•    Maintain system documentation, operating procedures, configuration standards, and technical runbooks.
•    Provide technical leadership and mentoring to other mainframe systems administrators.
•    Participate in production support and on-call activities as required.

 

Required Qualifications
•    10+ years of hands-on SMP/E experience in enterprise IBM z/OS environments.
•    10+ years of hands-on REXX scripting experience, including development of automation for systems administration and operational tasks.
•    Strong hands-on experience with IBM z/OSMF (z/OS Management Facility).
•    Extensive experience administering and supporting IBM z/OS in large enterprise environments.
•    Strong knowledge of z/OS system architecture, configuration, maintenance, and troubleshooting.
•    Experience installing and maintaining IBM and third-party mainframe software.
•    Extensive experience applying PTFs, APARs, maintenance packages, and software upgrades using SMP/E.
•    Strong understanding of SMP/E CSI structures, zones, SYSMOD processing, HOLDDATA, RECEIVE, APPLY, ACCEPT, and RESTORE processes.
•    Strong knowledge of JCL, TSO/ISPF, UNIX System Services (USS), and z/OS utilities.
•    Ability to diagnose complex system problems using z/OS logs, dumps, system messages, and diagnostic tools.
•    Strong understanding of mainframe change-management and production-control processes.
•    Excellent analytical, troubleshooting, documentation, and communication skills.
•    Ability to work independently and take ownership of complex technical issues.

 

Preferred Skills
Experience with several of the following would be highly desirable:
•    JES2
•    RACF
•    TCP/IP
•    UNIX System Services (USS)
•    HMC
•    IBM System z / IBM Z hardware
•    Parallel Sysplex
•    Coupling Facility
•    WLM
•    RMF / SMF
•    System Automation
•    SDSF
•    DFSMS
•    Disaster Recovery / Business Continuity
•    Mainframe monitoring and performance-management tools
•    Automation using REXX, JCL, CLISTs, and other scripting technologies