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Mainframe Application Assessor (Architecture)

NixilAdelaide, Adelaide🇦🇺AustraliaPosted 8 Aug 2026

Why This Role Stands Out

This contract offers a unique opportunity to leverage your deep mainframe expertise to guide a significant modernization initiative for a government department, directly impacting their future IT strategy. You'll thrive in this role if you enjoy in-depth architectural analysis and clear, impactful advisory work, with the flexibility of remote work across Australia.

Quick Overview

Work Type
On Site
Schedule
Full Time
Level
Mid Senior

Job Description

Remote (Australia-wide) + 1-2 weeks on-site in SA

3-month contract

This role is open to an experienced Mainframe Application Assessor to lead an architecture-focused assessment of a legacy mainframe application for a South Australian Government department.

This is a review and advisory engagement, not a development role.

You'll evaluate the current-state architecture of a mainframe application, map its dependencies, and deliver a clear, well-reasoned modernisation recommendation to guide the department's future ICT direction - informed by real understanding of the technology, not just a template.

Location: Based anywhere in Australia, remote-friendly. You will need to be on-site in South Australia for approximately 1-2 weeks for workshops, stakeholder interviews, and discovery sessions.

Engagement type: 3-month contract at this stage.

What you'll do:
  • Assess the current-state architecture of a mainframe application, including its technology stack (COBOL, PL/I, Assembler, CICS, IMS, DB2, VSAM, JCL)
  • Map integration points, data flows, and upstream/downstream system dependencies
  • Assess technical debt, supportability, licensing exposure, and end-of-life risk
  • Apply a 6R modernisation framework (rehost, replatform, refactor, rearchitect, rebuild, retire) to develop a disposition recommendation
  • Identify risks, constraints, and indicative costs/effort for the recommended path
  • Run workshops and interviews with department SMEs, vendors, and platform owners to validate findings
  • Produce a comprehensive findings report and present to governance/steering forums
What you'll bring:
  • Demonstrated experience assessing or architecting mainframe-based enterprise applications
  • Working knowledge of mainframe technologies (COBOL/PL1/Assembler, CICS/IMS, DB2/VSAM, JCL) - hands on coding not required, but you need to genuinely understand the stack to assess it credibly
  • Experience applying modernisation or cloud migration frameworks
  • Strong stakeholder engagement skills - comfortable running workshops and presenting to senior government stakeholders
  • Excellent report writing and documentation skills
  • Prior government or regulated sector experience highly regarded

Skills

COBOL

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