Senior Mainframe DB2 z/OS DBA / Systems Administrator@ Remote Role

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.