Lead Mainframe CICS/MQ Site Reliability Engineer

Title: Lead Mainframe CICS/MQ Site Reliability Engineer

Location - Cary, NC Hybrid

Role Value Proposition:

Lead Mainframe CICS/MQ Site Reliability Engineer

In this pivotal role, you will leverage your expertise to bridge the gap between the reliability of legacy systems and the demands of future-ready solutions, driving the modernization and optimization of our mainframe platforms.

In this leadership position, you will be responsible for architecting, designing, and directing the modernization and optimization of client s mainframe systems to ensure they are reliable, scalable, and fully aligned with our evolving business goals. The ideal candidate will bring extensive expertise in mainframe technologies, a strategic vision for IT transformation, and a proven history of successfully leading complex, enterprise-wide mainframe modernization projects.

Key Responsibilities:

• Assist in leading the architecture, design, and implementation of mainframe solutions that support client s business goals and technology strategy.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance to mainframe development, operations, and modernization teams.
• Collaborate with business stakeholders, application developers, and infrastructure teams to identify requirements and deliver innovative, cost-effective mainframe solutions.
• Help establish a new Mainframe in-take and change processes that considers new workloads and provide required mainframe performance tuning of CIC/MQ & z/OS Connect instances to support the workloads.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, tools, and methodologies to drive continuous improvement and modernization of mainframe platforms.
• Establish and enforce best practices, standards, and architectural governance for mainframe environments.
• Develop and maintain architectural documentation, roadmaps, and blueprints for mainframe systems.
• Ensure high availability, security, and performance of mainframe applications and infrastructure by constantly reviewing relevant CICS/MQ and z/OS Connect performance telemetry data and traces with application stakeholders.
• Participate in ITSM processes such as Release/Change approvals, Incident/Problem resolution.
• Proven experience resolving CICS/MQ related incidents during troubleshooting
• Partner with enterprise architects and other technology leaders to define and implement enterprise-wide technology strategies.

Essential Business Experience and Technical Skills:

Required Skills:

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, or related field experience.
• 8+ years of experience in mainframe engineering, with at least 3 to 5+ years in a lead service delivery, development or architect role.
• Expertise in IBM z/OS, COBOL, CICS, MQ and z/OS Connect and related mainframe technologies.
• Demonstrated experience with mainframe modernization, integration, and migration projects.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage multiple complex projects simultaneously.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and stakeholder management skills.
• Analytical, strategic thinker with strong problem-solving abilities.

Preferred:

• Experience with cloud integration, DevOps, zLinux, OpenShift and automation in mainframe environments. (RedHat Ansible for IBM Z Collections, Ansible, Python)
• Knowledge of hybrid IT architectures and emerging technology trends.
• Relevant certifications (e.g., IBM Certified System Architect, TOGAF).
• Experience in the insurance or financial services industry.