Mainframe Modernization Senior Manager
About the role
As a Senior Manager in our Mainframe Modernization practice, you will lead high-impact transformation programs that modernize clients’ mission-critical legacy mainframe environments. You will combine deep mainframe expertise with executive-level client engagement, strategic vision, and people leadership to guide cross-functional teams from assessment through go-live. This is a senior leadership role with direct accountability for delivery quality, client relationships, and practice growth.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Define the strategic direction for mainframe modernization programs in collaboration with client executives and internal stakeholders.
- Develop comprehensive transformation roadmaps—covering rehosting, reengineering, refactoring, re-platforming, and hybrid approaches—that align with client business objectives and risk appetite.
- Stay ahead of industry trends in mainframe modernization, cloud migration, and emerging technologies, applying new thinking to continuously elevate practice capabilities.
Client Engagement & Advisory
- Build and sustain trusted advisor relationships with C-level and senior client stakeholders across the engagement lifecycle.
- Provide expert counsel on modernization strategies, clearly articulating business value, technical trade-offs, and risk.
- Represent the practice in business development activities, contributing to proposals, client workshops, and industry events.
Program & Delivery Management
- Lead cross-functional teams—architects, developers, QA, and business analysts—in executing mainframe modernization projects on time, within budget, and to quality standards.
- Establish and own the program governance framework, including reporting cadences, escalation paths, and change management protocols.
- Identify and proactively mitigate risks across technical, operational, and organizational dimensions.
- Ensure compliance with applicable security, regulatory, and data governance requirements throughout transformation programs.
Solution Design
- Partner with technical architects to design modernization solutions tailored to clients’ unique environments and constraints.
- Evaluate existing mainframe ecosystems, identify optimization opportunities, and propose migration architectures leveraging modern cloud-native patterns and DevOps practices.
- Oversee quality assurance and validation processes to confirm that modernized systems meet performance, reliability, and functional requirements.
People & Practice Development
- Lead, mentor, and develop a team of modernization professionals, fostering a culture of continuous learning, accountability, and innovation.
- Define talent and capability development priorities for the practice, identifying skill gaps and sponsoring targeted growth initiatives.
- Communicate complex technical and program status to both technical and non-technical audiences with clarity and confidence.
This role may require up to 100% travel based on client engagement requirements.
Basic Qualifications
- Minimum 8+ years of consulting experience including leadership of mainframe modernization or large-scale legacy transformation programs.
- Minimum 8+ years of experience with mainframe technologies and modernization strategies (rehosting, reengineering, refactoring, re-platforming).
- Minimum 8+ years of experience working with Mainframe Migration and Modernization partners and vendor ecosystems.
- Demonstrated experience with microservices architecture, DevOps practices, and CI/CD pipelines as modernization targets.
- Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent minimum 12 years’ work experience. (Associate’s Degree requires minimum 6 years’ work experience.)
Preferred Qualifications
- Strong leadership track record with demonstrated success managing large, geographically distributed teams on complex transformation programs.
- In-depth knowledge of legacy mainframe platforms (IBM z/OS, CICS, DB2, COBOL, IMS) and their modernization pathways.
- Hands-on familiarity with major cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP) as modernization destinations.
- Experience with DevOps toolchains (CI/CD, automated testing, infrastructure-as-code) in a modernization context.
- IBM, AWS, Azure, or GCP certifications relevant to mainframe modernization.
- PMP, SAFe, or equivalent program management certification.
Compensation
Compensation at Accenture varies depending on a wide array of factors, which may include but are not limited to the specific office location, role, skill set, and level of experience. As required by local law, Accenture provides a reasonable range of compensation for roles that may be hired as set forth below.