Senior z/OS System Programmer

BCforward is a leading global IT consulting and workforce solutions firm providing services and support to Fortune 500 and government clients. Founded in 1998, we have grown with our customers' needs into a full-service business solutions provider with delivery centers and offices across North America and India.

About the role

We are seeking a z/OS Systems Engineer to join our team. The ideal candidate will have strong experience in z/OS platform engineering, JES2 administration, SMP/E maintenance, and z/OS UNIX System Services and a proven ability to design, automate, and operate mainframe infrastructure aligned with enterprise standards.

Responsibilities

• Design, engineer, and maintain z/OS platform tools and services in alignment with architecture, governance, and security policies.
• Provide subject-matter expertise in z/OS infrastructure and deliver technical consultation and best practices to application, infrastructure, and engineering teams.
• Translate business and operational requirements into z/OS technical designs, deployment blueprints, standards, and runbooks.
• Develop and enhance automation, scripts, and tooling to eliminate manual tasks and improve reliability and efficiency.
• Create reusable templates and playbooks for standardized builds, configuration, deployment, and operations.
• Evaluate and validate third-party mainframe software and tools for enterprise adoption and compliance.
• Identify opportunities to improve performance, resiliency, and operational processes through modernization.
• Contribute to product and solution evaluations by defining functional and non-functional technical requirements.
• Support risk management, change management, and problem resolution in a regulated, high-availability environment.
• Provide technical guidance, mentoring, and leadership to junior staff and promote a collaborative team culture.

Requirements

• Strong experience configuring, maintaining, and supporting z/OS, including release installation, maintenance, and management of PTFs, APARs, and USERMODs with SMP/E.
• Proficiency in developing and maintaining system utilities, exits, and automation using REXX and BAL/Assembler.
• Administration of z/OS UNIX System Services, including file systems, permissions, scripting, and zFS configuration and support.
• Hands-on experience configuring and supporting JES2, including job classes, initiators, spool tuning, and workload controls.
• Strong working knowledge of TSO/ISPF for system programming and operational tasks.
• Experience managing LPARs and processor resources using the Hardware Management Console (HMC).
• Ability to diagnose and resolve system-level issues, including abends, dumps, hardware errors, and performance problems using IPCS, EREP, and RMF.

Preferred Skills

• Experience defining and maintaining complex server, storage, and network configurations using Hardware Configuration Definition (HCD).
• Familiarity with enterprise evaluation of mainframe products and solution fit-for-purpose assessments.

Pay

$70.23/hr (W2)

Schedule

Contract - 11 months

Locations

Main location: Chandler, AZ
Manager open to candidates in: Plano, TX / Charlotte, NC / Pennington, NJ / Jersey City, NJ

Additional Information

• Candidates should include current location and intent on the resume.
• GLIDER ID verification is required.