Mainframe Developer
- ON, Canada
- Ontario, Canada, Canada
$50 to $55 CAD / hour · Contract
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Job details
- Pay
- $50 to $55 CAD / hour
- Job type
- Contract
- Apply by
- Posting language
- English
- Posted
Original job description
Job Details:
Job Title: Mainframe Engineer
Location: Toronto, ON (Hybrid 3 Days onsite)
Duration: 12+ Months contract with possibility of extension
Pay Rate: 50-55/hour CAD on INC
Job Description:
This is essentially a Senior Mainframe z/OS Patch Management Lead / Mainframe Infrastructure Engineer role. The person is responsible for keeping the IBM mainframe environment secure, stable, and up to date.
Responsibilities:
- Own the IBM z/OS patch management strategy, including SMP/E maintenance (PTFs, APARs, RSU/CSI management) and subsystem patching (CICS, DB2, IMS, MQ, RACF, and related products).
- Define the rolling patch and maintenance calendar in alignment with IBM service delivery cycles, security advisories, and enterprise change freeze windows.
- Assess incoming IBM and ISV maintenance for applicability, risk, and priority; triage HIPER, security, and integrity PTFs for expedited handling.
- Set technical direction for, and provide hands-on oversight of, an offshore mainframe operations team executing patch installs, regression testing, and validation across the z/OS estate.
- Establish and enforce patching standards, runbooks, and quality checkpoints so offshore-executed work meets the same bar as work performed directly.
- Review and approve patch testing results, rollback plans, and go/no-go decisions before production implementation, including for changes executed by the offshore team.
- Coordinate with systems programmers, security, and application teams to plan patch windows and manage changes through the CAB process.
- Track patch compliance across the mainframe estate; report on outstanding vulnerabilities, aging maintenance, and remediation timelines to management.
- Serve as the primary escalation point for patch-related incidents, including issues surfaced by the offshore team during off-hours windows; lead root cause analysis and remediation.
Required Skills:
IBM z/OS
MQ
RACF
More about this job
Responsibilities
Lead IBM z/OS and subsystem patch management, including maintenance planning, risk assessment, testing oversight, and production approvals. Direct offshore operations, coordinate change windows with technical and business teams, track compliance, and resolve patch-related incidents.
Requirements
The role requires hands-on expertise with IBM z/OS, MQ, and RACF, along with senior-level mainframe infrastructure and patch management experience. It also calls for leadership of offshore operations, maintenance risk assessment, change coordination, testing oversight, and incident escalation.
Skills
- IBM z/OS
- MQ
- RACF
- SMP/E
- PTF Management
- APAR Management
- CICS
- DB2
- IMS
- Mainframe Patch Management
- Mainframe Infrastructure
- Change Management
- Regression Testing
- Root Cause Analysis
Visa sponsorship
Not detected in the job text
Categories
- Technology
- Software
- Management & Leadership
- Security & Safety
Keywords
- IBM z/OS
- SMP/E
- PTFs
- APARs
- RSU
- CSI Management
- CICS
- DB2
- IMS
- MQ
- RACF
- Mainframe Patch Management
- Mainframe Infrastructure
- IBM Maintenance
- ISV Maintenance
- Security Advisories
- HIPER PTFs
- Security PTFs
- Integrity PTFs
- Patch Compliance
- Regression Testing
- Runbooks
- Rollback Plans
- Go/No-Go Decisions
- Change Advisory Board
- Root Cause Analysis
- Offshore Operations
- Vulnerability Remediation