Who we are:

Scope and Purpose:

As the IBM i (AS/400) Systems Administrator, you’ll be the primary owner of our IBM i platform—ensuring operating systems are current, systems are secure and performant, backups are reliable, and high availability/disaster recovery is ready. You’ll manage LPARs, coordinate with vendors, lead root-cause investigations, and drive preventive maintenance to maintain stable and compliant operations.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• OS, Firmware & PTF Lifecycle
  1. Plan, stage, and apply OS releases, firmware updates, and PTF/PTF groups.
  2. Validate updates in lower environments; schedule IPL windows and rollback plans.
  3. Maintain change documentation and audit evidence.
• Capacity & Performance
  1. Monitor CPU, memory pools, ASP/IASP storage, and I/O.
  2. Use Collection Services and Performance Data Investigator for trend analysis and tuning.
  3. Optimize subsystems, job priorities, and memory pools.
• Security Administration
  1. Manage user/group profiles and authorities; maintain AUTLs and object permissions.
  2. Enforce password and system value policies.
  3. Configure QAUDJRN auditing; produce entitlement and audit reports.
• Backup & Restore
  1. Own BRMS policies (daily/weekly/monthly).
  2. Manage media/VTL handling and offsite rotations.
  3. Perform SAVSYS/SAVLIB as needed; execute test restores and maintain recovery runbooks.
• High Availability & Disaster Recovery
  1. Maintain replication/HA tools (e.g., PowerHA, MIMIX, Quick-EDD).
  2. Validate remote journaling and run DR exercises/role-swap drills.
  3. Track and report RPO/RTO metrics.
• LPAR Management & Configuration
  1. Administer HMC partition profiles and perform DLPAR moves.
  2. Coordinate VIOS/SAN mappings with infrastructure teams.
  3. Manage TCP/IP, DNS/NTP, routing, and printers/outqs.
• Vendor Coordination
  1. Open and manage cases with IBM and solution vendors.
  2. Schedule field maintenance; manage licenses and renewals.
• Incident & Problem Management
  1. Lead root-cause analysis for systemic issues.
  2. Implement corrective and preventive actions.
  3. Keep stakeholders informed throughout.
• Documentation & Compliance
  1. Maintain SOPs and runbooks.
  2. Provide audit artifacts; enforce change control and segregation of duties.

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree in an IT-related field and 3 years of IBM i/AS/400 systems administration; or
• Associate degree/technical program and 4 years of relevant experience; or
• Equivalent hands-on experience (5 years) administering IBM i environments.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Platform Expertise
  • Subsystems, job scheduling, libraries/objects, journaling, save/restore, IFS.
  • Strong grasp of LPAR concepts and system values.
• Core Tooling
  • IBM i Access Client Solutions (ACS), 5250 emulator, Navigator for i, HMC.
  • BRMS, Collection Services, Performance Data Investigator.
• Security & Audit
  • QAUDJRN/QAUDCTL/QAUDLVL configuration, exit points, password policies (QPW* values).
  • Adopted authority, access reviews, and reporting.
• Storage & HA Basics
  • ASP/IASP management, journaling/remote journaling, replication concepts.
  • VTL/tape libraries, SAN/VIOS coordination.
• Scripting & Automation
  • CL programming, operational SQL, qsh/QP2TERM utilities.
  • Strong discipline in change management and documentation.
• Soft Skills
  • Clear communicator, detail-oriented, and calm under pressure.
  • Strong collaboration with developers, infrastructure teams, and auditors.
• Availability
  • Able to support maintenance windows and participate in an on-call rotation.
• Preferred Experience
  • Experience with PowerHA, MIMIX/Quick-EDD, and role-swap orchestration.
  • Monitoring/automation tools (e.g., Robot/Console, Nagios), log aggregation, and alert tuning.
  • Exposure to SAN/VIOS administration (NPIV, vSCSI), PowerVC, or cloud backup gateways.
  • Familiarity with compliance frameworks (SOX/PCI/HIPAA).
  • Database care (RGZPFM, journal receiver management) and Db2 for i performance tuning.

Travel Requirements:

This position may require light travel within a ten-mile radius from one local office location to another as needed.  

Professional Development:

• Establish annual objectives for professional growth.
• Keep pace with developments in the discipline.
• Learn and apply technologies that support professional and personal growth.
• Participate in the evaluation process.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, type, and use mouse; reach with hands and arms and talk and/or hear. The employee is required to sit for extended periods of time. The position may require lifting, pulling or moving items weighing upwards of 10 pounds as it relates to office or desk supplies.

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee regularly works in an office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones via WebEx, physical phone while in office, and photocopiers when necessary.

Other Duties:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to the job at any time without notice.

AAP/EEO Statement:

ManhattanLife prohibits discrimination based on race, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status. EOE Employer/Vet/Disabled. ManhattanLife values differences. We are committed to fostering an environment that attracts and retains a diverse workforce. With individuals from a variety of backgrounds, ManhattanLife will be better equipped to service our customers, increase innovation, and reduce risks. We encourage the unique perspectives of individuals and are dedicated to creating a respectful and inclusive work environment.