What are the responsibilities and job description for the Mainframe Application Developer (Cobol / JCL) position at New York Technology Partners?
Mainframe Application Developer (Cobol / JCL)
Location: McLean, VA
Employment Type: Full-time
About the Role
A growing technology team in NoVa is seeking an experienced Mainframe Application Developer to support and enhance critical enterprise systems. This role focuses on building, maintaining, and optimizing high‑volume batch and online applications within a large-scale mainframe environment. The ideal candidate brings deep technical expertise, strong analytical skills, and the ability to work in a fast‑paced, highly regulated environment.
Key Responsibilities
- Design, develop, and maintain mainframe applications using COBOL for both batch and online processing.
- Build and optimize JCL workflows, including job scheduling, utilities, restart/recovery logic, and performance tuning.
- Support and enhance applications running on IBM z/OS environments.
- Develop and troubleshoot CICS-based online transaction programs.
- Write and tune SQL and embedded SQL for DB2 databases.
- Work with VSAM datasets (KSDS, ESDS, RRDS) and related file structures.
- Utilize sort utilities such as DFSORT or SYNCSORT for data processing.
- Participate in incident analysis, debugging, and production support activities.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams including QA, business analysts, and infrastructure teams.
- Contribute to modernization initiatives, documentation, and continuous improvement efforts.
- Ensure compliance with coding standards, security requirements, and SDLC best practices.
Required Technical Skills
- Strong hands-on experience with COBOL (Batch & Online).
- Proficiency in JCL, including utilities, job scheduling, and restart/recovery.
- Experience working in IBM z/OS mainframe environments.
- Solid working knowledge of CICS for online transaction processing.
- Strong experience with DB2 (SQL, embedded SQL, performance tuning).
- Familiarity with VSAM datasets (KSDS, ESDS, RRDS).
- Experience with file handling and sort utilities (DFSORT/SYNCSORT).
- Relevant IBM/Mainframe or Financial Systems certifications are a plus.
Preferred Experience
- Exposure to financial, banking, insurance, or other transaction-heavy domains.
- Background in production support, incident management, and root cause analysis.
- Experience working in Agile, hybrid, or traditional SDLC environments.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to work with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Soft Skills
- Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
- Ability to manage priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Clear written and verbal communication skills.
- Collaborative mindset with the ability to work independently when needed.
Salary : $130,000 - $160,000