What are the responsibilities and job description for the Middleware Engineer position at West 4th Strategy?
Middleware Engineer
ROLE
We need an experienced Middleware Engineer at the New York City Department of Social Services (DSS). DSS enhances the quality of life for all New Yorkers by providing temporary assistance to eligible individuals and families with social service and economic needs, supported by IT Services (ITS) which operates the critical technology infrastructure behind the agency’s programs. DSS is currently executing a large-scale Data Center Co-location and Migration Project to consolidate multiple data centers into a new facility at 11 MetroTech in Brooklyn, replacing end-of-life infrastructure and mitigating risk of service disruption to agency operations. In this role, you will conduct a detailed inventory of existing middleware components including IBM IIB, ACE, Apache, DataPower, and MQ, identify all dependencies and integrations with upstream and downstream systems, configure certificates, queues, endpoints, and policies, and participate in cutover activities including DNS updates, configuration changes, and service restarts. This is a full-time opportunity. We can offer a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package.
RESPONSIBILITIES
REQUIRED SKILLS/EXPERIENCE
EDUCATION / CERTIFICATIONS
LOCATION
CLIENT
WORK AUTHORIZATION
TRAVEL
WORK HOURS
EMPLOYMENT CLASSIFICATION
RELOCATION
COMPENSATION
West 4th Strategy is an Equal Opportunity (EEO) employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin, age, marital status, mental disability, physical disability, medical condition, pregnancy, political affiliation, military or veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by federal or state law.
Other Considerations: applicants will be subject to a background investigation. Individual’s primary workstation is in an office area. The noise level in this environment is low to moderate. Regularly required to sit for extended periods up to 80% of the time; frequently required to move about to access file cabinets and use office equipment such as PC, copier, fax, telephone, cell phone, etc. Occasionally required to reach overhead, bend, and lift objects of up to 10 lbs. Specific vision abilities required by this job include the use of computer monitor screens up to 80% of the time.
ROLE
We need an experienced Middleware Engineer at the New York City Department of Social Services (DSS). DSS enhances the quality of life for all New Yorkers by providing temporary assistance to eligible individuals and families with social service and economic needs, supported by IT Services (ITS) which operates the critical technology infrastructure behind the agency’s programs. DSS is currently executing a large-scale Data Center Co-location and Migration Project to consolidate multiple data centers into a new facility at 11 MetroTech in Brooklyn, replacing end-of-life infrastructure and mitigating risk of service disruption to agency operations. In this role, you will conduct a detailed inventory of existing middleware components including IBM IIB, ACE, Apache, DataPower, and MQ, identify all dependencies and integrations with upstream and downstream systems, configure certificates, queues, endpoints, and policies, and participate in cutover activities including DNS updates, configuration changes, and service restarts. This is a full-time opportunity. We can offer a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Conduct a detailed inventory of existing middleware components including IBM Integration Bus (IIB), App Connect Enterprise (ACE), Apache, IBM DataPower, and IBM MQ.
- Identify all dependencies and integrations with upstream/downstream systems to support seamless migration planning.
- Configure certificates, queues, endpoints, and policies for platforms like IIB, ACE, MQ, and DataPower.
- Perform end-to-end testing and validation of middleware services for performance, availability, and resilience in the new infrastructure.
- Perform health checks using monitoring tools and logs.
- Participate in cutover activities including DNS updates, configuration changes, service restarts, and sanity checks.
REQUIRED SKILLS/EXPERIENCE
- 8 years of experience in full stack development within enterprise or cloud environments.
- Strong expertise in modern frontend frameworks (e.g., React, Angular, Vue) and backend technologies (e.g., Node.js, Java, .NET, Python).
- Proven experience leading cloud migration or application modernization initiatives.
- Advanced knowledge of containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes).
- Strong hands-on experience with AWS, Azure, or GCP services (IaaS, PaaS, serverless).
- Deep understanding of CI/CD pipelines, DevOps practices, and automated testing strategies.
- Experience designing microservices architectures and API-first systems.
- Strong understanding of secure coding standards, identity management, and compliance requirements.
- Experience with database systems (SQL and NoSQL) and performance optimization.
- Excellent analytical, architectural design, and stakeholder communication skills.
- Typical Tools & Technologies:
- IBM IIB / ACE, IBM MQ, IBM Integration Toolkit, IBM DataPower
- Java/J2EE, ESQL, XML/XSD, SOAP/REST, Oracle SQL/PLSQL
- IBM MQ Explorer, SSL, Git, Azure
EDUCATION / CERTIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field – preferred
LOCATION
- Brooklyn, NY
CLIENT
- NYC Department of Social Services
WORK AUTHORIZATION
- Must be legally entitled to work in the United States
TRAVEL
- No travel required.
WORK HOURS
- 8 hours per day. 1 unpaid hour for lunch
EMPLOYMENT CLASSIFICATION
- W2 Hourly
RELOCATION
- Not eligible for relocation benefits.
COMPENSATION
- Compensation Range: $68.68 - $93.75/hr commensurate on experience
- Benefits: Benefits package includes options for health, dental, and vision insurance coverage; 401k contribution options; paid sick time
West 4th Strategy is an Equal Opportunity (EEO) employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin, age, marital status, mental disability, physical disability, medical condition, pregnancy, political affiliation, military or veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by federal or state law.
Other Considerations: applicants will be subject to a background investigation. Individual’s primary workstation is in an office area. The noise level in this environment is low to moderate. Regularly required to sit for extended periods up to 80% of the time; frequently required to move about to access file cabinets and use office equipment such as PC, copier, fax, telephone, cell phone, etc. Occasionally required to reach overhead, bend, and lift objects of up to 10 lbs. Specific vision abilities required by this job include the use of computer monitor screens up to 80% of the time.
Salary : $69 - $94