Job Title: Mainframe CICS & MQ Administrator / Engineer

Location: Charlotte, NC (Remote)
Hire Type: Contract (W-2 Only)
No C2C or 1099

Top 3 Required Skills

• CICS & MQ Installation & Configuration
• Integration (CICS / IMS / DB2 / MQ / Web Services)
• Troubleshooting, Dump Analysis & FDC Analysis

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Mainframe CICS & MQ Engineer with 8+ years of experience managing IBM Mainframe CICS and MQ environments. The ideal candidate will be responsible for the installation, configuration, administration, performance tuning, troubleshooting, security, and ongoing support of enterprise CICS and MQ subsystems. This role requires strong expertise in production support, system diagnostics, RACF security, SMP/E installations, Web Services, and enterprise mainframe environments.

Key ResponsibilitiesCICS & MQ Administration

• Manage, administer, and support IBM Mainframe CICS and MQ subsystems in enterprise production environments.
• Install, maintain, configure, and upgrade CICS Transaction Server, MQSeries, and related ISV products (e.g., BMC MainView).
• Create, configure, and manage CICS regions and CICSplex (CPSM) environments for workload balancing and high availability.
• Monitor CICS regions using enterprise monitoring tools such as Omegamon and MainView.

System Maintenance & Configuration

• Perform installation and maintenance activities using SMP/E for CICS and associated products.
• Configure System Initialization Table (SIT) parameters and perform ongoing system maintenance.
• Create and maintain all required CICS resources using RDO (Resource Definition Online), including:
• Transactions
• Programs
• Files
• Transient Data Queues
• LSR Groups
• Other required CICS resources

Performance Monitoring & Optimization

• Analyze CICS system performance and optimize resource utilization.
• Tune system parameters to improve application performance and scalability.
• Produce, analyze, and interpret CICS shutdown statistics to support problem determination and capacity planning.
• Create and modify CICS reports and performance metrics, including:
• CPU consumption
• Storage consumption
• Transaction volume
• Response times
• Wait times
• Understand CICS dynamic storage areas and manipulate storage to resolve short-on-storage situations and support future application growth.

Troubleshooting & Production Support

• Provide 24x7 production support for CICS and MQ environments.
• Perform dump analysis, FDC analysis, and root cause analysis for production issues.
• Diagnose and resolve:
• CICS abends
• Transaction freezes
• Performance issues
• System failures
• Create both transaction dumps and system dumps and transfer them to vendors for further analysis.
• Set Auxiliary and GTF traces to assist IBM and vendors with problem determination.
• Demonstrate strong problem determination skills with the ability to diagnose issues, identify root causes, and implement remediation solutions.

Integration & Web Services

• Support integration across:
• CICS
• IMS
• DB2
• MQ
• Web Services
• Create and support Web Services within CICS environments.
• Demonstrate understanding of CICS MRO environments, including TOR and AOR configurations.

Security Administration

• Install and maintain RACF security for CICS and associated products.
• Create and maintain RACF security rules related to CICS resources.
• Manage CICS security requirements and maintain RACF security across all CICS resources.

SMF & System Analysis

• Gather and manipulate SMF data, including CICS 110 records.
• Utilize SMF data for performance analysis, reporting, and operational troubleshooting.

Vendor Support

• Work with IBM and other software vendors by:
• Opening problem cases
• Preparing technical documentation
• Sending dumps for analysis
• Following up on support requests
• Collaborating during issue resolution

Leadership & Collaboration

• Provide technical guidance, mentoring, and training to junior team members.
• Demonstrate strong communication, documentation, coordination, and problem-solving skills.
• Work independently as well as collaboratively within cross-functional teams.

Required Experience

• 8+ years of experience managing Mainframe CICS and MQ subsystems.
• Experience with CICS Transaction Server, MQSeries, and related ISV products (e.g., BMC MainView).
• Strong expertise in CICS Region Management, CICSplex (CPSM), and enterprise monitoring tools such as Omegamon/MainView.
• Hands-on experience with SMP/E installation and maintenance.
• Strong knowledge of RACF security administration for CICS.
• Experience with SMF data collection and manipulation (e.g., CICS 110 records).
• Experience with dump analysis, FDC analysis, trace analysis, and production issue resolution.
• Experience supporting Web Services within CICS.
• Strong understanding of CICS MRO environments (TOR/AOR).
• Experience creating and maintaining CICS resources using RDO.
• Excellent communication, mentoring, and documentation skills.

Pay: $60.00 - $65.00 per hour

Work Location: Remote