Mainframe z/OS Technical Lead / L3 Engineer

Job Description

Job Title:

Mainframe z/OS Technical Lead / L3 Engineer

Location:

McLean, VA - Hybrid

Duration:

10+ Months Job Description We are seeking a senior Mainframe Z/OS Technical Lead to act as the client-side SME overseeing outsourced mainframe services and guiding a small internal team.

Responsibilities:

• Provide technical oversight of vendor-managed mainframe operations
• Review daily operations, incidents, RCA, changes, and releases
• Validate vendor recommendations and ensure adherence to SLAs and ITIL processes
• Act as escalation point for complex mainframe issues
• Provide expert guidance on z/OS, Sysplex, WLM, JES, and RACF
• Oversee IMS (DB/DC), DB2 for z/OS, and CICS environments
• Review system performance, capacity, availability, and stability
• Recommend improvements for performance, automation, and cost optimization
• Identify risks, technical debt, and modernization opportunities
• Review DR, BCP, backup, and recovery strategies
• Provide architectural input for upgrades and future-state planning
• Communicate technical insights clearly to leadership and stakeholders

Required Skills:

• 10+ years of strong hands-on mainframe experience
• Expert knowledge of z/OS, IMS, DB2, CICS
• Strong understanding of JCL, COBOL, and batch processing
• Experience with vendor-managed or outsourced environments
• Ability to influence, challenge, and guide vendors constructively

Preferred:

• Mainframe modernization or optimization experience
• ITIL process exposure Applicant Notices & Disclaimers For information on benefits, equal opportunity employment, and location-specific applicant notices, click here At SPECTRAFORCE, we are committed to maintaining a workplace that ensures fair compensation and wage transparency in adherence with all applicable state and local laws.

This position's starting pay is: $60.71/hr.