_{13th January, 2026}

For more than three decades, Strategic Data Systems (SDS) has been a software consultancy firm specializing in strategy, technology, and business transformation for Fortune 100 companies, mid-sized firms, and startups. At SDS, we empower our development teams to address our clients' critical business challenges by leveraging cutting edge technologies. If you seek a workplace where your contributions are truly appreciated, then SDS is the company for you. Join us today to work alongside fellow development specialists and become a crucial part of our dynamic and cohesive community.
 
Job 1858 – Mainframe Developer IV Location:
Cincinnati, OH (Onsite – Downtown)

Work Model: 4–5 days onsite

 We are seeking a Senior Mainframe Developer (Level IV) to join a critical enterprise platform team supporting high-volume, mission-critical banking systems. This role requires deep expertise in COBOL, CICS, JCL, SQL/DB2, and SAS, along with the ability to modernize and stabilize legacy systems while collaborating with distributed Agile teams.
The ideal candidate brings strong mainframe engineering fundamentals, experience across the full SDLC, and the communication skills to translate business requirements into scalable, resilient mainframe solutions.
What You’ll Do

• Analyze business and system requirements to determine technical feasibility and design approaches
• Design, develop, enhance, and maintain COBOL/CICS applications in a production mainframe environment
• Modify and debug existing applications to improve performance, reliability, and maintainability
• Develop and execute unit tests and verification plans to ensure functional and non-functional requirements are met
• Integrate applications with existing mainframe subsystems, utilities, and databases
• Support production issues, perform root-cause analysis, and implement long-term fixes
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (QA, infrastructure, business analysts, and architects)
• Create and maintain technical documentation, specifications, and operational procedures
• Ensure compliance with enterprise standards, security controls, and disaster recovery practices
• Contribute to modernization efforts (tooling, source control, and language interoperability where applicable)

Required Technical Skills

• COBOL (batch and online)
• CICS
• JCL
• SQL / DB2
• SAS
• Mainframe SDLC and production support experience

Nice-to-Have Skills

• One or more modern languages: Java, Python, Go, or Ruby
• Assembler
• GitHub (mainframe source control integration)
• IBM IDz (Developer for z/OS)
• Experience supporting modernization or migration initiatives

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional mainframe development experience
• Proven success delivering and supporting enterprise mainframe applications
• Strong understanding of testing strategies and quality engineering principles
• Ability to document requirements, designs, and operational procedures
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experience

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