Systems Programmer Analyst - Mainframe Modernization

Salary: USD
65 - USD
75 per hour

Location: Hybrid (2 days onsite, 3 days remote)

Duration: Multi-Year Contract

Compensation: Up to $75/hour

We are seeking an experienced Systems Programmer Analyst to support a large-scale mainframe modernization initiative. This role will focus on analyzing legacy applications, performing impact assessments, validating data and business processes, and supporting migration efforts from a mainframe environment to modern platforms.

The ideal candidate will have a blend of systems analysis expertise, strong SQL and data validation capabilities, and experience working within COBOL-based mainframe environments. Candidates who have participated in mainframe migration or modernization projects will be highly preferred.

• Analyze business and technical requirements and translate them into detailed functional and technical specifications.
• Perform impact assessments across applications, databases, batch jobs, interfaces, reports, and operational processes.
• Evaluate and document dependencies within COBOL, JCL, CICS, and DB2 environments.
• Conduct data comparison, reconciliation, and validation activities between legacy and target systems.
• Support parallel-run testing and migration readiness efforts to ensure accuracy and consistency of business processes and data.
• Develop and execute SQL queries to investigate data issues, validate results, and support system analysis.
• Analyze database structures, source-to-target mappings, business rules, and application logic.
• Create and maintain requirements documentation, process flows, test scenarios, validation results, and implementation support materials.
• Partner with business stakeholders, developers, QA teams, DBAs, and project teams to support successful delivery.
• Assist with testing, defect analysis, production support, implementation planning, and post-deployment validation.
• Communicate findings, risks, recommendations, and remediation strategies to stakeholders.
• Utilize modern AI-enabled tools to improve analysis, documentation, and validation processes where appropriate.

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Information Systems, or a related field.
• 3+ years of experience in systems analysis, application support, data analysis, software development, or related technical disciplines.
• Experience participating in a mainframe migration, modernization, conversion, or transformation initiative.
• Strong systems analysis background, including requirements gathering, process analysis, documentation, testing support, and implementation support.
• Advanced SQL skills, including writing, troubleshooting, optimizing, and validating complex queries and scripts.
• Experience analyzing relational databases, source-to-target mappings, data quality issues, and batch processing logic.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, communication, and documentation skills.
• Ability to perform data reconciliations, impact assessments, and business rule validation.

• Hands-on experience with COBOL, JCL, CICS, and DB2
  .
• Experience supporting legacy platform modernization projects.
• Background in automated data comparison, parity testing, and migration validation processes.
• Exposure to application conversion, transformation, or modernization initiatives.
• Programming or scripting experience in enterprise environments.
• Familiarity with AI-assisted productivity, development, or analysis tools.

The successful candidate will bring a combination of:

• Direct mainframe migration or modernization experience
• COBOL/JCL/CICS/DB2 analysis capabilities
• Strong systems analysis and requirements-gathering skills
• Advanced SQL, data validation, and parallel-run testing expertise