Senior Specialist, z​/OS Middleware; CICS & IBM MQ Series

Senior Specialist, z/OS Middleware (CICS & IBM MQ Series)

Job Requisition : 11969

Position Status: Permanent Full Time

Position Type: Hybrid

Office

Location:

Montreal (QC);
Calgary (AB);
Halifax (NS);
Ottawa (ON);
Toronto (ON);
Vancouver (BC)

Travel Requirement: Limited

Language Skill Levels (Read/Write/Speak): ZZZ

Security Requirement: Secret

Salary: Our salaries generally range from $to $and are based on qualifications and experience.

Join the Infrastructure and Operations Team as a Senior z/OS Middleware Specialist (CICS & IBM MQ Series). You will be responsible for support, maintenance, and optimization of IBM mainframe middleware platforms, with a strong focus on IBM CICS and IBM MQ. This role acts as a subject‑matter expert (SME), ensuring high availability, performance, and stability of mission‑critical applications in a large, complex enterprise environment.

• Provide Level 3 support for IBM CICS and IBM MQ on z/OS, resolving complex production incidents.
• Install, configure, upgrade, and maintain CICS regions, MQ managers, queues, and channels.
• Monitor middleware health, availability, and performance for high‑volume online transaction systems.
• Analyze and tune CICS and MQ performance, addressing throughput, latency, and capacity issues.
• Design and support high‑availability, resilience, and disaster recovery solutions.
• Ensure compliance with security, audit, and regulatory standards, managing access controls and authorities.
• Lead root‑cause analysis, implement permanent fixes, and support change and release activities.
• Act as a middleware SME, collaborating across teams and mentoring junior specialists.

• A bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• 7+ years of experience supporting IBM z/OS mainframe environments.
• Strong hands‑on expertise with IBM CICS Transaction Server and IBM MQ for z/OS.
• Solid understanding of z/OS architecture, JCL, SDSF, SMF, and batch scheduling.
• Experience with RACF security concepts.
• Familiarity with DB2 connectivity in CICS environments.
• Experience with monitoring and automation tools (e.g., OMEGAMON, Main View, or equivalent).
• Proven experience supporting 24/7 mission‑critical systems in large enterprises.

• IBM certifications in CICS, MQ, or z/OS are considered an asset.
• Experience with CICS TS upgrades, MQ clustering, and queue sharing groups.
• Exposure to z/OS Connect, APIs, or hybrid integration patterns.
• Knowledge of mainframe modernization or cloud integration initiatives.

• Annual Paid vacation.
• Annual individual performance incentive.
• Comprehensive group insurance plan to support your well‑being from day one.
• Support towards your personal and professional growth with training, mentorship and more.
• An inclusive workplace culture and environment.
• While positions at CMHC require some in‑office presence, alternative work arrangements may be considered for Indigenous candidates.

Posting closing date: Note, the competition will remain active until filled.

Standby and Call Back duties are a requirement of this position and will be subject to CMHC policies, including the Standby and Call Back Pay Procedure.

We’re committed to employment equity and encourage women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, veterans and persons of all races, ethnicities, religions, abilities, sexual orientations, and gender identities and expressions to apply. We also welcome applications from non-Canadians who are eligible to work in Canada.

CMHC is an inclusive workplace where diversity of thought – and of people – are recognized, valued, and considered essential to achieving our mission.