z/OS Admin (Remote)

Role: z/OS Admin
Desired Years of Relevant Experience: 9 to 13 years of experience
Primary Skills Required:
Deep understanding of z/OS services structure, JES concepts, parallel sysplex/GDPS and catalog management.
Role Type: Right (Contract) to hire - REMOTE
Please note, you’ll be on the payroll of Tech Brains Solutions INC.
General Description
Responsibilities:

• Troubleshooting technical issues.
• Responsible for successful completion of Installation, configuration and migration.
• Ensure maximum uptime according to the SLA.
• Improves and maintains customer and employee satisfaction.
• Perform problem determination followed by root cause analysis and documentation.
• Implement changes to z/OS and installed SW followed by documentation.
• Participate in analyzing, planning and implementation of upgrades to z/OS and installed SW.
• New products installation, testing and customization.
• Working with incident and change management tools.
• Understand and implement specific customer requirements.
• Perform root cause analysis.
• Defining processes and ensuring that the processes are adhered to.
• Responsible for strategizing a backup plan and test plan for failure scenario.
• Monitoring and maintaining SLA requirements by the team members.
• Planning Backup/Restoration Strategy for 24x7 operation support.
• Testing / Auditing/processes as required from time to time.
• Identify Skill gaps and plan for training / knowledge updating.

Skill set Requirements
Mandatory:-

• Fully understand z/OS services structure, JES concepts, parallel sysplex/GDPS, catalog management.
• PARMLIB configuration and JES customization.
• Knowledge of JCL, REXX, CLIST and Modify Assembler EXITS.
• Knowledge of z/OS HW, LPAR, HMC.
• IMS/MQ Series (Web Sphere MQ).
• RACF experience.
• Knowledge of installing and supporting few commonly used ISV products like CA-View, Tape management tool (CA-1), Scheduling tools (BMC Incontrol, CA-7) etc.,
• Knowledge of USS management.
• Capable of installing regular maintenance (RSUs).
• Supporting any hardware or software upgrade in the environment.
• Capable of Installing/upgrading CICS and related products on a mainframe.
• Maintain reliability, availability of CICS systems software.
• Good knowledge in usage of transactions like CEMT, CEDA etc.,
• Good Knowledge of SMP/E, SQL, DB2 online and offline utilities, ZPARMS, DB2 logs and BSDS, DB2 Commands, DDF etc.
• Install and use performance monitoring tools and products(like SAS, MXG, CA-MICS, Strobe and the Omegamon products).
• Expertise in tuning and debugging performance problems for z/OS systems including application workloads.
• Perform problem diagnostics and resolution. Monitor system performance and tune when required.
• Well versed in storage capacity planning and configuration and should have good familiarity with typical z/OS application performance analysis.
• Capable of z/OS Performance Analysis using various tools such as IBM's RMF, SMF and subsystem analysis tools.
• Capable of Installing, Customizing and maintaining IBM and other ISV products related to Automations.

Good to Have:

• Experience in mainframe automation and Performance & Capacity Management will be an added advantage.
• Experience in Customization of ISV/OEM products used for Automations and monitoring tools like Netview, OPS/MVS, SA z/OS, Tivoli Suite of monitoring and automation products, BMC AO, TEP, Control-O etc.
• SAS Programming Skills, Retrofit SAS Code for MXG application post Product Upgrade.

Soft Skills/Other skills:

• Excellent communication and conversation skills (Verbal and Written). Customer facing.
• Good documentation skills.
• Good working knowledge of MS OFFICE (Including MS Project and Visio).
• Should have a good customer handling skill.
• Able to handle unforeseen situations.
• High level of acceptance.