IBM

Requirement 01

Market profile works

Dual work accepted

Senior IBM i / AS400 Specialist – Core Modernization (12+ Years)

Location - Remote

Offshore – India

Role Summary

You will act as the execution arm of the onshore IBM i lead for a core modernization initiative.

Your role is to rapidly absorb system knowledge and take ownership of AS400 system analysis, documentation, and test enablement so the onshore lead can focus on architecture, client-facing work and other BAU activities.

This is a deep IBM i role focused on COBOL systems. Knowledge of Python is a must.

No cloud or DevOps responsibilities.

Core Responsibilities

Analyze DB2 for i schemas, files, and data relationships

Trace end-to-end flows across Policy, Transactions, and Line of Business processing

Map program dependencies, batch jobs, and job flows

Reverse engineer COBOL programs to extract and validate business logic

Produce structured documentation based on actual system behavior

Create and manage test environments on IBM i for QA and UAT

Design and generate realistic test data aligned with business scenarios

Support QA and UAT teams by ensuring environment stability and data readiness

Ensure test scenarios reflect real production logic and edge cases

Take over day-to-day system analysis tasks from the onshore SME

Validate findings with the onshore SME and iterate quickly

Prepare outputs that enable downstream integration and modernization teams

Redesign core processing to support modernization efforts

Must-Have Technical Skills

12+ years hands-on IBM i / AS400 experience

Deep expertise in COBOL and Python on IBM i

Strong DB2 for i knowledge including file structures, joins, and performance tuning

Strong SQL skills in IBM i environments

Experience working with batch jobs, job queues, and scheduling

Experience creating and managing test environments on AS400

Experience generating and validating test data for QA and UAT

Ability to navigate and understand large legacy codebases

Communication Requirement (Non-Negotiable)

Strong spoken and written English

Ability to clearly explain system behavior based on code analysis

Proactive communication with onshore SME during overlap hours

Operating Model

Daily coordination with onshore SME (minimum 4-hour overlap)

Clearly defined work packets transitioned from onshore to offshore

Continuous feedback loop to validate understanding and outputs

What This Role Is

A hands-on IBM i specialist role

Focused on execution and system understanding

A force multiplier for the onshore SME

Expected to take ownership quickly

What This Role Is Not

Not a DevOps, cloud, or Kubernetes role

Not a generic backend developer role

Not a passive shadow role

Not a QA engineer role (test support is part of system enablement, not ownership of QA)

30-60-90 Day Expectations

First 30 Days

Understand system structure, COBOL programs, and DB2 schema

Begin documenting key flows (Policy or Transaction level)

Set up initial test environment with guidance

Start generating basic test data

60 Days

Independently analyze and document multiple program flows

Take over a defined portion of analysis workload

Create stable QA/UAT environments

Produce structured and reusable test datasets

90 Days

Own end-to-end analysis for assigned modules

Fully manage test environment readiness for QA/UAT cycles

Reduce dependency on onshore SME significantly

Deliver outputs usable by integration and modernization teams

Work Location: Remote