Mainframe MQ / CICS System Administrator

We are HCLTech, one of the fastest-growing large tech companies in the world and home to 219,000+ people across 54 countries, supercharging progress through industry-leading capabilities

The driving force behind that work, our people, are diverse, creative, and passionate, raising the bar for excellence on a regular basis. We, in turn, work hard to bring out the best in them as we strive to help them find their spark and become the best version of themselves that they can be.

We are on the lookout for a highly talented and self-motivated L3 Mainframe MQ / CICS System Administrator to join us on our journey in advancing the technological world through innovation and creativity.

Job Description – L3 Mainframe MQ / CICS System Administrator

Position: Mainframe MQ / CICS System Administrator – L3

Experience: 8–12+ years

Level: L3 / Senior Technical SME

Primary Skill: IBM MQ on z/OS

Secondary Skill: CICS System Administration

Work Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Shift: [24x7 / On-call as required]

Role Overview

We are looking for an experienced L3 Mainframe System Administrator with strong expertise in IBM MQ on z/OS as the primary skill and good working knowledge of CICS system administration as a secondary skill.

The resource will be responsible for L3 production support, administration, troubleshooting, performance management, incident resolution, system changes, and technical problem management for the Mainframe MQ environment. The role requires someone who can independently handle complex technical issues, perform root-cause analysis, and work closely with application, infrastructure, and vendor teams.

Key Responsibilities

IBM MQ – Primary Skill

• Provide L3 administration and production support for IBM MQ on z/OS .
• Administer and support Queue Managers, Queues, Channels, Listeners and MQ-related resources .
• Perform MQ configuration, maintenance, parameter changes and environment management.
• Troubleshoot complex MQ connectivity, message flow, queue, channel and transaction-related issues .
• Analyze MQ errors, logs, dumps and system messages to identify root cause.
• Monitor queue depth, channel status, message backlogs, performance and MQ resource utilization .
• Handle MQ startup/shutdown and recovery activities.
• Perform MQ queue manager and channel configuration changes.
• Support MQ upgrades, maintenance, PTFs and software lifecycle activities.
• Manage MQ security, including RACF-related access and authorization requirements .
• Troubleshoot issues involving MQ-CICS integration and application connectivity.
• Support MQ high-availability, disaster recovery and recovery procedures.
• Perform root-cause analysis (RCA) for recurring and critical MQ incidents.
• Develop and maintain operational procedures, troubleshooting guides and technical documentation.
• Participate in major incident, problem management and change management activities.

CICS – Secondary Skill

• Provide L2/L3 administration and technical support for IBM CICS Transaction Server on z/OS .
• Support CICS regions, startup/shutdown and system configuration.
• Troubleshoot CICS transaction, region, resource and connectivity issues .
• Analyze CICS messages, logs, dumps and related system information.
• Support CICS resource definitions and configuration changes.
• Troubleshoot MQ-CICS integration and transaction processing issues .
• Support CICS performance monitoring and tuning activities.
• Assist with CICS upgrades, maintenance and PTF implementation.
• Work with application and middleware teams to resolve complex CICS production issues.

Mainframe / z/OS Responsibilities

• Strong understanding of IBM z/OS operating environment.
• Good knowledge of JES2, JCL, SDSF and system logs .
• Ability to analyze SYSLOG, job output, dumps and diagnostic information .
• Work with Storage, DB2, Security/RACF, Network and Application teams for cross-platform issue resolution.
• Participate in planned maintenance, system changes and production deployments.
• Follow ITIL processes for Incident, Problem, Change and Release Management .
• Provide technical guidance to L1/L2 support teams and mentor junior administrators.

Required Technical Skills

Mandatory – Primary

• IBM MQ / WebSphere MQ on z/OS
• MQ Queue Manager administration
• MQ Queues and Channels
• MQ Listener administration
• MQ connectivity and troubleshooting
• MQ security / RACF
• MQ performance monitoring and tuning
• MQ problem determination and RCA
• MQ-CICS integration
• MQ maintenance, upgrades and PTFs

Mandatory – Secondary

• IBM CICS Transaction Server
• CICS region administration
• CICS resource definitions
• CICS troubleshooting
• CICS performance monitoring
• CICS-MQ integration

Good to Have

• Strong z/OS administration knowledge
• JES2 / JCL / SDSF
• RACF
• DB2 knowledge
• TCP/IP and mainframe networking
• GDPS / Sysplex / Parallel Sysplex
• Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
• Automation using REXX or similar scripting
• Monitoring tools such as IBM OMEGAMON
• ITIL / production support processes

Experience & Competencies

• 8–12+ years of overall Mainframe experience , with significant hands-on experience in IBM MQ administration.
• Strong L3 production support experience.
• Ability to independently troubleshoot and resolve complex production issues.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Experience handling Severity 1 / Severity 2 incidents .
• Good communication skills and ability to coordinate with multiple technical teams.
• Ability to work in a 24x7 support / on-call environment , if required.
• Experience working in enterprise/large-scale Mainframe environments.

Why Us: -

We are one of the fastest-growing large tech companies in the world, with offices in 50+ countries across the globe and 219,000 employees,

• Our company is extremely diverse with 165 nationalities represented.
• We offer the opportunity to work with colleagues across the globe.
• We offer a virtual-first work environment, promoting a good work-life integration and real flexibility.
• We offer comprehensive benefits for all employees.
• We are a certified great place to work and a top employer in 17 countries, offering a positive work environment that values employee recognition and respect.

Equality & Opportunity for All: -

Representing 165 nationalities across the globe, we pride ourselves on being an equal opportunity employer, committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees regardless of race, religion, sex, color, age, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, physical disability or genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other protected classification, in accordance with federal, state, and/or local law.