Mainframe MQ Systems Programmer

Hello There

My name is Himanshu Sharma and I serve as the Recruitment Lead at Kanak-IT INC. I am reaching out to share an excellent career opportunity for the role of Mainframe MQ Consultant with our esteemed client. If you are interested then please share your updated resume at .

Job Description

Position : Mainframe MQ Consultant

Location : Plano TX Columbus OH or Jersey City NJ Onsite

Duration : long term contract

we are looking to hire two contractors to support IBM MQ - a core middleware product used to securely move messages (data) between applications in a mainframe environment.

• These are contractor roles
• Both are focused on MQ but serve different purposes:
  • One is a broad support and admin role (12-month).
  • One is a deep performance tuning and reporting role (6-month or shorter).

Contractor Role #1 Mainframe MQ Systems Programmer (12-month contract)

This person will be the hands-on MQ expert handling day-to-day operations upgrades admin tasks and some development/support work across the MQ platform on the z/OS (mainframe) environment.

Core Responsibilities:

• Set up and maintain MQ and IIB (Integration Bus) systems on zSeries (IBM mainframes).
• Administer MQ for multiple business applications - ensuring connectivity performance and uptime.
• Handle software installs upgrades patches and configuration changes.
• Add queue managers to MQ clusters for load balancing and failover.
• Understand security controls via RACF or ACF2.
• Work with SYSPLEX a clustering technology for z/OS for high availability.
• Collaborate with other teams across the lifecycle (design implementation support).

Ideal Background:

• Fluent in IBM MQ (queues queue managers channels).
• MQ/IIB administration on z/OS.
• Bonus if they have coding experience in JCL REXX Python Java Go Ansible etc.
• Knowledge of cloud APIs virtualization is a plus.
• Familiar with agile/lean methods.
• Soft skills: critical thinking clear communication teamwork.

Contractor Role #2 Mainframe MQ Tuning Specialist (6-month contract)

This is a deep-dive technical role focused on performance tuning and capacity optimization of MQ systems.

Core Responsibilities:

• Optimize MQ Bufferpools and Pagesets - which affect how fast and efficiently messages are read/written.
• Resize and rationalize Coupling Facility (CF) structures for MQ (used in SYSPLEX clustering).
• Create and analyze SMF (System Management Facility) reports to spot usage patterns spikes bottlenecks etc.
• Identify when queues need resizing based on depth trends.
• Use Cognos/JPM reporting tools to generate MQ health dashboards.
• Bonus: Knowledge of MQ certificate management and scripting in zOSMF to automate MQ builds.

Ideal Background:

• Strong with SMF record analysis for tuning.
• Knows how MQ components are stored and how to tweak them.
• Experienced with reporting tools for long-term performance tracking.

Simplified Comparison of the Two Roles