Mainframe z/VM Sys Prog / Sys Admin (L2.5+)
Job Title
z/VM System Programmer OR Sys Prog OR System Administrator OR Sys Admin
Experience
7–15 years (Mandatory hands-on zVM System Programming experience)
Role Summary
Mainframe z/VM Subject Matter Expert (L2.5+ SME) in z/VM platform engineering, administration, and optimization in a large-scale enterprise Z environment. The role is highly hands-on, requiring deep expertise across z/VM, zLinux, z/OS integration, Mainframe Networking, Mainframe Security, and some Mainframe Hardware.
The candidate will operate at MINIMUM Level 2.5+ depth, handling design, troubleshooting, performance tuning, and platform modernization initiatives.
z/VM Core Engineering
- Experience in large-scale environments (5K–40K+ MIPS)
- Administer, configure, and manage IBM z/VM environments
- Install, upgrade, patch, and maintain z/VM OS and components
- Manage z/VM Directory, CP, CMS, spool, minidisks
- Perform z/VM performance tuning and capacity management
- Troubleshoot system-level issues (CPU, memory, paging bottlenecks)
- RACF (zVM) including IAM, Digital Certificates, Audits and Compliance
zLinux & Virtualization
- Manage various RHEL & SUSE Linux on IBM Z (zLinux) virtual machines
- Provision and manage guest systems using DIRMAINT / VM Directory
- Handle z/VMnetworking (VSwitch, Guest LAN, HiperSockets)
Operations & Engineering Support
- Handle Level 3 escalation support for incidents, problems, and changes
- Participate in root cause analysis (RCA) and permanent fixes
- Drive automation using REXX / scripting / system tools
- Support 24x7 on-call rotation
Mainframe Hardware Knowledge
- IBM z Systems (z14/z15/z16/z17) exposure
- LPARs, PR/SM, IOCDS, HCD, CHPID
- Storage integration (DS8K, Tape, GDPS)
Architecture & Optimization
- Contribute to z/VM architecture, scalability, and modernization initiatives
- Perform capacity planning, resource optimization, and perf tuning
- Implement DR/BCP and High Availability strategies
Secondary Skills (z/OS)
z/OS Knowledge
- Intermediate z/OS system programming concepts
- Knowledge of: JCL, ISPF, SDSF, USS (Unix System Services)
- Interaction between z/VM and z/OS LPARs
- SMP/E installation & maintenance
- Automation using REXX / Ansible / scripting
- Monitoring tools: OMEGAMON, RMF, VM Monitor
- Knowledge of: CICS, DB2, MQ ecosystem, GDPS / DR solutions
z/OS Mainframe Networking
- VTAM, SNA, TCP/IP concepts, OSA-Express, HiperSockets
- Enterprise Extender (EE), IP networking in Z
z/OS Mainframe Security
- RACF (z/OS and/or z/VM), ACF2 & Top Secret (good to have)
- Digital Certificates, TLS/SSL, AT-TLS
KEYWORDS
zVM, IBM z/VM, zVM SME, z/VM System Programmer, zVM Syystem Administrator, Linux on Z, zLinux, CP CMS, DirMaint, RACF zVM, LPAR, PR/SM, GDPS, VTAM, OSA Express
