Principal Mainframe Architect

What success looks like in this role: The Principal Mainframe Architect is a senior technical leadership role responsible for defining the strategic direction, architecture standards, and long-term roadmap of the enterprise mainframe ecosystem. This role blends deep mainframe expertise with enterprise architecture thinking to modernize mission-critical platforms while ensuring high levels of reliability, performance, security, and compliance. The role acts as a trusted advisor to senior leadership and plays a key role in large-scale transformation initiatives. Principal Responsibilities Own and drive the enterprise mainframe architecture vision, strategy, and roadmap aligned with business goals Lead and govern large-scale application modernization initiatives including re-hosting, re-platforming, refactoring, and re-architecting. Act as the highest-level technical authority for IBM z/OS and mainframe-centered solutions Lead and govern mainframe modernization and transformation initiatives, including hybrid cloud integration, API enablement, and DevOps adoption Define and enforce architecture standards, reference architectures, and best practices across mainframe platforms Provide architectural oversight for capacity planning, performance, scalability, resilience, and cost optimization Partner with CIO/CTO, Enterprise Architecture, and senior stakeholders to influence technology and investment decisions Ensure architecture compliance with security, regulatory, audit, and risk management requirements Evaluate and recommend tools, platforms, and vendor solutions to improve efficiency and innovation Serve as an escalation authority for critical production and systemic issues, ensuring long-term architectural fixes Provide technical leadership, design reviews, and risk mitigation guidance across delivery programs. Mentor architects and senior engineers, setting standards for engineering excellence and technical governance Critical Skills Technical Skills Expert-level knowledge of IBM Mainframe architecture including z Systems, z/OS, Sysplex, and GDPS Extensive experience with CICS, IMS, DB2, MQ, VSAM, and high-volume transaction systems Strong background in mainframe application architecture (COBOL, PL/I, Assembler, JCL) Strong knowledge of legacy mainframe stack (Fujitsu GS21) Proven expertise in performance engineering, workload management (WLM), and capacity planning Deep understanding of mainframe security (RACF / ACF2 / Top Secret) and compliance frameworks Experience integrating mainframe workloads with distributed systems, APIs, and cloud platforms (Mainframe → AWS / Azure / GCP) Exposure to DevOps, CI/CD, and automation in mainframe environments Strong knowledge of DR, BC planning, high availability, and data resiliency architectures Leadership & Soft Skills Strong architectural and strategic thinking capability Excellent communication skills, including executive-level stakeholder engagement