Application Developer - Mainframe
No visa sponsorship is available for this opportunity!C2C or 1099 not available for this opportunity!Candidates MUST be on Prominent payroll as a W2 during the contract phase.Prominent is looking for a Mainframe Developer with Cobol and Natural experience for a REMOTE long term contract. The Mainframe Developer will design, develop, test, and support enhancements to existing mainframe applications. The role is primarily hands-on development with COBOL, Natural, JCL, and databases such as ADABAS and DB2 (Oracle familiarity is a plus). The ideal candidate translates business requirements into practical technical solutions, produces clear documentation, collaborates in Agile teams, and participates in a shared on-call rotation.ResponsibilitiesTechnical Analysis & Design (mid-to-senior scope)Analyze requirements and produce practical technical designs for moderate to complex changes within established patterns/standards.Create and update design documentation (program specs, data mappings, flow diagrams) and walk through with stakeholders for approval.Recommend incremental improvements that align with existing architecture (no enterprise architecture ownership).Coding & ConfigurationDevelop and maintain programs using COBOL and/or Natural.Author and troubleshoot JCL for batch processes, job streams, and error handling.Build test scenarios and perform unit, system, and acceptance testing; document results.Participate in peer code reviews and apply feedback to improve quality.Maintain runbooks, deployment notes, and solution documentation.Provide production support in a rotational 24×7 on-call model; perform root-cause analysis and implement fixes.Project & Team CollaborationProvide time and effort estimates for assigned work items and small enhancements; assist on estimates for moderate projects.Actively participate in Agile ceremonies (stand-ups, planning, reviews, retros).Document tickets, decisions, and work acceptance in team tools.Mentor peers informally on standards and procedures as needed (no formal people leadership).RequiredBachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field5+ years of mainframe development in enterprise settings (or equivalent).Proficient in COBOL (maintenance and net-new development).Proficient in Natural (maintenance and net-new development).Strong working knowledge of JCL (batch authoring, scheduling handoff, troubleshooting).Experience with ADABAS and DB2 (queries, data analysis, understanding of performance basics).Familiarity with Oracle concepts and SQL tooling (e.g., PL/SQL Developer or equivalent).Comfortable with tools such as QMF, Visio (or equivalents) for data and design work.Exposure to mainframe CI/CD and change tools (e.g., Endevor, ChangeMan, ISPW).Familiarity with job scheduling platforms (Control‑M, CA‑7, TWS).Integration experience (e.g., MQ, file-based interfaces, service layers).Solid testing discipline and defect management.Strong technical writing (design docs, runbooks, change notes).Preferred QualificationsExperience with Natural/ADABAS in public sector or large enterprise environments.Prior participation in rotational on-call support.Informal mentorship or focal-point experience.State government or regulated industry experience.Anticipated hourly rate while on contract is expected to be in the $53-59hr range.