Senior Software Engineer – IMS TM/DB Application Programmer

Rocket Software is seeking an accomplished Senior Software Engineer with deep expertise in IBM IMS™ Transaction Manager and Database application programming. The role involves driving the evolution of IMS compatible technologies within their Enterprise modernization platform and providing architectural leadership to modernize mission-critical enterprise applications.

Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the design and development of key components that replicate or extend IMS TM and DB behaviors—including message handling, transaction scheduling, PSB/DBD structures, DL/I call compatibility, and hierarchical database semantics
• Define and evolve architectural direction for our IMS replatforming runtime, ensuring parity with core IMS concepts where required and embracing modernization opportunities where beneficial
• Translate IMS internals and application programming patterns into scalable, reliable components on distributed systems
• Model real-world IMS application scenarios (batch and online) within our modernization stack
• Provide authoritative guidance on IMS constructs such as:
• Message queues, scheduling, and transaction regions
• DBD/PSB design and access paths
• DL/I call flows, PCB handling, segment structure, and hierarchical locking
• IMS batch processing interactions with TM and DB
• Partner with product and engineering leadership to ensure features meet enterprise-grade reliability and performance expectations
• Contribute to cross-team engineering initiatives that impact compilers, runtimes, integration layers, and interoperability features
• Mentor engineers across teams, helping them understand IMS fundamentals and how those concepts should surface in our implementation
• Conduct deep technical reviews, troubleshoot complex runtime compatibility issues, and guide performance tuning strategies
• Influence product roadmap decisions related to IMS replatforming, compatibility, and modernization
• Engage with customers, field engineering, and support teams to understand real‑world IMS workloads and migration scenarios

Requirements:

• 10+ years of professional software engineering, including senior-level ownership of complex system-level components
• Direct hands-on experience developing or maintaining IMS TM and DB applications on IBM z/OS (essential)
• Deep knowledge of IMS message-driven architecture
• Deep knowledge of Program specification blocks (PSBs), program communication blocks (PCBs), and DBD structures
• Deep knowledge of DL/I calls and hierarchical database access
• Deep knowledge of IMS transaction scheduling and message queue behavior
• Strong proficiency in C, C++, or similar systems languages
• Experience delivering high-availability, mission-critical software systems
• Background implementing or working with IMS exit routines, user exits, scheduling exits, or database utilities
• Experience with mainframe modernization, replatforming, or emulation technologies
• Familiarity with COBOL or PL/I application semantics and interactions with IMS environments
• Exposure to modern distributed systems, cloud-native design, or hybrid runtime architectures (Azure, AWS, Kubernetes)
• Experience building compilers, runtimes, interpreters, or compatibility layers for legacy workloads