COBOL Programmer Job Description

Government agencies usually fill the job with a programmer analyst who has five years of corporate or government programming experience, then expect that person to become the owner of the codebase behind a legacy application team. Legislative mandates rewrite requirements, and legacy code must follow. Eligibility for a Public Trust clearance and compliance with city standards come with the territory in federal and municipal settings alike, where systems that track criminal cases cannot go dark for even a single day.

As the COBOL Programmer, you keep legacy government systems accurate and available, so agencies can deliver public services on schedule and without disruption. The scope covers an application team that works with the information technology office and business users, and accountability extends to the reliability of every legacy program that the team owns.

Career Impact: Years spent owning legacy application code for state and county agencies give a candidate the government track record public-sector employers screen for.

Business Impact: Agency staff who run payroll and timekeeping receive accurate output on schedule, which shows in on-time delivery against agreed dates.

Growth Opportunity: Exposure to replacement system rollouts and interface design moves a programmer toward systems analysis, where the scope covers whole applications rather than single programs.

• Analyze existing legacy programs and file layouts to extract business logic and determine where requested changes belong.
• Develop, test, and implement enhancements to legacy applications whenever business or policy requirements change.
• Build and modify interfaces and data transfers that move data between legacy systems and replacement applications.
• Modify batch job control streams to support changed processing sequences and revised data flows.
• Investigate production issues and apply code fixes that restore service and prevent the same failure from recurring.
• Document changes, interfaces, and program logic so future maintainers can trace every modification back to its requirement.
• Coordinate unit and system testing with agency users and customer team members to validate changes before release.
• Follow agency procedures and meet agreed delivery dates for every assigned enhancement, fix, and interface.

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
• 5 or more years of mainframe programming experience, with hands-on maintenance of legacy applications in government settings.
• Proficiency in online transaction and batch programming for mainframe applications, including job control stream design and modification.
• Ability to analyze existing program logic and isolate the cause of defects or required changes.
• Skill in unit testing, debugging, and preparing test procedures that verify program accuracy before release.
• Working knowledge of systems analysis, program design, implementation, and technical documentation practices used on legacy application projects.
• Ability to communicate clearly, verbally and in writing, with technical and non-technical staff across the organization.
• Ability to resolve complex problems and work independently within a large, diverse project team.

• Experience writing complex stored procedures and database queries that read and update mainframe relational data used by legacy applications.
• Experience exposing mainframe programs as web services or developing for distributed platforms alongside legacy systems.
• Experience with data conversion and migration from legacy systems to replacement applications, including file layout mapping.
• Familiarity with source control and change management practices that govern how program updates move into production.

• On-time delivery rate (%), showing how reliably assigned changes reach release by agreed dates
• Mean time to restore service (hours), measuring how fast production faults are corrected
• Repeat production failures per quarter (count), showing whether fixes hold after release
• First-pass test pass rate (%), reflecting how accurate changes are before user testing
• Interface data mismatches after cutover (count), showing how cleanly legacy data moves to replacement systems
• Typical tools: mainframe languages (commonly COBOL or JCL); transaction monitors (commonly CICS)

• Base Salary Range: $75,000 to $110,000 per year, depending on clearance level and mainframe depth
• Bonus: Uncommon in public agencies, though contractors may offer retention or completion bonuses
• Equity: Not offered in government roles, and rare in contract positions
• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision coverage, with employer-paid premiums common in public-sector jobs
• PTO: Typically 10 to 15 vacation days plus sick leave and paid federal or local holidays
• Common Perks: Pension or retirement matching, tuition support, flexible schedules, and long-term job stability

Figures are estimates based on general US market benchmarks and may be outdated. Adjust based on location, company size, and seniority level.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States, and some positions require eligibility for a security clearance or Public Trust determination. Employment is contingent on a satisfactory background check. Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status, as protected by federal, state, and local law. Reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act are available on request.

The COBOL Programmer builds business application code and technical specifications for new programs and program amendments, translating business requirements into tested solutions that improve workflow and efficiency. Reporting to the project team alongside business analysts and testers, the work keeps releases aligned with client specifications and ISO standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Receive business requirements for improvements to the system, and liaise with business analysts and testers regarding the desired system capability.
• Analyze the applications' capability and propose a technical solution to the business need.
• Compile a technical specifications document for the new program or program amendment, including source code, and update it as changes are made.
• Produce code for business applications, as per Business Specifications, including components related to the user interface, data modeling, data management, and back-end systems, as necessary.
• Test and debug newly developed programs, including the interface between applications and sub-systems, and test business process workflows prior to implementation to minimize comebacks and customer issues.
• Assist with post-implementation maintenance, and develop and maintain peripheral applications to plug gaps in the total system solution.
• Undertake the analysis, design, development, and upgrading of business processes, and develop and test processes according to client specifications.
• Write code to ensure functions are performed as per client request, and design and code programs according to program specifications.
• Analyze, design, and develop complex systems at the specific application level of an enterprise sub-system, and direct system construction at the application level.
• Establish and document test scenarios that will adequately verify the correct functioning of the application or software, and execute them to ensure the software meets the quality expectations.
• Conduct quality code reviews for peers, ensure development standards are adhered to, and train, mentor, and supervise other staff members.
• Attend, host, and minute workshops, JAD sessions, focus groups, and demo sessions for effective problem solving, and attend meetings to give feedback on current projects and tasks.
• Prepare and provide input to estimates for work orders and quotations, and adhere to defined timelines.
• Adhere to SDLC processes and procedures, and to ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 27001 principles as well as other ISO standards as they are adopted.

Required Qualifications

• Degree or diploma in Computer Science, Business, or similar field, or deemed industry experience.
• 2 to 5 years of experience in a programming role, focusing on delivering technology-driven solutions, with end-to-end project involvement in delivery and accountability thereof advantageous.
• Experience working in a multi-project environment.
• Experience with active involvement in all phases of the Systems Development Life Cycle.
• Good knowledge and experience within the employee benefits or financial services environment are advantageous.
• Solid knowledge of the desired coding language through formal training.
• Proficiency in two or more relevant programming languages.
• Ability to understand and interpret complex technical system specifications.
• Solid understanding of the requirements of Change Control.
• Strong understanding of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to work as part of a project team.
• Ability to operate under supervision.

Embedded within a line of business, the COBOL Programmer shapes solutions that incorporate vendor software changes into the systems the business depends on, while acting as the main liaison with software vendors. Working closely with business partners and, on agile teams, the product owner, this work supports effective implementation, the continued use or retirement of third-party software, and coaching for less-experienced team members.

Core Functions

• Work with the line of business to design solutions to incorporate software changes, and effectively work with business partners to ensure effective implementation.
• Understand the business technology roadmap and make recommendations on continued use or elimination of current third-party software solutions.
• Work closely with the product owner, if working on an agile team, to ensure that user stories have enough specificity and clarity for the software developers to effectively meet customer needs.
• Implement and maintain new features and capabilities while continuously improving the quality of the technical products and services.
• Follow industry and organizational best practices and standards, and participate in company communities of practice to continuously refine and communicate them.
• Contribute to a culture of continuous improvement.
• Achieve operational excellence by automating processes and creating maintainable, supportable, and testable solutions.
• Keep up with technology trends and innovations in fields of practice.
• Provide operational support and troubleshooting for the team's products and services.
• Provide coaching, mentoring, and training for new or less-experienced team members.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree and 5 or more years of mainframe engineering or other IT work experience relevant to the position.
• Experience designing, implementing, and supporting complex technical solutions.
• Solid understanding and significant experience with modern software development practices, tools, and/or hardware technologies.
• Solid understanding of IT security best practices.
• Expert knowledge of one or more technical and/or functional domains relevant to the position.
• Good technical skills per the specific position's requirements.
• Proficiency in COBOL and JCL, along with TSO and standard utilities.
• Working knowledge of CICS, VSAM, and DB2 is a plus.
• Strong problem-solving and communication skills.
• Willingness to work in a highly collaborative environment.

Reporting to management, the COBOL Programmer delivers software built from business needs through implementation, grounded in COBOL expertise and insurance industry knowledge. Partnering with peers and customers, the work gives direction to product roadmaps, settles customer concerns, and keeps insurance and reinsurance systems dependable through focus and attention to detail.

Primary Duties

• Participate in full life-cycle development from requirements through implementation.
• Understand the business needs to effectively transform business needs into software.
• Work as a self-starter and multitask in a team environment.
• Understand and follow low-level technical written instructions.
• Discuss, understand, and follow verbal direction.
• Communicate clearly and effectively with peers and management.
• Exhibit strong interpersonal and customer service interaction skills.
• Provide direction on development, execution, and monitoring of product roadmaps.
• Demonstrate leadership through the ability to comprehend customers' needs and diffuse their concerns, using strong insurance industry knowledge, a high level of focus, and attention to detail.

Skills & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent work experience.
• LOMA certifications are a plus.
• 10 or more years of COBOL programming experience.
• Experience with reinsurance and/or life insurance, or in the insurance industry, is beneficial.
• Experience with a life reinsurance system is a plus.
• Working knowledge and academic background in the COBOL development language and environment.
• Expert knowledge of COBOL, CICS, VSAM, JCL, ISPF, and associated support tools.
• Familiarity with .NET, VB.NET, and SQL Server is a plus.
• Proven work ethic with strong time management skills.
• Proven ability to work with and lead diverse teams and meetings.

Sitting at the intersection of application design and software development, the COBOL Programmer shapes component-level designs and technical documentation that turn customer specifications into flexible, reusable application components at lower cost. Operating across development teams, application architects, and senior designers, this work keeps design decisions communicated to departmental personnel and guides less-experienced developers toward accurate specifications.

Duties

• Provide more complex design documents and translate them into component-level designs to accelerate development.
• Assist in developing strategy, design, and data-gathering approaches, and provide high-level design expertise in support of development team efforts to provide flexible, reusable components to increase cost effectiveness.
• Analyze, design, and review the design of applications and suites of applications to ensure that customer specifications are satisfied.
• Assist in overseeing relationships between application architects and development teams to ensure that product development and implementation are coordinated.
• Work with product development teams and senior designers in developing design requirements that are accurate and relevant to company needs.
• Recommend alternative courses of action as appropriate to meet requirements.
• Review and analyze gathered information in technical research, and evaluate tools and methodologies to ensure that designs adhere to current industry, client, and company standards.
• Develop and provide technical documentation, and participate in and oversee test-plan development, integration, and deployment.
• Assist in overseeing business process work sessions, project meetings, and joint applications development sessions to ensure that product design decisions are communicated to departmental personnel.
• Function as a domain expert and work closely with software developers to explain the application design and coordinate activities between the two functions to enhance product quality and efficiency.
• Participate in cost analysis studies to determine feasibility of approaches.
• Use experience in development methodologies, coding documentation, testing methodology, and industry standards to define and develop project requirements, functional specifications, and detailed design of application solutions for clients.
• Provide leadership and work guidance to less-experienced personnel, and guide the work of less-experienced developers to create, maintain, and communicate details of application designs to ensure that designs are according to specifications.
• Provide technical consulting on complex projects, and devise or modify procedures to solve complex problems, considering computer equipment capacity and limitations, operating time, and form of desired results.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience, with a bachelor's degree in business, software engineering, computer science, or related field preferred.
• More than 6 years of experience writing COBOL code and JCL.
• Experience with Medicaid is highly desirable.
• Strong understanding of the software development cycle.
• Deep understanding of SCM (software configuration management).
• Strong understanding of unit and integration test scripting and testing methodologies.
• Solid understanding of basic database administration.
• Ability to work with mainframe tools, including Abend-Aid, File-Aid, Xpeditor, and ChangeMan, and with RDBMS databases, including IDMS, at a basic level.
• Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting skills.
• Good verbal and written communication skills to communicate with application developers, customers, support personnel, and management.
• Good analytical, problem-solving, creative thinking, and design skills applicable to multiple products.
• Solid mentoring and training skills to guide and direct the work of less-experienced specialists.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team, and to work effectively with clients.

A key member of the Application Team, the COBOL Programmer builds DB2 stored procedures and maintains legacy mainframe applications for the Criminal Applications, keeping production issues fixed and code current with legislative mandates. Collaborating across the Information Technology Office, the business unit, and application users, this work turns business and system requirements into tested programs with supporting documentation.

Functions

• Analyze existing programs written in COBOL, CICS, and DB2, extract the business logic from these programs, and document them.
• Collaborate and provide technical expertise to the Information Technology Office and the business unit to develop a technical solution to implement business and system requirements for the Criminal Applications.
• Deliver new or modified programs, code stored procedures, and successfully unit test their work, develop supportive documentation, and participate with the users in the system testing of their programs.
• Write new DB2 stored procedures to retrieve or update from and to SOR databases that reside on the mainframe, in support of newly developed mid-range systems that are being developed using Java or a business process management tool.
• Support existing legacy CICS, COBOL, and DB2 mainframe applications.
• Investigate production issues, making code fixes as necessary in response to identified software issues.
• Develop enhancements in response to legislative mandates or other changes in business requirements.
• Perform analysis, design, coding, and component and assembly testing of all application code owned by the Application Team.
• Be involved in maintenance, including production support, enhancement, and development work.

Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in IT or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 8 or more years of overall technical and IT experience.
• 8 or more years of experience collaborating with internal and external groups.
• 8 or more years of experience with usability testing (UT).
• Demonstrated experience working with database conversions.
• 8 or more years of experience with COBOL, CICS, and DB2 coding, testing, and debugging.
• 8 or more years of experience with OS/JCL (MVS).
• 8 or more years of experience with DB2.
• 8 or more years of experience coding complex DB2 stored procedures.
• 3 or more years of experience with stored procedures.
• 5 or more years of experience with CICS.
• 5 or more years of experience with IDMS/DC to CICS and IDMS to DB2 conversions.
• 5 or more years of experience with APPC/LU 6.2 and/or MQ programming in COBOL-CICS.
• 8 or more years of excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Delivery of real-time market data applications on time and within budget depends on the COBOL Programmer, who leads projects with onshore and offshore teams and sets technical direction for equities and options systems. Based within the technical team and partnering with business leaders, project managers, and external programming teams, the work keeps mainframe applications aligned with business objectives.

Accountabilities

• Develop, enhance, test, support, maintain, and debug software applications that support business units or support functions.
• Provide strategic technical direction and system architecture for individual initiatives.
• Use in-depth knowledge of technological alternatives and business system requirements to recommend innovations that enhance and/or provide a competitive advantage to the organization.
• Lead or have responsibility for estimation of effort for software application for one or more programmers.
• Coordinate collaboration with external programming teams to deliver software on time and within budget.
• Provide feedback and technical guidance to project managers on issues of critical importance to achieving business objectives.
• Design and develop complex real-time applications.
• Deliver projects within budget and timeline.
• Partner with the business to understand business needs and provide the right amount of subject matter expertise.
• Use offshore resources to keep each project affordable.
• Provide solutions in the field of market data, market data symbology, equities, and options.

Technical Qualifications

• Experience with market data, equities, and options.
• Experience in production support, job scheduling, and change management.
• Experience in leading projects with onshore and offshore teams.
• Working knowledge of distributed platforms.
• Experience with mainframe technologies: COBOL, JCL, DB2, CICS, VSAM, File Manager, and Endevor.

As the COBOL Programmer, this role owns the analysis, documentation, and design of changes to legacy modules across data and business processes, with quality control on project deliverables. The project teams of business, management, and IT staff count on this work to confirm feasibility and compatibility with other programs and to deliver accurate program and project documentation.

Activities

• Analyze, define, and document requirements for data and business processes.
• Design, document, and coordinate desired changes to legacy modules.
• Document the program and project deliverables as assigned.
• Analyze and estimate feasibility and compatibility with other programs and projects.
• Provide quality control for project deliverables.

Position Requirements

• 5 or more years of experience in corporate or government as a programmer analyst.
• Proven experience in programming techniques and programming languages in the mainframe environment, and with analysis and design.
• Proven experience with financial processes analysis and modification.
• Experience with state or county government.
• Demonstrated experience working with large project teams and with enterprise-level application development spanning two or more business areas.
• Proven knowledge of principles and techniques of computer programming, testing, debugging, implementation, and documentation.
• 1 or more years of experience exposing CICS and COBOL programs as web services via CICS Transaction Server (CTS).
• Experience with office productivity software (e.g., Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), COBOL, CICS, TSO, MVS JCL, Endevor, SQL, DB2, VSAM, and Secure Socket Layer (SSL).

COBOL Programmer delivers production support for eCommerce applications and shapes the migration of mainframe and DB2-based applications to a distributed platform during infrastructure upgrades. The work directly supports the technical debt discovery process, audit information requests, and business continuity testing for the eCommerce business, keeping applications current, verified, and available to customers.

Operational Focus

• Provide production support for various eCommerce applications as needed.
• Support various projects involving infrastructure upgrades (aka technical debt).
• Make changes to applications in response to the application requirements as they are fleshed out in the technical debt discovery process.
• Migrate mainframe and DB2-based applications to a distributed platform.
• Provide information as needed for audits.
• Support testing related to business continuity testing.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• 10 or more years of experience with JES2 JCL.
• 10 or more years of experience with standard utilities (e.g., SORT, IEBGENER, and IDCAMS).
• 10 or more years of experience with VSAM (i.e., defining, copying data out, and reading in COBOL programs).
• 10 or more years of experience with DB2 (SQL, batch utility to extract data using SQL, update programs, and commit processing).
• 10 or more years of experience with COBOL utilities.
• 10 or more years of experience with debug tools (e.g., Trace Master).
• 10 or more years of experience with source control (e.g., Librarian).
• 10 or more years of experience with map tools (e.g., BMS/GT).
• 10 or more years of experience with CICS (desired but not mandatory).

The COBOL Programmer develops client systems and applications from design and requirements specifications, then tests and refines them through bug fixes, enhancements, and change requests. Reporting to the direct supervisor or manager and delivering against mutually agreed plans, the work provides customers with dependable programs that match their stated requirements.

Key Deliverables

• Design systems or applications based on client requirements.
• Develop programs based on design and requirements specifications.
• Create test specifications and execute testing.
• Conduct review of technical work outputs.
• Handle bug fixing, enhancements, and change requests.
• Execute mutually agreed plans for the benefit of the customer.

Professional Experience

• 3 to 5 years of experience, or as required by the client.
• Proficiency in application development, including design, programming, and testing.
• Basic knowledge of Agile is optional.
• Working knowledge of Java, COBOL, Python, C#, VB.Net, and VBA.
• Familiarity with other technical backgrounds, such as Spring, C#, .NET, iOS, and Android, is desired.

Embedded within the project teams that handle large or complex development efforts, the COBOL Programmer oversees the design, migration, and extension of COBOL and CICS applications, and produces technical documentation, such as program specifications and data flow diagrams. Working closely with other leads, architects, business owners, and subject matter experts, the work sets coding standards and guides less-experienced programmers so every deliverable meets overall design parameters.

Areas of Ownership

• Provide design leadership in large or complex development projects with COBOL and CICS expertise, involving application development, migrations, and additions to existing applications.
• Participate in project meetings with other technical staff, business owners, and subject matter experts.
• Work with other leads and architects to define best practices and coding standards.
• Review applications in progress of development to ensure compliance with overall design parameters.
• Assess and develop high-level design requirements for the project, and communicate in writing or in meetings with the development team.
• Assess detailed specifications against design requirements.
• Write technical documentation, including program specifications and data flow diagrams.
• Guide and mentor less-experienced programmers and developers on technical work and issues.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Software Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, or other related technical discipline.
• 7 or more years of experience in coding mainframe applications using COBOL, CICS, DB2, and VSAM.
• 5 or more years of experience in the use of HTML and JavaScript.
• 5 or more years of experience with Easytrieve and JCL.
• Experience in the full Systems Development Life Cycle and testing methodologies.
• Strong understanding of end-to-end application delivery in a multi-platform environment, including mainframe, client-server, and web.
• Ability to resolve complex and diverse issues by identifying underlying or hidden problems and patterns.
• Experience with Java and with the transaction processing environment and batch processing environment is a plus.
• Capacity to work well independently as a motivated self-starter, and also in a team environment.
• Capacity to demonstrate professional behavior under pressure.
• Comfort interacting with staff and management, including executive levels.
• Ability to be meticulous in creating high-quality, high-value deliverables, and to write technical design documentation in a clear and understandable fashion.
• Strong communication skills, including oral, written, and listening, along with good analytical and negotiation skills and close attention to detail.

Reporting to the Information Technology Department, the COBOL Programmer develops new applications and refines the legacy applications that support current business operations at a manufacturing and distribution business. Partnering with business users, the role turns requirements into system specifications and tested program changes, so production programs stay responsive and accurate.

Role Responsibilities

• Work directly with users to translate requirements into system specifications.
• Analyze existing program logic to determine the best method of accomplishing required changes or the cause of program malfunction.
• Perform maintenance and modification of programs currently in production to keep them responsive to user needs and to ensure efficient operation in the production environment.
• Thoroughly test coded programs to validate accuracy.
• Analyze production programs to isolate problems or to determine more efficient methods.
• Document the detailed application specifications.
• Translate technical requirements into programmed application modules.
• Develop and enhance software application modules.
• Develop new applications as needed.

Background & Experience

• 1 to 3 years of experience in the development, testing, implementation, and maintenance of ISeries/AS400 batch and interactive COBOL programs, or a recent college graduate.
• Extensive knowledge and development expertise with ISeries/AS400 DB2, CL, DDS, DFU, DSPF, Query, and Client Access.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Ability to function effectively and independently as a self-starter, with a sense of urgency in executing duties.
• Strong organizational, project, and time management skills, with the ability to plan, organize, and prioritize multiple projects.
• Strong facilitation, analytical, and organizational skills.
• Effective interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written, with the capability to explain concepts clearly and credibly across all levels of the organization.
• Commitment to strong integrity and ethical standards, as well as a strong work ethic, with the ability to maintain confidentiality at the highest level.

Sitting at the intersection of legacy mainframe systems and a new human capital management ERP, the COBOL Programmer develops, tests, and implements the interface changes that carry data between them. Operating across the customer team and IT and non-IT staff, the work maps data file layouts, documents every change, and keeps legacy processing aligned with city standards and set schedules.

Job Functions

• Develop, test, and implement changes to the legacy systems as needed.
• Develop, test, and implement interfaces, including secure file transfer protocol (SFTP) data transfers as needed.
• Develop, modify, test, and implement changes to existing legacy system JCL streams.
• Document all changes and interfaces.
• Work closely with the customer team to define integration points.
• Analyze existing code to implement modifications.
• Adhere to city standards and procedures.
• Test enhancements to coding changes.

Required Qualifications

• Experience in performing the needed analysis for application replacements for new application systems and with a continuing legacy environment.
• Experience working with payroll and timekeeping applications is a plus.
• Proficiency in systems analysis.
• Working knowledge of testing theory and procedures.
• Competence in analyzing and formulating solutions to complex problems.
• Able to design and recommend efficient solutions to requests.
• Proficiency in CICS and Batch COBOL.
• Proficiency in TSO MVS JCL.
• Ability to communicate clearly, both verbally and in writing, to IT and non-IT staff.
• Capacity to meet the requirements of the set time schedule.

A key member of a rapid application development team, the COBOL Programmer develops and supports distributed applications and backend processes, working independently on complex problems across all phases of programming. Collaborating across the wider systems development team, the COBOL Programmer follows diagrams and charts, gives feedback on delivery dates, and keeps applications moving to release on schedule.

What You'll Do

• Provide new application development and production application support as part of a rapid application development team.
• Work from diagrams and charts that identify the nature of desired results, processing steps to be accomplished, and the relationships between various steps of the problem-solving routine.
• Plan the full range of programming actions needed to efficiently use the computer system in achieving desired end products.
• Analyze, design, develop, test, and implement distributed applications as part of a systems development team.
• Provide feedback on and adhere to delivery dates.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related IT field, or 10 years of equivalent experience.
• 5 or more years of experience developing in a Linux environment.
• 5 or more years of experience developing with COBOL.
• 5 or more years of experience developing backend processes.
• Experience with mainframe development using COBOL, MVS JCL, and Syncsort.
• Experience in development using C, C++, and COBOL in a Linux environment.
• Familiarity with Agile development practices.
• Working knowledge of bit manipulation, endianness, and system-level calls.
• Proficiency in common developer tool sets, such as COBOL, Shell, Perl, C, and Awk.
• Extensive experience with the following platforms: Unix, Linux, and Windows.
• Familiarity with version control (e.g., SVN, GIT, CVS).

Reliable enterprise software depends on the COBOL Programmer, who develops and tests solutions that translate business requirements into technical solutions and keeps existing internal applications updated. Serving as an IT team member alongside project managers, business and technical analysts, developers, and QA staff, the role reports development status, escalates issues to management, and joins code reviews.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• Support and update existing internal applications and services.
• Collaborate with project managers, business and technical analysts, developers, QA, and other IT team members to understand business and technical requirements that drive the analysis, design, and creation of quality technical solutions.
• Translate business requirements into technical solutions.
• Design, develop, test, and debug enterprise software solutions.
• Communicate development status and escalate issues to management.
• Develop documentation and participate in code reviews.
• Create documentation for training (i.e., user manuals, technical manuals).

Skills & Qualifications

• Bachelor's or master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Technology or Systems, or related fields, or equivalent experience.
• 3 or more years of experience in software design and development of enterprise applications, with strong fundamental knowledge of the SDLC.
• 5 or more years of experience with COBOL and SQL Server.
• Experience in the insurance industry is a plus, but not required.
• Strong communication (oral and written) and organizational skills, especially with regard to code analysis.
• Ability to be self-motivated, with an aptitude for problem-solving.
• Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and ability to learn new technologies quickly.
• Ability to work equally well in a team as well as individually.