Sr Group Operations Manager

Job Summary

Job Summary : The Mainframe Strategic System Architect owns the multi-year technology direction of the customer's mainframe environment. The role is the focal point for the customer on organization-level initiatives such as modernization, optimization and software rationalization, and presents initiatives to customer IT leadership for review and acceptance.

Job Responsibilities : Strategy and roadmap

• Build the multi-year roadmap of software and hardware upgrades, covering IBM and ISV software, and inform leadership for approval.
• Review and approve the latest solutions for the mainframe environment.
• Present initiatives to customer IT leadership for review and acceptance to proceed.
• Provide an annual technology briefing to customer leadership on initiatives and the multi-year technology roadmap from the mainframe infrastructure perspective (CPC, storage, OS and other software). Capacity, performance and forecasting
• Own mainframe capacity planning.
• Review capacity usage (MIPS/MSU Growth) periodically and recommend additions or reductions in CPU (GP/zIIP) capacity.
• Review storage usage (DASD & Tape utilization) & workload growth (SMF/RMF) and forecast on expected storage runway available and capacity requirements.
• Own environment forecasting.
• Perform hardware sizing based on capacity requirements and usage trends. Hardware and software lifecycle
• Plan hardware refresh one year in advance & perform pre-requisite checks for any upgrade activity and prepare a plan to close the gaps before the actual product upgrade.
• Prepare the storage microcode and firmware upgrade plan with the distributed storage team.
• Assess the need for HIPERs and other security patches.
• Assess new software product requirements and perform the due-diligence of shortlisted products.
• Track license renewal requirements for expiring software and apply for renewal in advance.
• Maintain an understanding of IBM and ISV product suite usage within the organization. Vendors, risk and compliance
• Collaborate with vendors.
• Drive architectural changes arising from risk and compliance requirements.
• Assess the complexity and change requirements to the mainframe system architecture arising from regulatory requirements.
• Coordinate enterprise-level network, storage and security infrastructure change preparation and testing requirements from the mainframe side.
• Perform RCA assessment, review and acceptance. Modernization and transformation
• Act as the customer's focal point for organization-level initiatives: modernization, optimization, software rationalization and other business requirements.
• Lead environment modernization and optimization.
• Assess the impact and effort of transformation initiatives such as AI infusion, MIPS optimization, software decommissioning and software replacement.
• Collaborate with Application Support and Maintenance on modernization initiatives and on infrastructure requirements from the application side. Plan these with leadership approval. Commercial and cost
• Act as the point of contact for mainframe usage chargeback.
• Continuously evaluate alternative products that can replace expensive incumbent software without losing capability, and build the business case for each switch. Market and technology watch
• Maintain a view of vendor roadmaps, licensing models and pricing trends across ISV, IBM and emerging vendors.
• Assess vendor claims on GenAI, Agentic AI and AIOps critically, and separate what works in production from what is marketing.
• Track developments in mainframe infrastructure, modernization, AIOps, GenAI and Agentic AI, and share relevant findings with leadership and practice teams.

Key Responsibilities

NA

Skill Requirements

Skill Requirement :

• 15+ years of total experience in Mainframe Infrastructure services.
• Proven track record in at least one of the following Mainframe System Programming or System Administration areas in the past: z/OS, Db2, CICS, IMS, Mainframe Storage, Mainframe Network, Mainframe Hardware, Mainframe Automation, Mainframe Batch tools.
• Good knowledge of Mainframe Sysplex, GDPS, Storage Grid Replication, Safeguarded copies/Immutable backup, CPC capacity update (up/down)
• Good knowledge of Modern mainframe products : zOSMF, ZOAU, zowe, Ansible, Linux on z, zCX, zOCP, zOS Connect and AIOps observability
• Good knowledge of Performance & capacity tools: Intellimagic, IZPCA, MXG etc.
• Experienced in the Hardware (CPC - z16/17 & Storage - DS8K & TS7K) upgrade and migration between data centers.
• Experienced in Software upgrade and migration from one vendor product to another.
• Experienced in driving Mainframe Transformations to modernize/ consolidate/ optimize the mainframe infrastructure with Cloud integration.
• Fluent and confident in conversations with customer leadership at CxO level.
• Strong in vendor communication in assessing their product capabilities and negotiation on license renewals

Other Requirements

NA