Job Description & Details
This is a heavy-duty legacy modernization gig where you'll be ripping out aging CA automation tooling and replacing it with IBM enterprise alternatives. If you enjoy untangling complex mainframe procedures and architecting resilient z/OS recovery routines, this 12-month contract offers a solid runway to make a tangible impact.
What You'll Actually Be Doing
You'll spend your days planning and executing migrations away from CA OPS/MVS and CA Automation Point over to IBM Tivoli Systems Automation for z/OS and IBM SAIOM. Your main battleground will be configuring policy-based automation, writing and debugging REXX execs, and making sure the System Automation Policy Database (PDB) is airtight. Expect to work closely with operations teams to refine critical startup, shutdown, and high-availability disaster recovery sequences without breaking production.
The Core Tech Stack
You absolutely need deep, battle-tested experience with CA OPS/MVS and IBM Tivoli Systems Automation for z/OS, alongside CA Automation Point and IBM SAIOM. REXX is your primary scripting language here, so you better be fluent in writing clean execs for z/OS environments. Mastery of System Automation Policy Database (PDB) configurations is non-negotiable since that's where the core operational logic lives.
Interview Expectations
Expect the hiring manager to ask you to walk through a complex incident where a botched startup script caused a cascading failure in a z/OS sysplex, and how you diagnosed and fixed it using logs and traces. They want to see that you can remain calm under pressure and logically trace failures through complex automation hooks. Another favorite will be explaining your exact strategy for translating a legacy CA OPS/MVS automation rule into an equivalent Tivoli policy without introducing race conditions during IPL.
Application Advice
Skip the generic fluff on your resume and put your migration history right at the top. Make sure exact phrases like "CA OPS/MVS", "IBM Tivoli Systems Automation for z/OS", "REXX", and "Policy Database" are clearly visible because the ATS and the tech lead reviewing it will be hunting for those exact keywords. Highlight any large-scale modernization projects you've led where you successfully transitioned workloads from CA to IBM products with zero unplanned downtime.