Mainframe Network Engineer

Duration: 6–12 Months Contract-to-Hire
Work Location: Hybrid – 3 Days Onsite / 2 Days Work From Home

Locations:

• Phoenix, AZ
• Plano, TX
• Charlotte, NC
• Richmond, VA
• Jacksonville, FL
• Pennington, NJ
• Chicago, IL

Position Overview

The Mainframe Network Engineer is responsible for designing, configuring, implementing, and supporting network connectivity within IBM mainframe environments.

This role ensures reliable, secure, and high-performing communication between mainframe systems, distributed platforms, external partners, and enterprise applications. The engineer will work with technologies including TCP/IP, VTAM, SNA, Enterprise Extender, TN3270, FTP, and network security controls, supporting critical production workloads within large enterprise environments.

Key Responsibilities

Mainframe Network Administration

• Install, configure, maintain, and support z/OS Communications Server components.
• Configure and manage TCP/IP environments on z/OS systems.
• Maintain and troubleshoot VTAM definitions and network resources.
• Configure and support Enterprise Extender (EE) connectivity.
• Support SNA connectivity where applicable.
• Maintain TN3270 access and session connectivity for end users and applications.
• Troubleshoot mainframe network configuration and connectivity issues.
• Perform configuration changes and maintenance while minimizing impact to production workloads.

Network Connectivity & Support

• Ensure reliable communication between mainframe environments and:
  • Distributed servers
  • External vendors and business partners
  • Internal enterprise applications
  • Middleware platforms
• Diagnose and resolve connectivity issues involving:
  • IP routing
  • Port communication
  • Session failures
  • DNS resolution
  • Firewall-related blocks
• Troubleshoot network communication between mainframe and distributed environments.
• Support file-transfer technologies, including:
  • FTP
  • SFTP
  • Other secure data exchange solutions
• Collaborate with infrastructure, application, middleware, and network teams to resolve complex connectivity issues.
• Monitor network performance and availability and take corrective action when required.

Security & Compliance

• Partner with network and security teams to implement secure communication protocols.
• Ensure mainframe network configurations comply with enterprise security standards and controls.
• Support security and audit requirements related to mainframe network connectivity.
• Implement and support SSL/TLS certificates and secure transmission standards.
• Assist with firewall rule validation and port-usage reviews.
• Identify and support remediation of network-related vulnerabilities.
• Ensure network configurations follow established security and compliance requirements.

Disaster Recovery & Resiliency

• Support network architecture and recovery procedures for Disaster Recovery (DR) environments.
• Validate communication paths between production, DR, and backup environments.
• Test network connectivity and failover capabilities for recovery systems.
• Participate in DR tests and business continuity exercises.
• Identify potential network resiliency issues and recommend improvements.
• Support recovery procedures to ensure critical mainframe applications remain available during outages or failover events.

Core Technologies

• IBM z/OS
• z/OS Communications Server
• TCP/IP
• VTAM
• SNA
• Enterprise Extender (EE)
• TN3270
• FTP
• SFTP
• DNS
• IP Routing
• Firewalls
• SSL/TLS
• Network Security
• Disaster Recovery / Business Continuity