z/OS Mainframe Operator

Client: Major Healthcare Entity (Phoenix-based)

Location: 100% Remote. Must live in the U.S. and not require sponsorship

Shift: 1st and 3rd Shift (Overnight) and Weekends include some Sundays. U.S. MST Time

Compensation: W2 or 1099

Opportunity Overview: We are seeking a high-caliber Mainframe Operations Specialist to join a mission-critical infrastructure team supporting a large-scale healthcare environment. This is not a \"watch and wait\" batch role; you will have direct responsibility for HMC operations, System IPLs, and POR execution across a complex multi-LPAR environment. If you have a \"keep the lights on\" mentality and thrive in high-availability environments where uptime is measured in lives impacted, we want to talk to you.

Core Technical Responsibilities: System Health & LPAR Management Perform daily production/QA checkouts of all LPARs, verifying started tasks and hardware configurations. Monitor and manage JES spool utilization; add capacity, purge output, or cancel batch jobs to maintain stability. Manage system resources (CPU, JNUM, JQES, BUFX) and execute \"spin-offs\" for resource-intensive tasks. Execute recycle procedures for MQ, DB2, CICS, and zOSconnect subsystems. Console & Hardware Operations (HMC)Manage restricted-access HMC operations, including POR profiles, LPAR load/dump profiles, and capacity weights. Execute Power-On Resets (POR) of mainframes, Coupling Facilities, and IDAA devices. Perform Data Transfer Pool Swaps and manage STP/time arbiter roles. Support z/OS hardware upgrades by configuring BCPii networking and creating new CEC profiles. Change Management & IPLsOwn the Sunday Mainframe Change Window, managing full System IPLs and PARMLIB updates. Maintain the master IPL SHEET (SOP), accounting for PORs, GDPS changes, and z/OS upgrades. Lead weekly Thursday IPL review meetings with Systems and Hardware Engineering. Emergency Response & Support Identify and mitigate looping jobs; perform address space or full stand-alone dumps on crashed systems. Execute DBAR system restoration in alternate data centers during major outages. Provide Level 1/2 triage, including TSO session management and user ID restoration.

Qualifications: Must-Have: Hands-on experience in a Production z/OS Mainframe Operations environment. Command Line Mastery: Proficiency with JES2/JES3, VTAM, TSO/ISPF, and MVS system commands. Hardware Familiarity: Proven experience with HMC, POR, and LPAR configuration. Operational Discipline: Experience managing GDPS/Parallel Sysplex environments is highly preferred. Shift Flexibility: Must be comfortable and proven in a 3rd shift (Overnight) capacity. Why This Role? This is a rare 100% remote opportunity to work on a modern mainframe stack (z 16/z 15) for a massive healthcare infrastructure. You will be a key player in the Sunday Change Windows, giving you high visibility and technical ownership that most \"Operator\" roles lack.