Senior Mainframe Software Engineer

Job Description

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We're evolving how we attract and engage with our clients, and as a Senior Mainframe Software Engineer on our team, you'll design, develop, support, and analyze large-scale applications and systems — making the technical calls that matter while shaping how we build and ship software that inspires clients and sales professionals to believe that life's bright.

This is a hands-on role for an engineer who thrives in a fast-moving, collaborative environment, moves deliberately without sacrificing quality, and cares deeply about creating meaningful client experiences. You'll be resilient, a strong team member, and equally effective in communicating and adapting to change as time-to-market pressures and evolving business priorities shift our plans.

Own the Delivery

• Break down and analyze complex application requirements into well-scoped, actionable work items
• Design and develop large-scale mainframe applications, defining technical approaches, dependencies, and milestones before work starts
• Identify risks early and adjust scope or approach to protect delivery timelines
• Make pragmatic technical decisions that balance speed, quality, and long-term maintainability

Build and Evolve

• Deliver end-to-end application development using industry-leading mainframe tools and modern development environments (IBM IDz, zDevOps, VS Code, Zowe, etc.)
• Write production-quality code while leveraging AI-assisted development tools (VS Code Copilot, etc.)
• Establish lightweight engineering practices that enable speed without sacrificing fundamentals
• Keep current with trends in emerging technologies and how they contribute to the evolution of our systems and client experiences

Collaborate

• Work directly with stakeholders and external technical partners, leading technical discussions in a clear and effective manner
• Clearly communicate trade-offs, risks, and timelines to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Continuously strive to improve the client experience through collaborative problem-solving
• Contribute to a dynamic, innovative culture where continuous improvement is valued and rewarded

Shape the Team

• Champion modern engineering practices, tools, and technologies that give the team a competitive edge
• Mentor teammates and guide technical direction through code reviews and design discussions
• Build reusable components and technical foundations that accelerate future work
• Someone who keeps current with emerging technologies and leads by example in continuous self-improvement

What You Bring

• 5-10 years of progressive information technology experience with full mainframe application development life cycle and systems integration experience
• Excellent working knowledge of the IBM OS/390 and zOS mainframe environment
• Experience and understanding of TSO/ISPF, DB2, IMS, JCL, and other mainframe utilities
• Experience using the COBOL development language
• Understanding of MQ Series and other middleware technologies
• Excellent problem analysis and troubleshooting skills
• Strong leadership, planning, organizational and consulting skills
• Keen appetite for learning relevant technologies and for continuous self-improvement
• Strong technical and problem-solving skills with the ability to show initiative and take responsibility
• An effective communicator who utilizes technical knowledge to lead discussions with stakeholders and external partners
• Familiarity with Git, Bitbucket, Jenkins, DevOps pipeline is a plus
• Experience using modern mainframe development environments (IBM IDz, Zowe, etc.) is a plus
• Experience leveraging AI tools for mainframe development (IBM WatsonX, VS Code Copilot, etc.) is a plus
• Experience with agile methodologies such as Scrum or Kanban would be an asset
• As this position is posted in several locations, we specify that bilingualism (French, English, both oral and written) is required for Quebec only for the frequent interactions with English and French-speaking colleagues or internal partners across Canada or worldwide.

Product Mindset

• You think in terms of client and business outcomes, not just technical elegance
• You're comfortable making decisions with incomplete information and adjusting as you learn
• You bias toward action, continuous improvement, and learning over perfection

Why This Role

• Opportunity to help evolve our brand through projects and initiatives that contribute to helping clients achieve lifetime financial security and live healthy lives
• Be part of a dynamic team of professionals in a highly collaborative environment
• Opportunities to grow your skills through on-the-job learning, coaching, and training
• Be part of an innovative culture where continuous improvement is valued and rewarded
• Access to an industry-leading desktop development toolkit integrated into a modern workflow
• Opportunities to socialize and team-build through fun activities with coworkers
• Grow your strengths while managing ambiguity, flexibility, and new challenges

Note: As a condition of the role, the successful candidate must obtain a Government of Canada Reliability Status security clearance through Sun Life.