VP Enterprise Applications (Mainframe) Transformations

Position Overview

We are seeking a strategic and technical leader of Mainframe Application Development to lead our core legacy systems environment. In this role, you will oversee the modernization, transformation with maintenance, and seamless integration of our mission-critical COBOL and CICS applications.

You will manage a dedicated team with a Technical leader, ensuring that the backbone of our business—covering General Ledger, Inventory Management, and Warehouse Management (WMS)—remains robust, scalable, and compatible with our expanding ecosystem of third-party server applications.

Core Responsibilities

1. Strategic Leadership & Roadmap

• Define and execute the long-term strategy for the mainframe environment, balancing "keep-the-lights-on" stability with modernization/transformation initiatives.
• Oversee the architectural integrity of interfaces between legacy mainframe data and modern 3rd party/cloud-based server applications.
• Manage departmental budgets, resource allocation, and vendor relationships.

2. Technical Oversight

• Serve as the executive technical lead for COBOL and CICS development standards.
• Ensure high availability and performance of core modules on the mainframe.
• Drive best practices in the SDLC.

3. Team Management & Mentorship

• Directly manage one Tech Leader and provide second-level leadership to a team of Senior/Junior Developers.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning, specifically focusing on cross-training staff to bridge the gap between legacy code and modern integration layers (APIs, ETL, Middleware (Mulesoft)).

4. Integration & Operations

• Collaborate with the "Server-Side" and Master Data Management teams to ensure data integrity during real-time or batch transfers to 3rd party platforms.
• Ensure compliance with financial auditing standards within the General Ledger and Inventory modules.

Required Qualifications

• Experience: 12+ years in IT, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role overseeing mainframe environments.
• Business Acumen and the ownership to build partnerships with the Business partners
• Deep Technical Roots: Expert-level understanding of COBOL, CICS, VSAM, and JCL.
• Domain Expertise: Proven track record managing applications in Financials (GL), Supply Chain, or Warehouse Management.
• Integration Knowledge: Hands-on experience with mainframe-to-distributed-system integrations (e.g., Mulesoft, RESTful APIs).
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field.

Preferred Skills

• Experience leading "Mainframe Modernization" projects.
• Strong understanding of modern data architecture and how legacy flat files/VSAM tables translate to modern SQL/Snowflake environments.
• A "bridge-builder" personality—the ability to speak "Mainframe" to the developers and "Business Value" to the C-Suite.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• System Uptime: Maintenance of 99.9% availability for CICS online transactions.
• Integration Reliability: Reduction in data latency/errors between mainframe and 3rd party server apps.
• Team Retention: Successful mentorship and talent development within the developer pool.