Independent Contractor Rpg Programmer Jobs in California

Position Summary
The Senior RPG Programmer / IBM i (AS/400) Analyst leads the support, stabilization, and enhancement of legacy IBM i (AS/400) applications in a manufacturing environment. This role is responsible for advanced RPG development, production support, and assisting with IBM i operations.
A key function of this position is to lead the capture and transition of critical knowledge from senior team members, ensuring long-term sustainability of core business systems. The ideal candidate operates independently and drives documentation & knowledge transfer efforts.
This role is critical to preserving institutional knowledge and ensuring continuity of core business systems. The candidate will play a key role in stabilizing current platforms while supporting future modernization efforts.
This is an onsite position.
Key Responsibilities:
• Lead development, maintenance, and enhancement of applications using RPG (RPG III, RPG IV, RPGLE, and free format RPG)
• Serve as a senior technical resource for IBM i (AS/400) systems, resolving complex production issues and guiding troubleshooting efforts
• Drive knowledge transfer and documentation of legacy systems, business logic, and operational processes
• Partner closely with existing team members to reduce single points of failure and preserve institutional knowledge
• Lead and participate in daily production support including job monitoring, issue resolution, and system health checks
• Assist with IBM i administration tasks such as job scheduling, user management, system monitoring, and backups
• Support and optimize batch processing, nightly cycles, and job scheduling tools (e.g., Robot or similar)
• Oversee performance tuning of RPG programs and DB2/400 queries
• Support integrations and system interfaces across internal and external systems
• Collaborate with business users and stakeholders to design and implement solutions aligned with operational needs
• Lead testing, implementation, and post-production support activities
• Establish and maintain documentation standards for applications, processes, and operational procedures
• Provide support for manufacturing, distribution, or ERP-related systems
• Participate in system modernization and integration initiatives as needed
• Provide after-hours or on-call support as needed
Qualifications
• 7+ years of experience with IBM i (AS/400) systems and RPG programming
• Strong expertise in RPG IV, ILE RPG, RPGLE, and free-format RPG
• Strong experience with DB2/400 and SQL, including performance tuning
• Solid knowledge of CL/CLLE and job control concepts
• Proven experience supporting mission-critical production environments
• Experience working with legacy systems with limited documentation
• Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting skills with ability to work independently
• Strong communication, customer service & teamwork skills and ability to work directly with business users
Preferred Qualifications
• Experience with manufacturing or distribution systems (inventory, warehouse, shop floor, order processing)
• Experience with IBM i tools such as RDi, Query/400, DBU, or Turnover
• Familiarity with job scheduling tools (Robot or similar)
• Experience with IBM i system administration (user profiles, job queues, system monitoring)
• Experience supporting integrations
• Exposure to system modernization or integration projects
Reasoning Ability
Ability to analyze complex legacy systems, identify risks, and translate undocumented processes into structured documentation and maintainable solutions. Must be able to make independent decisions and lead technical problem-solving efforts in a production environment.
Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the essential functions of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to sit; use hands and fingers to handle, feel or reach with hands and arms. The employe is occasionally required to stand and walk. The employee is occasionally required to lift 10 lbs up to 25 lbs. Specific vision abilities required for this job include close vision.
Work Environment
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
Compensation
Salary Range: $103,000 to $115,500 annually
Non-Exempt Position. We offer medical, dental, vision, profit sharing, life insurance, voluntary spouse life insurance, voluntary dependent life insurance, FSA, DCA, long term disability, accident insurance and more!
Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.
For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.