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Lead Cobol Developer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Mainframe Specialist

Los Angeles, CA

$70K - $196K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Lead the design, development, and modernization of mainframe applications, enforcing best practices ... COBOL, JCL, VSAM, CICS, DB2, Assembler, REXX, SPUFI, TSO/ISPF, or RACF. * Minimum 3+ years leading ...

Mainframe Specialist

San Diego, CA

$70K - $196K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Lead the design, development, and modernization of mainframe applications, enforcing best practices ... COBOL, JCL, VSAM, CICS, DB2, Assembler, REXX, SPUFI, TSO/ISPF, or RACF. * Minimum 3+ years leading ...

Mainframe Specialist

Sacramento, CA

$70K - $196K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Lead the design, development, and modernization of mainframe applications, enforcing best practices ... COBOL, JCL, VSAM, CICS, DB2, Assembler, REXX, SPUFI, TSO/ISPF, or RACF. * Minimum 3+ years leading ...

Mainframe Specialist

San Francisco, CA

$70K - $196K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Lead the design, development, and modernization of mainframe applications, enforcing best practices ... COBOL, JCL, VSAM, CICS, DB2, Assembler, REXX, SPUFI, TSO/ISPF, or RACF. * Minimum 3+ years leading ...

Mainframe Specialist

Mountain View, CA

$70K - $196K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Lead the design, development, and modernization of mainframe applications, enforcing best practices ... COBOL, JCL, VSAM, CICS, DB2, Assembler, REXX, SPUFI, TSO/ISPF, or RACF. * Minimum 3+ years leading ...

Mainframe Specialist

Irvine, CA

$70K - $196K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Lead the design, development, and modernization of mainframe applications, enforcing best practices ... COBOL, JCL, VSAM, CICS, DB2, Assembler, REXX, SPUFI, TSO/ISPF, or RACF. * Minimum 3+ years leading ...

Mainframe Specialist

Walnut Creek, CA

$70K - $196K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Lead the design, development, and modernization of mainframe applications, enforcing best practices ... COBOL, JCL, VSAM, CICS, DB2, Assembler, REXX, SPUFI, TSO/ISPF, or RACF. * Minimum 3+ years leading ...

Showing results 21-40

Lead Cobol Developer information

Is there a demand for Lead Cobol developers?

Lead Cobol developers are still in demand due to the continued reliance on legacy mainframe systems in industries like banking and finance. Organizations seek experienced developers with skills in COBOL, JCL, and mainframe environments to maintain and upgrade critical applications, though overall demand is gradually declining as newer technologies emerge.

What is a Lead COBOL developer?

Lead Cobol Developers are senior-level professionals responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining software applications using the COBOL programming language, primarily for legacy systems in industries like banking, insurance, and government. They oversee teams of COBOL developers, provide technical guidance, and ensure that projects meet business and technical requirements. In addition to strong programming skills, they often collaborate with stakeholders to plan system upgrades, migrations, or integrations, and play a key role in troubleshooting and optimizing mainframe applications.

What is the difference between Lead Cobol Developer vs Cobol Developer?

AspectLead Cobol DeveloperCobol Developer
Required CredentialsBachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field, experience in COBOL, often leadership skillsBachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field, proficiency in COBOL
Work EnvironmentLead roles in team settings, project management, client interactionIndividual contributor, coding, testing, and debugging
Employer & Industry UsageFinancial institutions, government agencies, large corporationsFinancial services, insurance, government, and enterprise sectors

The main difference between a Lead Cobol Developer and a Cobol Developer lies in leadership responsibilities, project oversight, and team coordination. Lead Cobol Developers typically manage projects and mentor junior staff, while Cobol Developers focus on coding and technical tasks. Both roles require strong COBOL skills and industry experience, but the Lead position involves additional managerial duties.

What are the primary responsibilities of a Lead COBOL developer?

As a Lead COBOL Developer, you will typically oversee the design, development, and maintenance of critical legacy systems, often within large financial, insurance, or government organizations. Your role involves not only hands-on coding but also mentoring junior developers, conducting code reviews, and collaborating with business analysts to translate requirements into effective solutions. You may also be responsible for planning modernization initiatives, integrating COBOL applications with newer technologies, and ensuring system reliability and compliance. Strong communication and leadership skills are essential, as you will frequently coordinate with cross-functional teams to deliver complex projects on time.

How much do Lead Cobol Developers get paid?

Lead Cobol Developers typically earn between $80,000 and $130,000 annually, depending on experience, location, and industry. Senior roles often include responsibilities such as system maintenance, code optimization, and team leadership, with certifications like IBM Certified Application Developer enhancing earning potential.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Lead COBOL developer?

To thrive as a Lead COBOL Developer, you need deep expertise in COBOL programming, mainframe systems, and experience with software development life cycles, typically backed by a degree in computer science or related field. Familiarity with tools like IBM z/OS, JCL, DB2, and version control systems, as well as certifications in mainframe technologies, are commonly required. Strong leadership, problem-solving, and communication skills help manage teams and coordinate with stakeholders effectively. These skills ensure successful project delivery, ongoing system maintenance, and efficient modernization of legacy applications.

What job categories do people searching Lead Cobol Developer jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Lead Cobol Developer jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Lead Cobol Developer jobs?

Cities in California with the most Lead Cobol Developer job openings:

Infographic showing various Lead Cobol Developer job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 86% Full Time, 10% Part Time, 2% Temporary, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 91% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 6% Remote job distribution.

Mainframe Systems Programmer/DBA

West Advanced Technologies (WATI)

Downey, CA โ€ข On-site

$56.75 - $72.25/hr

Full-time

Re-posted 13 days ago


Job description

ADABAS/IMS/CICS Systems programmer/DBA
California
12 months
Hybrid
Skills Required:
The Mainframe Systems Programmer/DBA for Legacy Systems manages different types of databases, such as hierarchical (IMS), relational (DB2), and file-based (ADABAS), and is responsible for planning and upgrading the database environments on a County-established basis; verifying the health of all the databases; database administration technical consulting for application and operations teams for the purpose of project planning/development; maintenance on production database systems; performance of technical reviews for existing systems that utilize one of the following database management systems (DBMS): ADABAS, DB2 or IMS; performance of evaluations for the purposes of selecting new or fine-tuning existing DBMS software; consultation with project development teams to provide recommendations on database design; development of logical and physical database designs; creation of overviews of logical database designs; creation of physical databases; database capacity planning; development and use of backup and recovery procedures for databases; database performance monitoring; database space monitoring; database reorganizations; database replication; database compression and database partitioning. The following technology skill sets are required to perform in this classification. IBM: Z/OS, IMS, DB2, ADABAS, SMP/E, JCL, IMS DB/DC, CICS, ACF2, ASSEMBLER/COBOL/REXX, IBM FILE MANAGER, DELTA/IMS, NATURAL/ SUPERNAT, ENTIREX, CA SPOOL, IMS & DB2 BMC Tools, N20/TRIM.
This classification must have a minimum of seven (7) years of experience as a Systems Programming/ DBA, with at least three (3) years of that experience in a lead role.
This classification requires the possession of a bachelor's degree in an IT-related or engineering field.
Experience Preferred:
5 Years of experience in the last 8 years with ADABAS/NATURAL systems programming. 5 Years of experience in the last 8 years with IMS systems programming. 5 Years of experience in the last 8 years with CICS systems programming. 5 Years of experience in the last 8 years with IMS and ADABAS database administration.
Additional Information:
This is a System programmer role. Do not submit Mainframe application programmer profiles.
Regards
Sunil Damagalla
Talent Acquisition Specialist || Hiring Expert
E:sunil.d@wati.com D: 279-666-5837