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Mainframe Lead Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Mainframe Lead

Philadelphia, PA · On-site

$49.50 - $63.50/hr

Mainframe Lead Location: Philadelphia, PA / Pittsburgh, PA Experience: 15+ Years Job Summary We are seeking a highly experienced Mainframe Lead with 15+ years of overall experience and strong hands ...

* Mainframe Lead * * Experience : 15+ years of experience * Location : Philadelphia / Pittsburgh * Skill : Mainframe with Cobol,CICA,DB2,VSAM ideally with SAS * VISA requirement : / Citizen

mainframe lead

Richmond, VA · On-site

$48.50 - $62.25/hr

TITLE: Mainframe Lead/ Technical Team Leader Mainframe DURATION:1 +YEAR Location: RICHMOND,VA Required skills Strong Environment Management Skills. 2. COBOL, JCL, CA7, DB2, IMS DB/DC 3. Good ...

Position: Mainframe Lead/Manager Location: Remote Duration: 12 months+ (high possible extension) Extensive experience in mainframe systems: Many years of practical experience managing mainframe ...

Mainframe Lead

Columbus, OH · On-site

$47.25 - $60.75/hr

8 to 10 Yrs of experience in the Mainframe & Java Modernisation space. The Candidate has experience in understanding the requirements for the Mainframe Modernization and Legacy Migration. The tech ...

Mainframe Lead

Jersey City, NJ · On-site

$51.25 - $65.75/hr

8+ Yrs of experience in the Mainframe & Java Modernisation space. The Candidate has experience in understanding the requirements for the Mainframe Modernization and Legacy Migration. The tech stack ...

$75 - $96/hr

We are seeking an experienced Mainframe Lead to act as the primary onsite contact for client engagements, driving end-to-end delivery, stakeholder management, and offshore team coordination. The ...

We are seeking an experienced Mainframe Lead to act as the primary onsite contact for client engagements, driving end-to-end delivery, stakeholder management, and offshore team coordination. The ...

Many years of practical experience managing mainframe technologies and applications, with a deep understanding of z/OS, DB2, CICS, IMS, and other relevant technologies. What You'll Do: lead a team of ...

Mainframe Lead

Minneapolis, MN · On-site

$75 - $96/hr

We are seeking an experienced Mainframe Lead to act as the primary onsite contact for client engagements, driving end-to-end delivery, stakeholder management, and offshore team coordination. The ...

Mainframe Developer

New York, NY · On-site

$53.50 - $69/hr

We are seeking a Senior Mainframe Lead to oversee mainframe development, maintenance, and operations with 8+ years Experience. The ideal candidate will have deep technical expertise in mainframe ...

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Mainframe Lead information

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$26

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How much do mainframe lead jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 7, 2026, the average hourly pay for mainframe lead in the United States is $64.33, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $57.93 and $72.12 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a mainframe lead?

A Mainframe Lead is responsible for overseeing the development, maintenance, and optimization of mainframe systems, ensuring their reliability and performance. They lead a team of mainframe developers, coordinate with stakeholders, and implement best practices for system upgrades and problem resolution. Additionally, they play a key role in managing security, compliance, and disaster recovery strategies for critical business applications.

What are the typical day-to-day responsibilities of a mainframe lead?

As a Mainframe Lead, your daily responsibilities often include overseeing and guiding mainframe development or support teams, reviewing code or system changes, and ensuring compliance with organizational standards. You’ll coordinate with business analysts and project managers to translate business requirements into technical solutions and may also troubleshoot and resolve complex system issues. Regularly, you’ll mentor junior staff, schedule workloads, monitor system performance, and participate in planning for upgrades or migrations. Collaborating with infrastructure, security, and application teams is a key part of ensuring smooth operations and project delivery.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in a mainframe lead position?

To thrive as a Mainframe Lead, you need deep expertise in mainframe technologies such as COBOL, JCL, and DB2, as well as strong leadership and project management experience. Familiarity with mainframe tools like IBM z/OS, RACF, and relevant certifications such as IBM Certified System Programmer are highly valued. Strong communication, problem-solving, and mentoring skills enable effective team leadership and cross-functional collaboration. These abilities are essential to ensure the reliability, security, and modernization of critical enterprise systems while driving successful project outcomes.

Is a mainframe lead still in demand?

Mainframe lead roles remain in demand due to the continued reliance of many large organizations on mainframe systems for critical operations. These positions often require expertise in COBOL, JCL, and mainframe tools, with certifications and experience in managing legacy systems being valuable assets. The demand is steady, especially in finance, government, and insurance sectors that maintain mainframe infrastructure.
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Infographic showing various Mainframe Lead job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 89% Full Time, 9% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 91% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 6% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $133,808 per year, or $64.3 per hour.

Mainframe Lead

United Technology

Philadelphia, PA • On-site

$49.50 - $63.50/hr

Other

Posted 5 days ago


Job description

Mainframe Lead 

Location: Philadelphia, PA / Pittsburgh, PA
Experience: 15+ Years


Job Summary

We are seeking a highly experienced Mainframe Lead with 15+ years of overall experience and strong hands-on expertise in COBOL, CICS, DB2, and VSAM.

This is a Lead-level position, requiring a combination of hands-on mainframe application development, technical leadership, troubleshooting, solution design, and team coordination. SAS experience is highly preferred.

We are specifically looking for candidates who have operated in a Mainframe Lead / Technical Lead capacity, rather than profiles limited to individual Mainframe Developer responsibilities.


Key Responsibilities
  • Lead the design, development, enhancement, and support of enterprise Mainframe applications.
  • Develop and maintain applications using COBOL, CICS, DB2, and VSAM.
  • Provide hands-on technical leadership for complex mainframe development initiatives.
  • Analyze business and technical requirements and translate them into scalable mainframe solutions.
  • Review application designs, code changes, and technical implementations.
  • Troubleshoot complex application and production issues and lead root-cause analysis.
  • Perform performance analysis and recommend application improvements.
  • Coordinate development activities across onsite and offshore technical teams.
  • Mentor Mainframe Developers and provide technical guidance.
  • Support application releases, production deployments, and post-production activities.
  • Collaborate with architects, business analysts, QA teams, infrastructure teams, and other stakeholders.
  • Ensure adherence to enterprise development standards and mainframe best practices.

Required Qualifications
  • 15+ years of Mainframe application development experience.
  • Proven experience working as a Mainframe Lead / Technical Lead.
  • Strong hands-on programming experience with COBOL.
  • Strong experience with CICS.
  • Strong experience with DB2.
  • Strong experience working with VSAM.
  • Experience designing, developing, and supporting large-scale enterprise mainframe applications.
  • Strong troubleshooting and production-support experience.
  • Ability to perform technical design and code reviews.
  • Experience leading and mentoring development teams.
  • Strong understanding of SDLC and enterprise software-development methodologies.
  • Excellent analytical, communication, and stakeholder-management skills.

Preferred Skills
  • SAS experience is highly preferred.
  • Experience with JCL and other IBM Mainframe technologies.
  • Experience with enterprise modernization or legacy transformation initiatives.
  • Experience working in large, complex enterprise environments.