Manager Mainframe Modernization Jobs in Illinois

Description
About Alvarez & Marsal
Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) is a global consulting firm with over 10,000 entrepreneurial, action and results-oriented professionals in over 40 countries. We take a hands-on approach to solving our clients' problems and assisting them in reaching their potential. Our culture celebrates independent thinkers and doers who positively impact our clients and shape our industry. The collaborative environment and engaging work-guided by A&M's core values of Integrity, Quality, Objectivity, Fun, Personal Reward, and Inclusive Diversity-are why our people love working at A&M.
The Team
Alvarez & Marsal's Corporate Performance Improvement practice is looking for a Server & Storage Engineering leader with deep expertise in enterprise compute and storage platforms, legacy system modernization, and infrastructure rationalization. This role requires someone who has driven server consolidation and storage optimization at enterprise scale - across mainframe, midrange, and x86 environments.
Experience Should Include

• Enterprise server platform architecture - x86, IBM z (mainframe), Unisys, P Series, SPARC, Itanium
• Storage platform architecture - SAN, NAS, object storage, tiered storage design, and capacity optimization
• Server consolidation, virtualization strategy, and legacy platform decommission planning
• Storage growth management, data tiering, and decommission targeting
• Hybrid infrastructure design - bridging on-premises compute/storage with cloud-based equivalents
• Federal infrastructure environments preferred - experience managing classified compute/storage platforms is a strong advantage given the complexity of multi-classification environments
• AI-assisted infrastructure analysis, capacity modeling, and optimization - must demonstrate active use of AI tools in delivery; AI fluency is required for this role
• Design and implement Kubernetes-native auto-scaling architectures across AWS, Azure, and GCP. Expert-level experience with HPA, VPA, and event-driven scaling (KEDA). Proven ability to balance predictive pre-scaling with reactive real-time capacity adjustments, optimizing sub-second response times while maintaining cost efficiency. Strong background in multi-cloud workload orchestration and resource right-sizing

How you will contribute

• Lead server and storage assessments - inventory analysis, utilization profiling, age/EOL mapping, and platform rationalization
• Develop legacy platform retirement roadmaps (mainframe, SPARC, Itanium) with clear decommission timelines, migration paths, and risk mitigation
• Analyze resource utilization patterns (CPU, memory, I/O, storage capacity) to identify rightsizing and consolidation opportunities
• Design target-state compute and storage architectures balancing cost, performance, availability, and security requirements
• Assess workload placement options across on-premises, private cloud, and commercial cloud for compute and storage workloads
• Integrate findings into A&M's broader engagement scope and deliverables
• Support practice development through internal training, thought leadership, and people development

Qualifications

• 8-12+ years of professional experience in enterprise server and storage engineering, with consulting or advisory delivery
• Demonstrated experience leading server consolidation or legacy platform migration programs at enterprise scale
• Deep understanding of mainframe economics and modernization trade-offs (rehost, replatform, refactor, retire)
• Federal infrastructure experience preferred - deep transformation experience in regulated industries can substitute
• Bachelor's degree required; relevant vendor certifications (IBM, Dell/EMC, NetApp, VMware) valued
• Comfortable with travel up to 80%
• Full-time, contract, and project-based engagements available

What Distinguishes a Great Candidate
Has personally driven legacy platform retirement programs - not just assessed them. Understands mainframe-to-cloud economics and can articulate the trade-offs to executive audiences. Brings AI-assisted capacity analysis and optimization modeling as a standard part of the delivery toolkit. Knowledge of extinction risk on legacy platforms is real - this candidate has the institutional knowledge that is disappearing from the market.
Your journey at A&M
We recognize that our people are the driving force behind our success, which is why we prioritize an employee experience that fosters each person's unique professional and personal development. Our robust performance development process promotes continuous learning, rewards your contributions, and fosters a culture of meritocracy. With top-notch training and on-the-job learning opportunities, you can acquire new skills and advance your career.
We prioritize your well-being, providing benefits and resources to support you on your personal journey. Our people consistently highlight the growth opportunities, our unique, entrepreneurial culture, and the fun we have together as their favorite aspects of working at A&M. The possibilities are endless for high-performing and passionate professionals.
Regular employees working 30 or more hours per week are also entitled to participate in Alvarez & Marsal Holdings' fringe benefits consisting of healthcare plans, flexible spending and savings accounts, life, AD&D, and disability coverages at rates determined periodically as well as a 401(k) retirement savings plan. Provided the eligibility requirements are met, employees will also receive an annual discretionary contribution to their 401(k) retirement savings plan from Alvarez & Marsal. Additionally, employees are eligible for paid time off including vacation, personal days, seventy-two (72) hours of sick time (prorated for part time employees), ten federal holidays, one floating holiday, and parental leave. The amount of vacation and personal days available varies based on tenure and role type. Click here for more information regarding A&M's benefits programs.
The salary range for Manager is $135,000 - $160,000 annually and Director is $150,000 - $210,000 annually, dependent on several variables including but not limited to education, experience, skills, and geography. In addition, A&M offers a discretionary bonus program which is based on a number of factors, including individual and firm performance. Please ask your recruiter for details.
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