Remote Mainframe Storage Administrator Jobs in Illinois

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Title: IBM Mainframe Storage and Replication Administrator (Remote)
Location: Remote
Duration: 6 Months
Working Hours: 37.5 hours per week, with 7.5 hours per day.
Initial 2 days onsite visit (Springfield, IL) is required for onboarding purposes; the rest of the engagement will be remote.
Only W2 candidates are eligible for this position. Third-party or C2C candidates will not be considered.
Job Description
Position Summary
• Client is seeking an experienced Mainframe Storage and DASD Replication Administrator to manage and maintain the agency's mission critical IBM mainframe storage infrastructure.
• This role is responsible for the installation, configuration, monitoring, and administration of the IBM TS7700 Virtual Tape System (VTS 7700) backup environment and the IBM DS8000 replication environment used for disaster recovery and failover.
• The administrator ensures stability, performance, and security of storage and backup systems supporting statewide business applications and services.
• The ideal candidate will have senior level expertise in mainframe storage administration, replication technologies, and disaster recovery operations.
• The role includes resource monitoring, system configuration, troubleshooting, and collaboration with hardware vendors.
• It requires the ability to work both independently and as part of a team in a high availability, enterprise scale environment.
• Key responsibilities include configuring storage, resolving issues, providing technical direction to junior staff, and working closely with system architects and vendors.
• This position requires strong knowledge of z/OS, enterprise storage management software such as IBM Copy Services Manager, and disaster recovery best practices.
Key Responsibilities
1. System Administration
• DASD and VTS management: Monitor performance, availability, and utilization of DASD and IBM TS7700 VTS storage resources.
• Capacity planning: Analyze storage usage trends and forecast future requirements.
• Performance tuning: Diagnose and resolve performance issues related to storage subsystems.
• Backup and recovery: Manage daily data backups and safeguarded copy processes; ensure replication consistency for disaster recovery.
• Incident and problem management: Respond to major storage incidents, perform root cause analysis, and drive long term remediation.
• Vendor management: Collaborate with IBM and other vendors on installations, upgrades, migrations, and support escalations.
• Technical guidance: Provide mentorship, support, and knowledge transfer to junior team members.
• System configuration: Allocate storage space, configure storage devices, adjust cache and replication settings, and implement changes across the storage environment.
2. Disaster Recovery & High Availability
• Participate in disaster recovery (DR) testing, failover exercises, and system restoration planning.
• Develop and maintain storage recovery runbooks, procedures, and operational documentation.
3. Support & Collaboration
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues related to storage, replication, and performance.
• Work with internal DoIT teams and vendors for upgrades, migrations, and issue resolution.
• Provide documentation, training, and mentoring to junior staff and operations personnel.
Qualifications Required:
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 8-10 years of experience administering mainframe storage and replication systems.
• Strong knowledge of enterprise DASD subsystems and IBM VTS technology (e.g., IBM TS7700, IBM DS8000 replication suites).
• Proven expertise with IBM Copy Services technologies, including FlashCopy, journals, Metro Mirror, Global Mirror, and multi site replication strategies.
• Demonstrated ability in system performance tuning, capacity management, and resource planning.
• Skills in JCL, REXX, CLIST, and automation tools supporting storage operations.
• Experience supporting disaster recovery procedures and high availability architecture.
Preferred:
• Experience with QuickRef, TMON, and Omegamon.
• Strong communication and documentation skills.
• Prior experience in government or other regulated environments.