Senior Mainframe Developer- Cards & Payments (Hybrid)

As a Senior Mainframe Developer , you will make an impact by leading the design, development, and optimization of business-critical mainframe applications that support high-volume payment and card processing environments. You will be a valued member of the technology team and work collaboratively with business analysts, product owners, infrastructure teams, quality engineering teams, and other stakeholders to deliver secure, scalable, and resilient solutions.

Lead the design and delivery of scalable mainframe solutions that support complex transaction processing and align with enterprise technology standards.

Partner with business and product teams to translate cards and payments requirements into reliable technical solutions and system enhancements.

Drive application stability and operational excellence through performance optimization, proactive monitoring, incident resolution, and root cause analysis.

Review technical deliverables to ensure compliance with security, audit, and data integrity requirements in financial services environments.

Mentor team members and promote development best practices, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement across the mainframe engineering organization.

We believe hybrid work is the way forward as we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible. Based on this role’s business requirements, this is a hybrid position requiring 3 days a week in a client or Cognizant office in Brooklyn , OH. Regardless of your working arrangement, we are here to support a healthy work-life balance though our various wellbeing programs.

The working arrangements for this role are accurate as of the date of posting. This may change based on the project you’re engaged in, as well as business and client requirements. Rest assured; we will always be clear about role expectations.

Strong hands-on experience with IBM mainframe technologies, including batch processing, transaction processing, and enterprise application development.

6 + years of experience in Mainframe.

Proven expertise with IBM mainframe utilities, Job Control Language (JCL), debugging tools, and data management processes.

Experience supporting cards, payments, banking, or other financial services applications.

Strong understanding of secure development practices, data protection principles, and regulatory requirements within financial systems.

Demonstrated ability to analyze complex technical issues, troubleshoot production incidents, and drive long-term system improvements.

Experience leading technical initiatives and collaborating effectively with distributed teams and stakeholders.

Deep knowledge of card processing, payment transaction lifecycles, authorization, clearing, and settlement processes.

Experience optimizing mainframe performance, batch scheduling, and resource utilization in high-volume environments.

Strong background in technical architecture, solution design, and modernization initiatives.

Experience defining and supporting testing strategies, including functional, integration, and performance testing.

Proven ability to mentor junior engineers and lead technical discussions across cross-functional teams.