Mainframe Engineering Manager

First Citizens Bank

. Lead and develop a team of Mainframe Systems Engineers, Systems Programmers, and Technical Specialists .

Posted 11/2/2026full-timeRaleigh • North Carolina • United StatesSeniorLeadWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in leading teams of Systems Engineers and Programmers while driving modernization initiatives and integrating IBM Z infrastructure with cloud platforms. Proficient in implementing Site Reliability Engineering principles and ensuring operational excellence through metrics and automation.

Highest-signal resume keywords

IBM Z Infrastructure ExperiencePeople Leadership ExperienceMainframe Modernization InitiativesSite Reliability Engineering (SRE)Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Applications DevelopmentAutomationDevOpsCapacity ManagementPerformance TuningRoot Cause AnalysisHigh Availability SolutionsEncryption TechnologiesCyber ResilienceHybrid Cloud Integration

Soft Skills

CommunicationTalent DevelopmentStrategic PlanningVendor ManagementTeam Leadership

Tools & Technologies

IBM WatsonParallel SysplexMetro/Global MirrorInfrastructure as Code (IaC)API EcosystemsContainerized EnvironmentsAIOpsObservabilityCI/CD PracticesSelf-Service Capabilities

Certifications & Qualifications

IBM Certified System ProgrammerIBM Z Professional CertificationsITILAWS/Azure ArchitectCertified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

Industry Keywords

Mainframe Systems EngineeringPlatform ServicesOperational Excellence MetricsService Level Objectives (SLOs)Workforce PlanningSkills TransformationBusiness StakeholdersThird-Party Service ProvidersExecutive LeadershipEmerging Technologies

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

AWSAzureCloudCyber Security

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Lead and develop a team of Mainframe Systems Engineers, Systems Programmers, and Technical Specialists
Define and execute the strategic roadmap for IBM Z infrastructure and related platform services
Drive workforce planning, talent development, succession planning, and skills transformation
Establish operational excellence metrics and service level objectives (SLOs)
Manage budgets, vendor relationships, software licensing, and third-party service providers
Communicate platform strategy, risks, and opportunities to executive leadership
Implement Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) and Platform Engineering principles
Drive operational efficiency through automation and self-service capabilities
Lead modernization initiatives integrating mainframe workloads with hybrid cloud platforms, API ecosystems, enterprise integration platforms, and containerized environments
Support DevOps and CI/CD practices across distributed and mainframe environments
Champion Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and platform automation
Evaluate emerging technologies including AIOps, observability, and AI-enabled operations
Oversee disaster recovery and business continuity strategies
Ensure compliance with RTO and RPO objectives
Lead high-availability architecture planning
Manage capacity, performance tuning, and workload optimization
Conduct root cause analysis for major incidents
Partner with application development, cybersecurity, architecture, cloud engineering, vendors, and business stakeholders

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor's Degree and 8 years' experience OR High School Diploma or GED/Equivalent and 12 years' experience in Applications development, analysis or engineering
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field
10+ years of IBM Z infrastructure experience
5+ years of people leadership experience
Experience leading large-scale modernization initiatives
Experience integrating mainframe environments with cloud platforms
Technical experience with GDPS and high availability solutions
Technical experience with Parallel Sysplex architecture
Technical experience with Metro/Global Mirror
Technical experience with encryption technologies
Technical experience with cyber resilience and recovery practices
Technical experience with automation and DevOps
Technical experience with IBM Watson/Frontier AI
Technical experience with hybrid cloud integration
Industry certifications such as IBM Certified System Programmer, IBM Z Professional Certifications, ITIL, AWS/Azure Architect (preferred), and Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

Benefits

Comp & perks

Competitive, thoughtfully designed and quality benefits program
Benefits information provided at https://jobs.firstcitizens.com/benefits