RPGLE Developer – IBM i/AS400, Production Support & DB2/400

Job Summary

Synechron is seeking an experienced RPGLE Developer with strong production support expertise to support, maintain, and enhance applications running on the IBM i (AS/400) platform.

The role will focus on L2/L3 production support, incident resolution, RPGLE development, batch processing, performance tuning, application enhancements, and release support. The successful candidate will work with business users and technical teams to maintain application availability, resolve production issues within defined SLAs, and implement sustainable fixes.

This position will contribute to business objectives by improving application reliability, reducing recurring incidents, supporting timely issue resolution, and maintaining stable business operations on the IBM i platform.

Software Requirements

Required Software Skills

• RPGLE: Minimum 5 years of experience developing and supporting applications on IBM i (AS/400).
• RPG IV: Strong experience developing, maintaining, debugging, and enhancing RPG IV applications.
• Free Format RPG: Hands-on development and maintenance experience.
• CLLE: Experience developing and maintaining control language programs and job-processing utilities.
• SQLRPGLE: Experience developing RPGLE programs with embedded SQL.
• DB2/400: Hands-on experience with database objects, SQL queries, data access, and troubleshooting.
• Embedded SQL: Experience writing, optimizing, and debugging embedded SQL within RPGLE programs.
• Production support: Strong experience providing L2/L3 support and resolving application incidents.
• Batch processing: Experience monitoring and supporting batch jobs, job scheduling, dependencies, and application performance.
• Debugging and performance tuning: Experience identifying application issues, analyzing root causes, and improving program or job performance.
• Ticketing tools: Exposure to ServiceNow, JIRA, Remedy, or similar incident and service-management tools.
• Documentation tools: Ability to create and maintain support documentation, issue records, technical procedures, and knowledge articles.

Preferred Software Skills

• Automation tools and scripting used for IBM i support and operational activities.
• Tools supporting IBM i modernization and application enhancement initiatives.
• Monitoring and alerting tools for batch jobs, application health, and platform performance.
• Tools supporting release management, source control, testing, and deployment on the IBM i platform.

Version and Experience Guidance

• Specific software versions are not mandated in the requirements.
• Candidates should have experience with current, production-supported versions of RPGLE, RPG IV, Free Format RPG, CLLE, SQLRPGLE, and DB2/400.
• Candidates should be able to assess application compatibility, support controlled changes, and follow established release and deployment procedures.
• Experience should include hands-on production support and application development on IBM i.

Overall Responsibilities

• Provide L2/L3 production support for RPGLE-based applications.
• Analyze, troubleshoot, and resolve production incidents within defined SLAs.
• Develop, maintain, and enhance applications using RPGLE, Free Format RPG, CLLE, and SQLRPGLE.
• Work with DB2/400 and Embedded SQL to support application functionality and data access.
• Perform root cause analysis and implement permanent fixes for recurring issues.
• Monitor and support batch jobs, job scheduling, job dependencies, and application performance.
• Investigate program failures, data issues, job delays, interface errors, and production processing problems.
• Coordinate with business users and technical teams for issue resolution, testing, releases, and production validation.
• Participate in code reviews, test execution, deployment activities, and post-release verification.
• Maintain technical documentation, support procedures, incident records, and knowledge-management materials.
• Follow change management, incident management, problem management, and release management practices.
• Identify opportunities to improve application stability, support efficiency, automation, performance, and operational sustainability.
• Contribute to measurable outcomes, including timely incident resolution, reduced repeat incidents, improved batch completion, application availability, and reliable production delivery.

Technical Skills (By Category)

Programming Languages

Essential

• RPGLE and RPG IV.
• Free Format RPG.
• CLLE.
• SQLRPGLE.
• Embedded SQL within RPGLE applications.
• Ability to develop, debug, modify, test, and maintain production application code.
• Ability to write clear, maintainable, and supportable programs.

Preferred

• Scripting or automation experience for IBM i operational support.
• Experience developing reusable utilities for monitoring, reporting, validation, or batch processing.
• Exposure to modernization-related development approaches on the IBM i platform.

Databases/Data Management

Essential

• Strong hands-on experience with DB2/400.
• Experience developing and optimizing SQL queries.
• Understanding of tables, views, indexes, constraints, joins, transactions, and data integrity.
• Experience with Embedded SQL in RPGLE programs.
• Ability to investigate data-related incidents and validate data corrections.
• Understanding of controlled data access, data consistency, retention, and production data-handling practices.

Preferred

• Experience with database performance analysis and indexing strategies.
• Familiarity with data reconciliation, archival, recovery, and validation processes.
• Exposure to database modernization, integration, or migration initiatives.
• Experience supporting high-volume or business-critical transaction processing.

Cloud Technologies

Essential

• Understanding of enterprise application support and production operations.
• Ability to support applications across development, testing, and production environments.
• Understanding of availability, performance, recovery, monitoring, and operational support requirements.

Preferred

• Exposure to cloud-based application integration or IBM i modernization initiatives.
• Familiarity with hybrid environments and integration between IBM i applications and modern platforms.
• Understanding of automation and resource-efficient application operations.

Frameworks and Libraries

Essential

• RPGLE application development components.
• RPG IV and Free Format RPG capabilities.
• CLLE programs and job-control utilities.
• SQLRPGLE and Embedded SQL.
• DB2/400 database utilities and development tools.
• IBM i debugging, job monitoring, batch processing, and application support utilities.
• Ticketing and incident-management tools such as ServiceNow, JIRA, Remedy, or equivalent platforms.

Preferred

• Tools supporting IBM i automation, monitoring, release management, testing, and modernization.
• Utilities supporting batch scheduling, job dependency analysis, and operational reporting.
• Tools supporting source management and controlled deployment of IBM i application changes.

Development Tools and Methodologies

Essential

• Experience across the application support lifecycle, including incident analysis, development, testing, deployment, monitoring, troubleshooting, and production validation.
• Experience with L2/L3 production support and incident management.
• Familiarity with Agile delivery practices.
• Ability to participate in code reviews, testing, change implementation, and release activities.
• Experience performing root cause analysis and documenting corrective and preventive actions.
• Ability to maintain technical documentation, support procedures, knowledge articles, and operational runbooks.
• Familiarity with service-level agreements, change controls, and structured issue escalation.

Preferred

• Knowledge of ITIL processes and support best practices.
• Experience with automated testing, deployment, monitoring, or operational reporting.
• Exposure to DevOps practices and application modernization initiatives.
• Experience supporting continuous improvement programs for production operations.

Security Protocols

Essential

• Understanding of secure application development and production support practices.
• Ability to protect application credentials, production data, job information, and technical documentation.
• Understanding of access control, role-based permissions, auditability, and controlled production changes.
• Ability to follow security, privacy, change-management, and data-handling requirements.
• Awareness of risks related to unauthorized access, data modification, insecure code changes, and uncontrolled deployments.

Preferred

• Experience supporting security reviews, audit activities, and compliance requirements.
• Familiarity with secure data transfer, access monitoring, and production activity logging.
• Exposure to security controls related to IBM i applications and database environments.

Experience Requirements

• Overall experience: 5+ years of professional experience in RPGLE development, IBM i application support, or a related technical role.
• Platform experience: Hands-on experience developing and supporting applications on IBM i (AS/400).
• Technical experience: Strong expertise in RPGLE, RPG IV, Free Format RPG, CLLE, SQLRPGLE, DB2/400, and Embedded SQL.
• Production support experience: Demonstrated experience providing L2/L3 support, managing incidents, meeting SLAs, troubleshooting application issues, and supporting production releases.
• Operational experience: Experience with debugging, performance tuning, batch processing, job scheduling, monitoring, and production validation.
• Process experience: Exposure to Agile delivery, incident management, change management, and structured support practices.
• Industry preference: Experience in Banking, Financial Services, Insurance, or Payments is preferred.
• Alternative experience pathways: Equivalent combinations of relevant professional experience, technical training, substantial IBM i implementations, or demonstrable production support outcomes may be considered.
• Outcome evidence: Candidates should demonstrate measurable contributions to application availability, incident resolution, batch reliability, reduced recurring issues, performance improvement, or successful production releases.

Day-to-Day Activities

• Monitor batch jobs and production applications, investigate incidents, debug RPGLE and SQLRPGLE programs, and resolve issues within defined SLAs.
• Develop and maintain RPGLE, Free Format RPG, CLLE, and Embedded SQL changes while supporting testing, code reviews, deployments, and production validation.
• Collaborate with business users, application teams, technical support teams, and stakeholders through incident reviews, release discussions, status meetings, and issue-resolution activities.
• Deliver permanent fixes, root cause analyses, support documentation, knowledge articles, and improvement recommendations within the assigned decision-making scope.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field; equivalent relevant professional experience may be considered.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience in RPGLE development and IBM i (AS/400) application support.
• Demonstrated expertise in RPGLE, RPG IV, Free Format RPG, CLLE, SQLRPGLE, DB2/400, Embedded SQL, debugging, and batch processing.
• Experience with production support, incident management, performance tuning, ticketing tools, and stakeholder coordination; ITIL knowledge is preferred.
• Commitment to continuous professional development through relevant training, technical learning, knowledge sharing, and continued development in IBM i, RPGLE, production support, automation, and modernization practices.

Professional Competencies

• Applies structured analytical thinking to diagnose production incidents, batch failures, data issues, performance concerns, and application defects.
• Works effectively with business users, technical teams, support groups, and distributed stakeholders to resolve issues and deliver reliable changes.
• Communicates incident status, technical findings, root causes, risks, release impacts, and resolution plans clearly and accurately.
• Adapts to changing application requirements, support priorities, platform capabilities, operational conditions, and modernization initiatives through continuous learning.
• Identifies practical opportunities to improve application stability, batch performance, support processes, automation, maintainability, and operational sustainability.
• Manages time and priorities effectively across incident response, development, testing, documentation, releases, maintenance, and continuous improvement activities.

S​YNECHRON’S DIVERSITY & INCLUSION STATEMENT
 

Diversity & Inclusion are fundamental to our culture, and Synechron is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiative ‘Same Difference’ is committed to fostering an inclusive culture – promoting equality, diversity and an environment that is respectful to all. We strongly believe that a diverse workforce helps build stronger, successful businesses as a global company. We encourage applicants from across diverse backgrounds, race, ethnicities, religion, age, marital status, gender, sexual orientations, or disabilities to apply. We empower our global workforce by offering flexible workplace arrangements, mentoring, internal mobility, learning and development programs, and more.

All employment decisions at Synechron are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to the applicant’s gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disabled or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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