Service Specialist – Mainframe Modernization
The Service Specialist for Mainframe Modernization in Germany is a senior subject matter expert responsible for technical excellence, solution integrity, and asset development within the service line. This hands-on role supports high-impact client engagements, contributes to pre-sales and solution design, and ensures the regional adoption and evolution of service-specific delivery frameworks, tools, and best practices. The Service Specialist brings deep expertise in Legacy Modernization as well as Mainframe Modernization, serving as a trusted technical advisor to both clients and internal teams. This role is key to ensuring delivery quality, enabling service adoption, and evolving the technical maturity of the offering.
Job responsibilities
* Contribute technical leadership in solution shaping, proposals, and pursuit support.
* Validate delivery feasibility, architecture, tooling, and resourcing during pre-sales.
* Work with Solution Strategists, Service leads to ensure technical alignment with the offering’s value proposition.
* Act as a bridge between delivery teams and global service development to improve service assets and positioning.
* Capture real-world challenges and innovations from engagements to shape the evolution of the offering.
* Stay current with emerging tools, methods, and trends relevant to the Mainframe Modernization domain.
* Mentor engineers, architects, and consultants within the service domain.
* Support training, onboarding, and hands-on skill development to deepen regional capability.
* Share knowledge through internal enablement sessions, demos, and thought leadership.
Job qualifications
Technical Skills
* Mainframe technologies such as COBOL, JCL, CICS, Eztrieve, DB2 for z/OS, Assembler, PL/I, IMS, Rexx, GDGs, and VSAM, common utilities, schedulers.
* Experience with modern technologies like OO languages (Java or C#), Document stores, distributed service architectures, streaming, cloud-native architectures, Infrastructure as Code (IaC).
* Experience leading phase-wise mainframe migration efforts from conception to delivery.
* Experience with 2-3 Rs strategies to migrate mainframe workloads.
* Strong grasp of software or platform design principles, architecture patterns, and toolchains.
* Ability to translate technical insights into business impact and actionable decisions.
* Experience guiding teams, mentoring peers, and supporting cross-functional initiatives.
* Skilled at framing problems, proposing fit-for-purpose solutions, and adapting accelerators to client context.
* Committed to building and improving reusable IP and delivery accelerators.
Professional Skills
* 10+ years in software engineering, platform delivery, or technical consulting, with significant experience in legacy modernization.
* 2-3 years as a subject matter expert or senior technical advisor in Mainframe Modernization.
* Experience supporting solution design and technical delivery in complex enterprise environments.
* Proven ability to develop and support delivery tools, frameworks, and reusable assets.
* Promote reuse of service-specific assets across regions.
* Identify opportunities to modularize and codify reusable components from client work.
* Support delivery teams in solving complex client problems using service-aligned approaches.
* Ensure consistent and effective application of service-specific frameworks, methods, and tools.
* Maintain technical quality and consistency across service-led engagements.
Other things to know
Learning & Development
Thoughtworks offers a flexible career development environment supported by interactive tools, development programs, and collaborative teammates. We value helping each other grow and empower our employees in their career journeys.
Country: UK
City: Newcastle
Date Posted: 06-13-2025
Industry: Information Technology
Employment Type: Regular
About Thoughtworks
Thoughtworks is a dynamic, inclusive community of innovative colleagues revolutionizing technology. For over 30 years, we’ve delivered impactful solutions to complex business problems, pushing boundaries through purposeful work. Join us with your expertise and passion for continuous learning. Let’s be extraordinary together.
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