Position Overview
The client is seeking an experienced IBM iSeries Programmer / Systems Analyst to provide business and systems analysis, application development, maintenance, integration, and technical support for critical client services applications running on the IBM iSeries platform.
The ideal candidate will have strong hands-on experience with IBM iSeries, RPG IV, and CL, combined with the ability to analyze business requirements and translate them into effective technical solutions. Experience with RPG III, Java, and PHP is beneficial but proficiency in all languages is not required.
This position requires a versatile professional who can work directly with business customers and technical teams, independently analyze requirements, maintain existing applications, develop new functionality, troubleshoot production issues, perform system integrations, and test solutions in an environment where detailed programming specifications may not always be available.

Key Responsibilities
Perform business analysis, systems analysis, and application programming for client services systems operating on the IBM iSeries platform.
Maintain, enhance, troubleshoot, and support existing IBM iSeries applications.
Design and develop new applications, modules, interfaces, and functionality primarily using RPG IV and CL.
Support applications and components developed in RPG III, Java, and PHP, as applicable.
Work directly with client business customers to gather, clarify, analyze, and document functional and technical requirements.
Translate business requirements into application designs and practical technical solutions, including situations where detailed programming specifications are not available.
Analyze existing programs, interfaces, data flows, and business processes to identify required modifications and enhancements.
Integrate internally developed applications with central client systems, including PeopleSoft and Identity Management.
Support integrations involving financial, payroll, student accounts receivable, authentication, billing, payment, and reconciliation processes.
Work with security and integration utilities from Townsend/Perplexity and change-management solutions from ARCAD, as applicable.
Develop and maintain applications supporting business functions such as inventory, labor, order entry, billing, payments, and reconciliation.
Perform application testing, debugging, troubleshooting, implementation, and production support.
Test and, when required, provide technical direction for work performed by other programmers without assuming formal supervisory responsibility.
Collaborate closely with USIT developers, technology personnel, and client services customers.
Rapidly develop a strong understanding of client services applications, business processes, interfaces, and technical environments.
Build and maintain sufficient institutional and application knowledge to support the client's preference for an ongoing relationship with contract staff.

Core Technical Qualifications

Strong candidates should demonstrate:
Significant hands-on IBM iSeries / IBM i / AS/400 application development and support experience.
Strong RPG IV programming experience.
Strong Control Language (CL) experience.
Experience performing both programming and systems/business analysis.
Experience maintaining and enhancing established or legacy enterprise applications.
Ability to develop solutions from business requirements when complete technical specifications are unavailable.
Experience gathering requirements directly from business users and translating them into technical solutions.
Strong application troubleshooting, debugging, testing, and problem-solving capabilities.
Experience working with interfaces and integrations between enterprise systems.
Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively within a small technical team.

Highly Preferred Qualifications

The following experience will make a candidate particularly competitive:
Higher Education IBM iSeries experience.
Previous client experience.
Strong references demonstrating successful IBM iSeries development or support work.
RPG III experience.
PeopleSoft integration experience.
Identity Management/authentication integration experience.
Experience with ARCAD change-management tools.
Experience with Townsend/Perplexity security or integration utilities.
Experience supporting financial, billing, payment, payroll, inventory, reconciliation, or similar transaction-processing applications.
Experience supporting long-term enterprise applications requiring substantial institutional and business-process knowledge.

Additional Technologies

Experience with the following is advantageous but not mandatory for all technologies:
RPG IV
CL
RPG III
Java
PHP
IBM iSeries / IBM i / AS/400
PeopleSoft
Identity Management
ARCAD
Townsend/Perplexity