About this opportunity
Damco lists this AS400 / IBM i Application Architect (RPG/ILE) opportunity in plainsboro, New Jersey. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
AS400 / IBM i Application Architect (RPG/ILE)
Work Authorization: USC
Clearance: Active Public Trust Clearance – 6C (required)
Location: Remote
Position Summary
We are seeking a highly experienced AS400 / IBM i Application Architect to own end-to-end architecture, modernization strategy, and technical governance for large-scale IBM i environments. This role requires deep hands-on expertise in IBM i (AS400), RPG/ILE, CL, and DB2 for i, with strong architectural leadership across legacy modernization, system integration, performance optimization, and operational governance. The architect will be responsible for assessing the full IBM i landscape, including applications, data, batch and online workloads, integrations, security controls, and operational processes—and defining a pragmatic modernization roadmap that enables coexistence with modern platforms such as .NET-based systems. Experience with Synon is preferred to core IBM i architecture and RPG/ILE expertise. The ideal candidate can modernize and evolve IBM i systems while preserving stability, transaction integrity, and operational SLAs.
Experience Requirements (Mandatory)
25+ years of total IT experience
15+ years of hands-on experience designing, building, modernizing, or governing IBM i (AS400) enterprise systems
Deep expertise in RPG/ILE (primary), including architecture-level design, refactoring, and performance tuning
Strong experience with DB2 for i, batch/online processing, and IBM i operational architecture
Synon / CA 2E preferred but not mandatory – sufficient depth to assess models, analyze impact, and plan modernization
Proven experience integrating IBM i systems with .NET or other distributed platforms (coexistence, service enablement, or phased migration)
Experience leading modernization initiatives in complex, high-volume, mission-critical environments
Core Technical Skills
IBM i / AS400 Architecture & Development (Primary)
IBM i platform architecture: Subsystems, job queues, workload management
Memory, storage, and performance planning
Object-level security and authorization models
RPG III/IV, RPGLE (ILE RPG) – expert-level
CL / CLLE
COBOL (nice-to-have)
DB2 for i: Schema and physical design
Indexing and query optimization
Journaling and commitment control
Batch and online processing: Job scheduling and orchestration
Throughput tuning and batch window optimization
SQL on IBM i: Embedded SQL
Stored procedures
Performance diagnostics and tuning
Development tooling: RDi (preferred)
SEU/PDM (legacy)
Compare/merge and change management tools
Integration & Modernization
Integrate IBM i applications with.NET-based and distributed systems using: APIs and service layers
Messaging and event-driven patterns
ETL and data synchronization approaches
Apply modernization patterns: Strangler pattern
Service encapsulation
Modularization and capability-based migration
Modernize: User interfaces
Batch workloads
Reporting and data access layers
Integration technologies: IBM i Web Services / IWS
ODBC / JDBC
MQ
SFTP and file-based integrations
Key Responsibilities
Own enterprise and solution architecture for IBM i (AS400) environments
Assess the full system landscape: Application inventory and dependencies
Data models and flows
Batch and online processing
Integrations and operational controls
Define target-state architecture connecting IBM i with.NET and other platforms: Integration standards
Data governance
Service boundaries
Security architecture
Produce architecture deliverables: High-level and low-level designs (HLD/LLD)
Sequence and integration diagrams
Deployment models
Operational runbooks
Lead modernization from RPG-based systems toward service-enabled and modular architectures
Develop and execute a phased modernization roadmap, including: Stabilization
Encapsulation
Modularization
Service extraction
Selective re-platforming
Make refactoring decisions that preserve: Transaction integrity
Auditability
Performance SLAs
Batch window constraints
Define and enforce: RPGLE, CLLE, and SQL coding standards
API and service design standards
Lead performance tuning across: DB2 for i
Batch parallelization
Job orchestration and workload management
Improve DevOps and ALM practices: Version control
Build and release automation
Regression testing strategies
Ensure compliance with Public Trust (6C) security requirements: Least privilege
Segregation of duties
Logging and monitoring
Secure data handling
Support audits through evidence gathering: Access logs
Change and deployment records
Approval trails
Collaborate with security teams on vulnerability management and remediation
Translate complex legacy constraints into clear, actionable modernization strategies for business and technical stakeholders
Mentor senior developers and lead technical design reviews and architecture sessions
Employment is contingent upon verification of U.S. citizenship and maintaining an active Public Trust (6C) clearance. The candidate must comply with all federal security and data handling policies.
Worksite address
plainsboro, NJ, 08536, US
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.