Job Description

Mid–Senior IBM MQ & Middleware Administrator (L3 Operations)

Locations: Phoenix, AZ (preferred) • Columbus, OH (preferred) • Dallas, TX (optional)
Type: L3 Support / Middleware Engineering
Position Type: 6+ months / Contract

Overview

We are seeking an experienced IBM MQ Administrator with strong middleware expertise to provide L3 operational support, manage MQ infrastructure, and ensure reliable, secure messaging across enterprise systems. This role is hands-on and requires solid experience supporting MQ environments, application servers, and distributed systems.

Key Responsibilities

IBM MQ Administration

• Install, configure, and maintain IBM MQ across DEV, QA, and PROD environments.

• Create and manage MQ objects including queue managers, queues, channels, listeners, and topics.

• Design and support MQ clustering, distributed queuing, and HA configurations.

• Execute upgrades, patching, and DR planning with minimal downtime.

• Implement SSL/TLS security, certificate management, and messaging security standards.

Middleware Platform Management

• Administer and troubleshoot Tomcat, Apache HTTP Server, and IIS.

• Configure connection pools, JNDI resources, and virtual hosts.

• Apply security hardening and role-based access control across middleware environments.

• Support enterprise deployments and performance tuning for distributed applications.

Operational & L3 Support

• Provide L2/L3 support for MQ and middleware incidents with root cause analysis.

• Automate recurring operational tasks using Shell, Python, or PowerShell scripting.

• Monitor system performance and integrate with MQ Explorer, Tivoli, or equivalent tools.

• Maintain detailed documentation for configurations, procedures, and operational standards.

Collaboration & Governance

• Partner with application, infrastructure, and security teams to support project needs.

• Participate in change management, compliance reviews, and production release activities.

• Provide guidance and knowledge-sharing to junior team members.

Required Skills

• 4–6+ years of hands-on experience with IBM MQ (v8 or newer).

• Strong understanding of queue managers, channels, clustering, and HA architecture.

• Experience supporting Tomcat, Apache, and IIS environments.

• Solid scripting skills in Shell, Python, or PowerShell.

• Understanding of networking fundamentals, SSL/TLS, certificates, and RBAC.

• Experience supporting enterprise production systems and handling L3 operational issues.

Nice to Have

• Exposure to WebSphere Application Server, JBoss, or similar middleware stacks.

• Experience with configuration automation or orchestration tools.

• Previous on-call, large-scale enterprise support.