Mainframe Application Assessor (Architecture)

📍 Remote (Australia-wide) + 1–2 weeks on-site in SA

🕒 3-month contract

This role is open to an experienced Mainframe Application Assessor to lead an architecture-focused assessment of a legacy mainframe application for a South Australian Government department.

This is a review and advisory engagement, not a development role.

You'll evaluate the current-state architecture of a mainframe application, map its dependencies, and deliver a clear, well-reasoned modernisation recommendation to guide the department's future ICT direction — informed by real understanding of the technology, not just a template.

Location: Based anywhere in Australia, remote-friendly. You will need to be on-site in South Australia for approximately 1–2 weeks for workshops, stakeholder interviews, and discovery sessions.

Engagement type: 3-month contract at this stage.

What you'll do:

• Assess the current-state architecture of a mainframe application, including its technology stack (COBOL, PL/I, Assembler, CICS, IMS, DB2, VSAM, JCL)
• Map integration points, data flows, and upstream/downstream system dependencies
• Assess technical debt, supportability, licensing exposure, and end-of-life risk
• Apply a 6R modernisation framework (rehost, replatform, refactor, rearchitect, rebuild, retire) to develop a disposition recommendation
• Identify risks, constraints, and indicative costs/effort for the recommended path
• Run workshops and interviews with department SMEs, vendors, and platform owners to validate findings
• Produce a comprehensive findings report and present to governance/steering forums

What you'll bring:

• Demonstrated experience assessing or architecting mainframe-based enterprise applications
• Working knowledge of mainframe technologies (COBOL/PL1/Assembler, CICS/IMS, DB2/VSAM, JCL) — hands-on coding not required, but you need to genuinely understand the stack to assess it credibly
• Experience applying modernisation or cloud migration frameworks
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills — comfortable running workshops and presenting to senior government stakeholders
• Excellent report-writing and documentation skills
• Prior government or regulated-sector experience highly regarded