Senior Director, Head of Mainframe

Job Description

Are you ready to write your next chapter?

Make your mark at one of the biggest names in payments. We’re looking for a Sr. Director, Head of Mainframe to join our ever-evolving Infrastructure team and help us unleash the potential of every business.

What you’ll own as the Sr. Director, Head of Mainframe

This technical leader is responsible for the architecture, engineering, resilience, and operational excellence of the enterprise IBM mainframe and HPE Non-Stop ecosystem that power our authorizations platforms in North America and Europe.

This role oversees high-availability IBM Z and HPE Non-Stop platforms supporting mission-critical workloads. The role is responsible for driving modernization across z/OS, middleware, storage, automation, and integration layers. The senior leader provides technical subject matter expertise while guiding a team of senior system programmers, engineers, and reliability specialists that deliver critical payment services to Worldpay.

Architecture & Engineering Leadership

• Own the technical architecture for z/OS infrastructure, Sysplex design, WLM policies, and enterprise capacity strategies.

• Lead engineering initiatives across subsystems (CICS, Db2, IMS, MQ, VTAM/Enterprise Extender, JES2/3).

• Drive modernization efforts: API enablement (z/OS Connect EE), DevOps integration, Ansible automation, container extensions, and hybrid cloud connectivity.

• Architect scalable, multi-site disaster recovery and continuous availability environments (GDPS, XRC, PPRC).
   

Platform Operations & Reliability

• Serve as the highest-level escalation for performance anomalies, IPL issues, contention, Sysplex coupling facility (CF) tuning, and system dumps.

• Oversee RMF/SMF analysis and implement performance improvements for CPU, I/O, memory, and CF structures.

• Ensure optimal configuration of z/OS 3.x-level features including security, resiliency, and AI-assisted workload optimization.

• Lead root-cause analysis for SEV1 incidents and direct long-term remediation to enhance platform stability.

Performance, Capacity & Cost Management

• Lead capacity planning across CPU, CF, DASD, tape virtualization, and network layers.

• Optimize MLC/MSU usage through WLM tuning, workload shaping, and vendor negotiation strategies.

• Manage tooling including OMEGAMON, RMF, SMF, zSecure, BMC MainView, CA OPS/MVS, and automation engines.
   

Modernization & Integration

• Guide transformation initiatives to expose mainframe assets through REST APIs, message queues, and event-driven architectures.

• Drive Git, CI/CD, and automated deployment integration for mainframe code pipelines.

• Evaluate and adopt new IBM Z technologies, such as AI-driven workload optimization or Z hardware accelerators.
   

Team & Stakeholder Leadership

• Lead and mentor senior systems programmers, automation engineers, and platform architects.

• Partner with enterprise architecture, cybersecurity, application development, and cloud teams on cross-platform solutions.

• Present architecture roadmaps, risk assessments, and investment recommendations to executives.

What you’ll bring

• 15+ years hands-on mainframe infrastructure experience, with 10+ years in leadership roles.

• Mastery of z/OS internals (storage management, dispatching, catalog structure, UNIX System Services).

•  Deep experience with sysplex configuration, CF structure tuning, XCF, WLM, HCD/IODF, and I/O subsystem design.

• Expert-level knowledge of at least two major subsystems: CICS TS, Db2, IMS, MQ, JES2/3.

• Strong background in RACF administration, ICSF, cryptographic hardware, and enterprise security frameworks.

• Demonstrated success leading modernization initiatives (APIs, DevOps for Z, hybrid cloud integration).

It’s a bonus if you have

• Experience with multi-site GDPS architectures or similar HA/DR frameworks.

• Hands-on experience with z/OSMF, Ansible for Z, and automated provisioning frameworks.

• Background in capacity planning and MLC optimization.

• Familiarity with container frameworks (zCX, Linux on Z) or virtualization (z/VM).

• Industry certifications (IBM Z Specialist, ITIL, CISSP, or equivalent).

• Experience delivering programs in highly regulated industries, such as financial services or payments.

• Hands-on involvement in discovery, planning and lift-and-shift execution with third-party migration vendors.

• Strong commercial acumen supporting cost tracking, vendor management and contract governance.
   

About the team

Infrastructure Cloud Services (ICS) is Worldpay’s 200-strong Infrastructure Services organization. We design, engineer and operate the global hosting platforms that power the payment services relied upon by millions of merchants every day.

ICS is responsible for the full spectrum of infrastructure services, spanning compute, storage, network, security, mainframe, cloud and data center operations. Our mission is to ensure that Worldpay’s infrastructure remains secure, resilient, scalable and cost-efficient, enabling the business to deliver reliable payment services 24x7, 365 days a year.

Reporting directly to the Global Head of Infrastructure, you will play a pivotal part in delivering one of the most significant infrastructure programs in Worldpay’s recent history.

To learn more about our winning teams, check out our world-class teams that own it every day.

 What makes a Worldpayer

What makes a Worldpayer? It’s simple: Think, Act, Win. We stay curious, always asking the right questions and finding creative solutions to simplify the complex. We’re dynamic, every Worldpayer is empowered to make the right decisions for their customers. And we’re determined, always staying open and winning and failing as one.
 

Does this sound like you? Then you sound like a Worldpayer. Apply now to write the next chapter in your career.

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Worldpay is dedicated to offering individuals rewarding career opportunities and competitive compensation. For this full-time position, the good faith estimated annual salary range upon hire is $177,100.00-$267,400.00. This range reflects what we reasonably expect to offer based on the role’s responsibilities, level, and geographic location. The actual starting salary will be determined by a candidate’s experience, job-related skills, and relevant education or training. Please note that changes in work location may impact the final offered salary. We encourage you to consult with your recruiter to confirm the budget for your location and to better understand the applicable pay scale.  

The job duties outlined above may be directly, and negatively impacted by a criminal history, which could lead to the withdrawal of a conditional offer. However, all qualified candidates with arrests or convictions will still be considered.

Privacy Statement

Worldpay is committed to protecting the privacy and security of all personal information that we process in order to provide services to our clients. For specific information on how Worldpay protects personal information online, please see the Online Privacy Notice.

EEOC Statement

Worldpay is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, genetic information, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other protected characteristics. The EEO is the Law poster is available here.

If you are made a conditional offer of employment and will be working in the United States, you will be required to undergo a drug test. In developing this job description care was taken to include all competencies and requirements needed to successfully perform the position. Reasonable accommodations will be provided for individuals with qualified disabilities both during the hiring process, as well as to allow the individual to perform the essential functions of the job, if hired.

Sourcing Model

Recruitment at Worldpay works primarily on a direct sourcing model; a relatively small portion of our hiring is through recruitment agencies. Worldpay does not accept resumes from recruitment agencies which are not on the preferred supplier list and is not responsible for any related fees for resumes submitted to job postings, our employees, or any other part of our company.