About the role
About the role
We’re looking for experienced COBOL developers who have built and maintain their own COBOL codebases, public or private. You’ll work with your existing repositories, and the deep knowledge you have of them, to help improve how modern AI systems understand, write, and modernize COBOL. This is a remote, [contract / part-time] role with flexible hours.
What you’ll do
Walk through COBOL repositories you’ve authored, explaining program structure, business logic, and design decisions
Write, review, and debug COBOL programs, including copybooks, JCL, and file handling (VSAM, sequential, indexed)
Evaluate AI-generated COBOL code for correctness, style, and maintainability, and give clear written feedback
Create realistic tasks and test cases based on real-world mainframe and batch-processing scenarios
Document legacy patterns and modernization approaches (e.g., COBOL to Java/C# migration, refactoring monolithic programs)
Must-haves
You have created and own at least one meaningful COBOL repository (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, or a private codebase you can speak to in depth)
3+ years of hands-on COBOL development
Strong grasp of COBOL divisions, data structures (PIC clauses, COMP/COMP-3, REDEFINES, OCCURS), and procedural logic
Experience with JCL and at least one of CICS, DB2, IMS, or VSAM
Clear written English and the ability to explain code to non-experts
Nice to have
Experience with IBM z/OS, Micro Focus COBOL, or GnuCOBOL
Work in banking, insurance, government, or other mainframe-heavy industries
Exposure to legacy modernization projects
Familiarity with a modern language (Java, Python, C#)
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