Senior Developer and Architect

One of our leading client is looking for Senior Developer and Architect in Baltimore MD

Job Title: Senior Developer and Architect

Location: Baltimore, MD

Job Type: Full-time

Position Summary

We are seeking a skilled IBM i Developer with strong leadership and management potential to join our team as a Senior Developer and Architect . This is a unique opportunity for an experienced IBM i professional to grow into a leadership role and assume more responsibilities.

The ideal candidate will have strong hands-on experience with RPG Free Format and IBM i technologies , combined with excellent communication, organizational, problem-solving, and management skills. The candidate must be a fast learner , comfortable working with both technical and business teams, and capable of taking increasing responsibility for the organization's IT environment, applications, systems, vendors, projects, and technology strategy.

Initially, the position will focus heavily on IBM i application development and support while working closely with the Director of IT. Over the course of the first year, the candidate will progressively assume additional IT management, leadership, planning, and operational responsibilities.

Key Responsibilities

IBM i Development & Application Support

• Develop and maintain IBM i applications using RPG Free Format (RPGLE) and other related technologies.
• Analyze, design, code, test, implement, and maintain new and existing applications.
• Troubleshoot and resolve application and system issues.
• Ensure code quality, security, reliability, and performance standards are met.
• Work with business users to gather requirements and translate business needs into technical solutions.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate IBM i applications with other systems.
• Create and maintain technical and system documentation.
• Support legacy applications and assist with ongoing modernization initiatives.
• Develop and maintain secure Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) principles, ensuring security requirements are integrated into development processes while maintaining delivery timelines and operational efficiency.

AI-Assisted Development

• Leverage AI-assisted development tools and autonomous coding agents to accelerate software design, coding, testing, documentation, and troubleshooting while maintaining quality, security, and compliance standards.
• Evaluate appropriate use of AI tools within the development lifecycle.
• Review and validate AI-generated code and documentation before implementation.
• Understand data privacy, security, and compliance considerations when using AI technologies.

IT Leadership & Management

As the candidate becomes more familiar with the organization, responsibilities will expand to include:

• Work closely with the current Director of IT to learn the organization's IT strategy, systems, applications, infrastructure, processes, vendors, and business priorities .
• Assume more responsibility for day-to-day IT operations and technology management.
• Manage, mentor, and provide direction to IT staff and development resources.
• Prioritize IT projects, application enhancements, system issues, and support requests based on business needs.
• Work closely with executive leadership and business stakeholders to understand organizational goals and develop technology solutions that support those goals.
• Participate in the development and execution of the company's IT strategy and technology roadmap .
• Oversee application development, system maintenance, upgrades, integrations, and technology projects.
• Manage relationships with third-party technology vendors, consultants, and service providers.
• Assist with vendor selection, contract management, pricing, and service-level expectations.
• Monitor IT budgets, expenses, resources, and project priorities.
• Help establish and maintain IT policies, procedures, standards, and best practices.
• Ensure appropriate cybersecurity, data protection, access controls, backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity practices are maintained.
• Identify technology risks and develop plans to mitigate those risks.
• Ensure systems and applications are maintained, supported, documented, and aligned with business requirements.
• Coordinate technology projects from planning through implementation and ongoing support.
• Establish priorities and timelines for development and IT initiatives.
• Communicate IT status, risks, projects, and recommendations to senior management.
• Serve as a key technical and business resource for the organization.
• Develop a strong understanding of the company's business operations and how technology supports those operations.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and determine where they may provide business value.
• Lead continuous improvement efforts to improve IT efficiency, reliability, security, and user experience.
• Develop and maintain a long-term plan for the organization's IBM i environment and overall IT infrastructure.
• Ensure adequate knowledge transfer and documentation are in place to reduce reliance on individual employees and protect institutional knowledge.

Leadership

The successful candidate will work directly with the current Director of IT. The candidate will assume additional responsibilities and be prepared to back up the Director of IT.

The candidate should demonstrate:

• Strong leadership and management skills.
• The ability to make sound decisions and establish priorities.
• Excellent communication skills with both technical and non-technical audiences.
• The ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills.
• A willingness and ability to learn the organization's business, systems, and processes quickly.
• The ability to build strong relationships with employees, management, vendors, and business stakeholders.
• A proactive approach to identifying problems and developing solutions.
• The ability to work independently while knowing when to involve senior leadership.
• A desire and ability to grow into a broader IT leadership position.

Requirements

• 3+ years of experience in IBM i development.
• Strong proficiency in RPG Free Format (RPGLE) , including modular and service program design.
• Experience building with AI coding agents such as Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Codex , or similar tools, including prompt/context design, task decomposition, and reviewing agent-generated output before merge.
• Strong Git fundamentals, including branching strategies, rebasing, conflict resolution, and clean commit hygiene.
• Practical experience with GitHub workflows, including pull requests, code reviews, branch protection rules, CODEOWNERS, and issue/project tracking.
• Sound judgment regarding where agentic workflows add value and where human authorship and review are required.
• Awareness of data handling, security, and privacy considerations when working with AI tooling.
• Experience with embedded SQL, CLLE, DDS, and DB2 on IBM i .
• Familiarity with legacy RPG III/400 is a plus.
• Knowledge of job scheduling, data queues, and message handling on IBM i.
• Understanding of software development lifecycle and version control systems.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage projects, priorities, or people.
• Ability to learn new technologies, systems, and business processes quickly.
• Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, or a related field, or equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous IT management, team leadership, or supervisory experience.
• Experience working directly with executive leadership or business stakeholders.
• Experience developing or executing an IT strategy or technology roadmap.
• Experience managing IT vendors and outside technology partners.
• Experience with IT budgeting and resource planning.
• Experience with cybersecurity, disaster recovery, business continuity, or IT risk management.
• Experience integrating IBM i with APIs or web services, including REST/SOAP.
• Familiarity with modernization tools or frameworks such as Profound UI, LANSA, etc.
• Knowledge of ERP systems.
• Exposure to Agile or DevOps environments.
• Experience managing or supporting an IT infrastructure environment.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary with attractive benefits package.
• 401(k).
• Dental insurance.
• Health insurance.
• Paid time off.
• Collaborative and innovative work environment.
• Opportunities for professional growth and leadership development.
• Direct exposure to senior leadership and business operations.
• Opportunity to play a key role in shaping the company's future technology strategy.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is more than a strong IBM i programmer . We are looking for someone who has the technical foundation to immediately contribute, the management skills to lead others, and the desire and ability to grow into an IT leadership role within the organization.

This person should be a fast learner, strong communicator, problem solver, and natural leader who is comfortable moving between hands-on technical work and broader business and IT responsibilities.