Middleware Messaging Engineer

Senior Middleware Messaging & Platform Engineer Job Overview We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Middleware Messaging & Platform Engineer to join our Infrastructure Engineering team. This role is responsible for the design, administration, automation, security, and modernization of enterprise messaging and middleware platforms supporting mission-critical business applications. The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in IBM MQ, API gateways, NGINX, container platforms, and cloud-native infrastructure, with a strong focus on automation, security, high availability, and operational excellence. This position will play a key role in strategic initiatives involving cloud adoption, Kubernetes-based deployments, infrastructure-as-code, vulnerability management, and disaster recovery planning. Key Responsibilities IBM MQ Administration & Support Install, configure, administer, and maintain IBM MQ Queue Managers and MQ Clients on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). Perform IBM MQ upgrades, fix pack installations, patch management, and lifecycle maintenance activities. Configure and manage MQ components including: Queue Managers Local, Remote, Alias, and Model Queues Channels and Listeners Clusters Topics and Subscriptions Monitor system health, message throughput, queue depth, latency, and overall platform performance. Troubleshoot MQ connectivity issues, message delivery problems, security-related incidents, and performance bottlenecks. Conduct root cause analysis and implement corrective and preventive actions. Partner with application teams and serve as a subject matter expert for messaging solutions. Performance, Capacity & High Availability Analyze logs, traces, and performance metrics to optimize messaging infrastructure. Monitor resource utilization including CPU, memory, storage, and network consumption. Develop capacity planning strategies and scalability roadmaps. Design and implement highly available messaging solutions including clustering and distributed queue architectures. Develop, maintain, and regularly test disaster recovery (DR) procedures and failover strategies. Participate in business continuity planning and multi-site resilience initiatives. Security & Compliance Implement and manage IBM MQ security controls including: TLS/SSL encryption Channel Authentication Rules (CHLAUTH) Object Authority Manager (OAM) Certificate and keystore management Collaborate with security teams to ensure compliance with corporate security standards and regulatory requirements. Support vulnerability remediation efforts and security hardening initiatives. Apply security patches and mitigate risks associated with identified vulnerabilities and CVEs. Cloud & Container Platforms Participate in the design and migration of middleware workloads to AWS. Deploy and manage IBM MQ within containerized environments using Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift, and Rancher. Support infrastructure modernization initiatives utilizing cloud-native technologies and container orchestration platforms. Configure and maintain middleware services deployed across multi-cluster and hybrid-cloud architectures. API Gateway, NGINX & SFTP Platform Management Design, deploy, and support API gateway and reverse proxy solutions. Configure and troubleshoot API proxies, routing policies, security policies, and traffic management controls. Administer NGINX environments including: Reverse proxy configuration Load balancing SSL/TLS termination Health checks Rate limiting Kubernetes/OpenShift ingress controllers Manage SFTP gateways and managed file transfer (MFT) solutions, including: Key-based authentication User and directory management File transfer monitoring Integration with downstream services Automation & DevOps Develop automation using Terraform, Ansible, GitOps, Shell scripting, Python, and other infrastructure automation tools. Build and maintain CI/CD deployment pipelines leveraging Jenkins, Harness, Artifactory, and HashiCorp Vault. Support infrastructure-as-code (IaC) initiatives and configuration management practices. Automate operational tasks, middleware deployments, environment provisioning, and compliance validations. Monitoring & Operations Implement proactive monitoring and alerting strategies using enterprise observability platforms. Support production operations, incident response activities, and on-call responsibilities as required. Work closely with cross-functional teams including application development, networking, security, operations, and project management teams. Create and maintain architecture diagrams, operational procedures, standards, and technical documentation. Required Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience. 10+ years of hands-on experience administering IBM MQ within enterprise environments. Strong expertise in: Queue Managers Queues Channels Clustering Publish/Subscribe MQ Security Extensive experience administering middleware platforms on Linux environments, particularly RHEL. Proven experience troubleshooting complex middleware and messaging issues. Strong scripting and automation skills using Bash, Python, Shell, or similar languages. Solid understanding of networking fundamentals including TCP/IP, DNS, firewalls, load balancers, and SSL/TLS. Excellent communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills. Ability to work effectively both independently and within cross-functional teams. Preferred Qualifications Experience administering IBM MQ in cloud and containerized environments. Knowledge of advanced IBM MQ capabilities, including: Advanced Message Security (AMS) Managed File Transfer (MFT) MQ Appliances Experience with AWS-based middleware and messaging deployments. Hands-on expertise with Kubernetes, OpenShift, Docker, and Rancher. 6+ years of experience designing, deploying, and automating middleware technologies using Terraform, Ansible, and GitOps methodologies. 4+ years of experience administering API gateway and proxy technologies. Strong experience with: API proxy design and deployment OAuth 2.0 and API security API lifecycle management Traffic governance and rate limiting Experience supporting NGINX as both a reverse proxy and Kubernetes/OpenShift ingress controller. Experience administering enterprise SFTP and managed file transfer solutions. Experience building and supporting Jenkins-based operational and deployment pipelines. Working knowledge of enterprise monitoring and observability tools such as Splunk, Dynatrace, Instana, Nagios, or Prometheus. Familiarity with Kafka and other modern messaging technologies. Experience working in Agile, DevOps, and Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) environments. Strong understanding of disaster recovery planning, high availability architectures, and multi-data-center deployments. Security & Vulnerability Management Experience Candidates should possess: Experience working with vulnerability assessment and scanning tools such as Qualys, Nessus, or equivalent platforms. Ability to analyze, prioritize, and remediate middleware-related vulnerabilities. Experience implementing CIS benchmark recommendations and security hardening standards. Familiarity with vulnerability remediation and patch management for API gateways, web servers, messaging platforms, and managed file transfer solutions within highly regulated enterprise environments. What You'll Bring Deep technical expertise in enterprise messaging and middleware platforms. Strong automation and infrastructure-as-code mindset. Passion for modernization, cloud adoption, and platform engineering. A customer-focused approach with excellent collaboration skills. Medical, dental, and vision insurance are available to qualified candidates who meet eligibility requirements. The Judge Group