The Role
Perforce seeks a Senior Software Engineer for the Akana Sola mainframe API enablement product. The role involves developing and maintaining Java-based IDE and runtime components, REST/SOAP APIs, API gateway integrations, databases, and CI/CD pipelines. The engineer will learn COBOL, CICS, DB2, JCL, IBM MQ, and other mainframe technologies through mentorship. Responsibilities include enhancing legacy codebases, troubleshooting mission-critical customer issues, supporting demos and pre-sales conversations, collaborating in Agile teams, and participating in on-call support.
Summary Generated by Built In
Perforce is a community of collaborative experts, problem solvers, and possibility seekers who believe work should be both challenging and fun. We are proud to inspire creativity, foster belonging, support collaboration, and encourage wellness. At Perforce, you’ll work with and learn from some of the best and brightest in business. Before you know it, you’ll be in the middle of a rewarding career at a company headed in one direction: upward.
With a global footprint spanning more than 80 countries and including over 75% of the Fortune 100, Perforce Software, Inc. is trusted by the world’s leading brands to deliver solutions for the toughest challenges. The best run DevOps teams in the world choose Perforce.
Perforce is looking for a Senior Software Engineer to join the Akana Sola team. Sola is Akana's mainframe API enablement product, exposing COBOL, CICS, and IMS/DB2 assets as REST/SOAP APIs. This is a genuine growth opportunity: mainframe skills are increasingly rare and highly valued, and this role is built for an engineer with a strong Java/API foundation who wants to develop a differentiated, in-demand specialization in mainframe technologies.
You'll work directly with, and be mentored by, senior engineers on a small, highly specialized team maintaining a product that supports mission-critical customer applications. We work in an agile product development process with core values of results, teamwork, ownership, quality of work, problem solving, and service to customers.
Responsibilities
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
- 6+ years of hands-on software development experience.
- Strong foundation in Java and API technologies.
- Genuine interest in specializing in mainframe/legacy systems technology as a long-term career direction.
- Working knowledge of Java, used for the Sola IDE and one of the Sola runtime implementations.
- Experience with RESTful and SOAP web services, including how they're designed, secured, and exposed from backend systems.
- Familiarity or hands-on experience with API management gateways (e.g., Akana, Apigee, MuleSoft, Kong, or similar) — Sola's core purpose is exposing mainframe assets as governed, gateway-managed APIs.
- Working knowledge of JavaScript, used extensively within the Sola IDE.
- Experience with SQL/NoSQL databases, including DB2, Oracle, MS SQL, and/or MySQL.
- Working knowledge of CI/CD tools and pipelines.
Core Technical Skills – Java, APIs & Modern Stack
Requirement
- These skills will be developed on the job under mentorship from our senior mainframe engineers. Any prior exposure is a strong plus, but eagerness to learn matters more than existing depth.
- COBOL - the primary language, by volume, behind the legacy Sola runtime that all customers rely on.
- CICS application development, as Sola runs under CICS and uses several of its system functions.
- DB2 programming (embedded SQL, performance-aware query design).
- JCL (Job Control Language) for mainframe batch processing.
- Batch COBOL, since Sola supports exposing batch programs as APIs and calling APIs from batch programs.
- IBM MQ Series as a supported transport layer within Sola.
- Mainframe Assembler, used for performance-critical functions such as parsing, the DOM API, and data conversions, and Natural, used for generating Natural Language artifacts — deeper, longer-term growth areas.
Mainframe & Legacy Systems – Growth Track (Mentorship & Training Provided)
Development Practices
- Experience working with Git and version control systems.
- Familiarity with Agile methodologies such as Scrum and Kanban.
- Ability to independently learn, manage, and enhance existing codebases, including long-lived legacy systems.
- Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting abilities, with the composure to work under pressure — Sola customers run it in mission-critical applications, so issues often need time-critical resolution.
Communication & Collaboration
- Excellent verbal communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to support product demos and pre-sales conversations as needed.
- Self-driven with a strong sense of ownership.
- Willingness to participate in on-call/off-hours rotation to support customers' mission-critical use of Sola.
Nice to Have
- UI development skills: JavaScript frameworks, Bootstrap, jQuery, etc.
- Experience with Python scripting or development.
- Familiarity with Docker and Kubernetes.
- Exposure to Linux on mainframe (zLinux), as some customers may elect to run the Sola Java runtime there.
All employees are expected to demonstrate AI fluency appropriate to their role and level, including responsible use of AI tools, sound judgment, and adherence to company AI governance and security policy standards.
Come work with us! Our team members are valued for their contributions, introduced to new opportunities, and rewarded well. Perforce combines the experience and rewards of a start-up with the security of an established and privately held profitable company.If you are passionate about the technology that impacts our day-to-day lives and want to work with talented and dedicated people across the globe, apply today!
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Skills Required
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field
- 6+ years of hands-on software development experience
- Strong foundation in Java and API technologies
- Working knowledge of Java
- Experience designing, securing, and exposing RESTful and SOAP web services from backend systems
- Familiarity or hands-on experience with API management gateways
- Working knowledge of JavaScript
- Experience with SQL or NoSQL databases, including DB2, Oracle, MS SQL, or MySQL
- Working knowledge of CI/CD tools and pipelines
- Genuine interest in specializing in mainframe and legacy systems technology
- Experience with Git and version control systems
- Familiarity with Agile methodologies such as Scrum and Kanban
- Ability to independently learn, manage, and enhance existing long-lived legacy codebases
- Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting abilities
- Excellent verbal communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to support product demos and pre-sales conversations as needed
- Willingness to participate in an on-call and off-hours rotation
- Prior exposure to COBOL, CICS, DB2 programming, JCL, batch COBOL, IBM MQ Series, Mainframe Assembler, or Natural
- UI development experience with JavaScript frameworks, Bootstrap, or jQuery
- Python scripting or development experience
- Familiarity with Docker and Kubernetes
- Exposure to Linux on mainframe or zLinux
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The Company
What We Do
The best run DevOps teams in the world choose Perforce to remove bottlenecks to speed up and deliver app experiences that move the needle. With Perforce’s suite of products built to develop and maintain high-stakes applications, companies can finally manage complexity with efficiency, achieve speed without compromise, and run their DevOps toolchains with full integrity. Perforce gives customers a DevOps Edge, from code to business-ready. But at the heart of our success is the people. We are a global community of collaborative experts, problem solvers, and possibility seekers who believe in making work both challenging and fun. Join us and you’ll work alongside the brightest in the business, driving innovation and growing in a career that’s moving in one direction: upward!
