Job Description
This is a remote position.
Location: Darwin, Northern Territory (On-site preferred)
Contract Type: Contract – Initial 12 months (1 May 2026 to 30 April 2027) with two optional 12-month extensions
Workload: Up to 2,000 hours per year + up to 200 on-call days per year
Role Overview
We are seeking an experienced Technical Lead – Mainframe Middleware to provide expert technical leadership and ensure the stable, secure, and efficient delivery of middleware and integration services
This role leads a specialist middleware team responsible for supporting business‑critical government services. It combines hands-on technical expertise, team leadership, service management, and stakeholder engagement, with a strong focus on service stability, continual improvement, and ITIL-aligned operations.
Key Responsibilities
Technical Leadership & Service Delivery
* Lead and coordinate the mainframe middleware team to deliver reliable and secure integration services aligned to agreed service levels and business outcomes.
* Provide expert technical advice and guidance on middleware platforms, integration architecture, and operational best practices.
* Design, develop, and support secure integration solutions using IBM middleware technologies (e.g. MQ, Integration Bus, App Connect Enterprise).
Operations & ITIL Service Management
* Manage BAU activities including incident, problem, service request, and change management to ensure minimal disruption to services.
* Maintain accountability for change management, ensuring changes are assessed, approved, tested, and implemented in line with governance requirements.
* Lead the resolution of complex technical incidents and problems, working collaboratively with internal teams, vendors, and service providers.
Platform Stability & Continuous Improvement
* Ensure platform stability, performance, and security through patching, upgrades, monitoring, automation, and lifecycle management.
* Drive continual service improvement initiatives focused on performance, resilience, efficiency, and automation.
* Ensure effective monitoring, performance tuning, recovery, and failover mechanisms are in place.
Stakeholder Engagement & Governance
* Build and maintain strong relationships with business stakeholders, technical teams, and external vendors.
* Provide advice to management on middleware strategy, risks, operational demands, and technology opportunities.
* Ensure compliance with enterprise standards, governance frameworks, and security policies.
Team Leadership & Capability Development
* Plan and prioritise team workloads and individual responsibilities.
* Mentor staff and support knowledge transfer and capability uplift within the middleware team.
* Develop, maintain, and improve operational standards, procedures, and documentation.
* Produce regular reports on service performance and team productivity for senior management.
Project & On‑Call Responsibilities
* Contribute to or lead middleware-related projects, enhancements, and platform changes.
* Participate in on-call support and after-hours work as required.
Requirements
Technical Skills & Experience
Essential
* Proven experience delivering enterprise middleware services in a mainframe environment.
* Strong expertise in SOA and integration using IBM technologies such as:
o IBM MQ
o IBM Integration Bus
o IBM App Connect Enterprise (ACE) or equivalent
* Experience managing complex message transport, transformation, and integration environments.
* Strong skills in middleware administration, monitoring, performance tuning, automation, and recovery.
* Solid understanding of ITIL practices, including incident, problem, change, and service level management.
Leadership & Professional Capability
* Ability to operate with autonomy under broad direction and take accountability for service and technical outcomes.
* Demonstrated leadership in managing specialist technical teams in complex ICT environments.
* Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence outcomes collaboratively.
* Proven ability to perform under pressure, manage competing priorities, and adapt in dynamic environments.
* Commitment to continuous improvement, innovation, and staying current with industry trends and technologies.
I'm interested