Mainframe Infrastructure Lead

Job Summary

The Mainframe Infrastructure Lead is accountable for the end-to-end stability, performance, and evolution of the enterprise mainframe and associated platform services. This role combines deep platform engineering expertise with strong people leadership and strategic execution capability to ensure the mainframe environment remains resilient, cost-effective, compliant, and fit for future business demand.

• Own the overall health, availability, performance, and resilience of the mainframe platform and supporting infrastructure.

• Lead platform engineering domains including operating system, transaction processing, storage, connectivity, automation, and observability.

• Establish and execute platform strategy aligned to enterprise technology and business objectives.

• Ensure effective 24x7 operational management, including incident, problem, change, and capacity management.

• Drive modernisation, optimisation, and automation initiatives while protecting platform stability.

• Ensure governance, risk management, regulatory compliance, and audit readiness across the platform.

• Manage budgets, vendor relationships, and commercial outcomes for platform services.

• BM Z / zOS platform leadership.

• Transaction processing and database platforms (IMS and supporting batch environments).

• Interface with Mainframe storage, SAN, backup, archive, and data management services.

• System integration services.

• Network connectivity, automation frameworks, and workload scheduling.

• Ownership of platform availability, performance, and recovery objectives.

• Oversight of a 24x7 operations capability and operational tooling ecosystem.

• Implementation of proactive monitoring, observability, and automation practices.

• Continuous improvement of operational processes using IT service management principles.

• Leadership of incident reduction, root cause elimination, and service reliability initiatives.

• Define and communicate a clear medium- and long-term platform strategy.

• Translate strategy into executable roadmaps with measurable outcomes.

• Balance platform modernisation with resilience, risk, and cost efficiency.

• Align platform priorities with business growth, regulatory requirements, and customer experience outcomes.

• Lead, coach, and develop high-performing engineering and operations teams.
  Build strong succession pipelines and capability uplift plans.
  Foster an engineering-led culture of ownership, accountability, and continuous learning.
  Act as a senior technical leader and escalation authority within the organisation.

• Own financial planning, budgeting, and cost optimisation for the platform.

• Manage strategic vendor and partner relationships.

• Engage senior stakeholders across technology and business domains.

• Provide clear reporting, metrics, and insights to senior leadership.

• Senior leadership experience within large-scale mainframe or enterprise infrastructure environments.

• Deep hands-on expertise in mainframe platform engineering and operations.

• Strong understanding of resilience engineering, capacity management, and performance optimisation.

• Proven experience leading complex technology teams and operating models.

• Experience defining and executing infrastructure or platform strategies.

• Strong financial, vendor, and stakeholder management skills.

• Engineering-first mindset with strong technical credibility.

• Decisive, outcome-focused, and execution-oriented.

• Able to operate effectively at both deep technical and executive levels.

• Calm under pressure with a strong bias toward operational stability.

• Trusted leader who balances innovation with risk management.

Education

Absa Bank Limited is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. In compliance with the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998, preference will be given to suitable candidates from designated groups whose appointments will contribute towards achievement of equitable demographic representation of our workforce profile and add to the diversity of the Bank.

Absa Bank Limited reserves the right not to make an appointment to the post as advertised