Lead Director - Mainframe Systems Engineering (22)

Lead Director - Mainframe Systems Engineer

CVS Health is seeking a transformational technology leader to own the end-to-end strategy for our IBM zSystems (Mainframe) platform, one of the most consequential and complex infrastructure environments in U.S. healthcare. Processing millions oftransactions daily, this platform sits at the core of our ability to serve patients, members, and customers reliably and securely.

The Lead Director - Mainframe Systems Engineer is a senior leadership position, not a hands-on engineering role. In this Executive role, you will set strategic direction, shape organizational design, and deliver platform modernization at enterprise scale, leading through a team of deep subject matter experts who bring the technical depth. Your value is in knowing what great looks like, building the team and culture to achieve it, and connecting platform performance to business outcomes that matter at the executive level.

Expectations For The Role

• Define and execute the long-term engineering strategy for IBM zSystems, encompassing platform modernization, automation frameworks, and the adoption of AIOps and AI-enabled operations capabilities
• Build, develop, and retain a high-performing organization of platform engineers, systems administrators, and operations specialists, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement
• Own enterprise platform reliability, operational resilience, and system availability for mission-critical transaction processing, including SLA governance and incident management
• Lead security-by-design principles, compliance engineering, and vulnerability remediation across all mainframe platforms and tooling
• Champion integration initiatives connecting mainframe systems with cloud platforms, APIs, and modern application architectures to support broader enterprise modernization goals
• Manage strategic vendor relationships, including IBM and automation platform providers, and exercise stewardship over technology budgets and investment priorities
• Drive cross-functional collaboration with architecture, security, application, and business teams to ensure the platform supports and accelerates enterprise objectives
• Serve as an executive-level advocate for the mainframe platform, translating complex engineering strategy into business value narratives for senior leadership and board-level audiences when required

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of enterprise platform engineering experience, with meaningful exposure to IBM zSystems (z/OS) or comparable mission-critical environments such as HP NonStop or large-scale Unix/Linux systems
• 6+ years of progressive leadership experience managing engineering teams through transformation, including direct reports, contractors, and matrixed organizations in complex enterprise settings
• At least 5+ years of technical literacy across z/OS architecture, mainframe operational concepts, and security frameworks (RACF, ACF2, or TopSecret) to set realistic expectations, evaluate your team's work, and engage credibly with subject matter experts
• A demonstrated track record of delivering large-scale platform modernization, infrastructure automation, or technology transformation programs, on time, within budget, and with measurable business impact
• Executive-level communication and influencing skills, with the ability to navigate competing stakeholder priorities and build alignment across technology and business leadership
• Experience owning significant technology budgets and managing strategic vendor relationships, including contract negotiation and long-term roadmap alignment

Preferred Qualifications

• Deep hands-on background with IBM zSystems, including system programming, LPAR management, or mainframe application development
• Experience in healthcare or financial services transaction processing environments where platform reliability carries regulatory and patient safety implications
• Familiarity with AIOps platforms, machine learning applications in infrastructure management, or AI-driven security operations
• Experience establishing enterprise-wide SLAs, engineering performance metrics, and organizational design frameworks for large technical teams
• ITIL Foundation or IBM Certified System Administrator (z/OS) certification

Education

Bachelor's degree or, equivalent experience (HS diploma + 4 years relevant experience)