Natural Developer(COBOL Developer)

Client: State of Mississippi

Agency/Department: Mississippi Department of Human Services

Project Name: MDHS Legacy Systems Operational and Transitional Support

Posting No.: 138672

Project Overview: The State of Mississippi, Department of Human Services (MDHS), has planned an initiative to modernize the legacy Information Systems that support its Human Services programmatic areas. Onboarding the Design, Development and Implementation (DDI) vendor for the planned system modernization project has been delayed by multiple factors. As a result, The Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) must continue maintaining and supporting the current legacy systems and applications for an indefinite period while preparing these aged systems for the planned transition to a modernized enterprise platform solution.

MDHS is seeking a qualified vendor project team to support and maintain its Human Services legacy eligibility systems in preparation for modernization. The vendor team will play a crucial role in maintaining and supporting the existing legacy information systems, their subsystems, and the technical infrastructure that facilitates the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Child Support Enforcement (CSE), and Childcare (CC) programmatic areas. The ideal vendor must possess a robust track record of delivering both technical and business resources with proven experience in managing state human services legacy systems.

In addition to supporting the current legacy systems, the selected vendor must have technical acumen to assist in the transition to the new, modernized eligibility systems. This includes providing technical expertise for the smooth migration of data and services, ensuring minimal disruption to the existing programs and their beneficiaries. Vendor expertise will ensure that the current systems remain fully operational, effective, and in productive use during a federal funding partner pilot while transitioning to the modernized solution. The vendor must also support the eventual decommissioning of the legacy systems, ensuring that all aspects of the transition are managed efficiently and effectively.

By partnering with a vendor that can deliver comprehensive support and technical proficiency, MDHS aims to achieve seamless operations and modernization process, ultimately enhancing its ability to serve at risk Mississippians with needed services.

Place of Performance: Work performed will be a combination of 75% off-site and 25% on-site activities based upon MDHS approval of scheduled work.

Period of Performance: Three years with possible option year extensions

Scope of Work & Deliverables:

The Statement of Work (SOW) for this project defines the essential tasks, responsibilities, and deliverables required from the selected vendor to support the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) in its legacy systems support and transition initiative. This section specifies the objectives of the project, including the maintenance and enhancement of current systems, the development and implementation of CI/CD strategies, and the preparation for a smooth transition to modernized solutions. The vendor is expected to provide comprehensive solutions, deliver high- quality outcomes, and adhere to project timelines and milestones to ensure the successful execution of the modernization roadmap and the continued effectiveness of MDHS’ programs.

Description of Duties

The Senior Developer requires an experienced professional responsible for maintaining and enhancing MDHS legacy software systems that are critical to its SNAP/TANF operations. The proposed resource must possess deep knowledge of older programming languages and frameworks, such as COBOL and have extensive experience in troubleshooting and optimizing legacy code.

This resource will play a crucial role in documenting system functionality, training junior developers, and developing strategies for system modernization to ensure continued business continuity and efficiency. This resource will work at the direction of the assigned state manager, and duties may include the following:

· Design, Develop and Implement enhancements to the MDHS legacy system (MAVERICS) that supports the SNAP program area.

· Provide maintenance and system support for the MAVERICS system and participate in meetings with End-User to discuss, research and resolve production issues.

· Analyzing and understanding existing codebases, implementing updates and patches, and integrating legacy systems with modern technologies.

· Work closely with MDHS to support, coach, and augment the MDHS MAVERICS application team in code reviews, mentoring, paired programming, coding best practices, operations coaching, and the testing process.

· Leverage experience with Cobol, Natural programming, team management and support, business analyst support, and automation of the existing CICD processes to provide MDHS with expertise in application integration using Systems Analysis, Design, and Development.

Required Skills and Experience

· 10 years with CICS COBOL.

· 5 years with Natural.

· Knowledge working with a Source management (Git, or SVN).

· Ability to work independently or as a member of a team; ability to train and mentor others and lead small to medium projects.

· Proficient knowledge of SLC and development methodology.

· Experience working with product owners to build and formulate business requirements.

· Ability to define and implement new technical directions and identify and participate in issue resolution and process refinement.

· Experience in working with a SNAP-Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or TANF- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families legacy systems.

Job Type: Contract

Pay: $70.00 - $80.00 per hour

Expected hours: 40 per week

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift

Application Question(s):

• Does candidate have experience with any State Client? Please mention.
• Does candidate have experience in SNAP/TANF program?

Experience:

• CICS COBOL: 10 years (Required)
• Natural: 3 years (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• Jackson, MS 39201 (Preferred)

Ability to Relocate:

• Jackson, MS 39201: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Jackson, MS 39201

Salary : $70 - $80