Senior Storage Systems Programmer Analyst

Summary   Companion Data Services provides leading IT solutions and managed services. We operate multiple geographically disperse data centers, including two of the nation’s largest healthcare data centers – both rated among the top five percent of data centers worldwide by MIPS. With three U.S. locations and decades of experience in government, commercial and education markets, our innovative solutions and reliable services allow clients to focus on core business and improve outcomes.

Our data centers host applications process billions of transactions, supporting state, federal and commercial business. Description   Position Purpose : Responsible for ensuring all systems programming decisions maintain the integrity of the overall systems infrastructure. Write or debug programs to maintain and control computer systems software, such as operating systems, networked systems, and database systems.

Provide technical and disaster recovery expertise for systems software. Location: This position is full time and fully onsite in Columbia, South Carolina (strongly preferred), State College, PA, or Dallas, TX. This position operates within a work environment that is fast paced and a multi-platformed environment which may require action and response 24X7 to support the technical business needs of the customer.

Logistics: Companion Data Services – one of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina’s subsidiary companies. This position is not eligible for sponsorship now or in the future. What You’ll Do : Diagnose, isolate, and debug software problems and perform problem resolution. Identify issues that the vendor is responsible for and refer those issues appropriately. Review and design system software and hardware builds analyzing system options and the impact on the overall systems infrastructure.

Develop and document the framework for integration and implementation for changes to technical standards. Coordinate installation, testing, and maintenance of systems software. Schedule system downtime in a way that minimizes user impact. Review customer requests, security patches, and audit requirements for additions or changes to systems, and evaluate feasibility to determine if/how to handle the request while maintaining an adequate/appropriate overall systems infrastructure.

To determine if requested changes are possible, review system capabilities, workflow, and scheduling limitations. Provide technical guidance to project team areas as appropriate. May evaluate vendor-supplied software packages and make recommendations to IT management. In coordination with Project Leads and senior level staff, provide input on proposals that could potentially impact systems. Assist in the establishment and implementation of standards and guidelines that guide the design of technology solutions across the enterprise.

Provide technical and disaster recovery support for systems software. To Qualify For This Position, You’ll Need The Following : Required Education: Bachelor's in a job related field Degree Equivalency: Associates degree plus an extra 2 years of job-related work experience for a total of 10 years of required work experience (see "required work experience") OR 12 total years required work experience.

Required Work Experience: 8 Years IT experience including extensive systems programming experience. Required Skills and Abilities: Strong analytical and logical thinking skills. Thorough understanding of operating systems and foundation architecture. Extensive knowledge of systems programming, graphical user interfaces, control languages, development, quality assurance, and integration methodologies.

Advanced knowledge of currently utilized programming productivity tools and their use. Advanced knowledge/skills in analyzing system software and making recommendations for performance enhancements. Required Software and Other Tools: Standard office equipment. We Prefer That You Have The Following : IBM z/OS storage environments. W