Sr. Software Engineer - MVS and COBOL - job 10 of 21

The Sr. Software Engineer - MVS and COBOL at Visa is responsible for a range of critical duties, including serving as the point of contact for complex technical software issues, managing the end-to-end lifecycle of applications, and collaborating with various stakeholders to implement business requirements. Additionally, you'll design and develop offline and data-based applications, provide guidance on technical designs, and work on code optimization. This role embodies the spirit of teamwork and innovation, crucial for Visa's operations.

To excel as a Sr. Software Engineer - MVS and COBOL at Visa, candidates should have strong programming experience in MVS, COBOL, JCL, and PROCs. Proven experience in leading technical teams and delivering large-scale mainframe projects is essential. Familiarity with business analysis and a passion for collaboration are also important qualifications, alongside a keen analytical mindset to identify and implement enhancements.

The Sr. Software Engineer - MVS and COBOL position at Visa is a hybrid role, meaning you’ll have the flexibility to work both remotely and in the office. Employees are expected to work in the office for about 50% of the time, typically 2-3 set days a week as determined by leadership. This setup allows for a balance between collaboration in person and the comfort of working from home.

The Sr. Software Engineer - MVS and COBOL plays a vital role in ensuring the integrity of Visa's batch applications and contributes to their overall efficiency and performance. By focusing on both the development and optimization of mainframe applications, this role directly impacts Visa’s operational capabilities and enhances the service we provide to our customers, helping to maintain our status as a leader in financial technology.

Candidates can expect a thriving work culture at Visa that prioritizes high performance, integrity, and teamwork. The company fosters a supportive environment where collaboration across different teams is encouraged. Employees are also empowered to identify and implement best practices, contributing to both personal and organizational growth within a vibrant tech landscape.

When answering this question, highlight specific projects where you used MVS and COBOL. Discuss the challenges faced, your role in overcoming them, and the technologies you utilized. This helps illustrate your hands-on experience and competence in managing mainframe applications.

Describe your systematic approach to debugging, including how you gather information, analyze logs, and test hypotheses. Mention any tools you use to assist in this process, demonstrating your problem-solving skills and technical acumen.

Talk about the importance of testing and monitoring in your process. Discuss strategies like writing unit tests, conducting code reviews, and performance testing, focusing on how these practices help ensure application reliability.

Emphasize your collaborative experience by discussing how you communicate with various teams—such as Product Management, QA, and operations—throughout a project. Provide examples of successful collaborations and how they impacted outcomes positively.

Reflect on a project where you played a key leadership role. Share the project's goals, your specific contributions, and how you guided your team to success, touching upon any obstacles and how they were addressed.

Mention your commitment to best practices like regular code reviews, adhering to coding standards, and using version control systems. Explain how these practices enhance code maintainability and team collaboration.

Discuss your approach to prioritization, such as using tools or frameworks to assess task urgency and impact. Illustrate this with examples from past experiences where you successfully managed multiple priorities.

Detail specific techniques you've used to enhance performance, such as optimizing database queries or using caching strategies. Provide tangible results if possible, to quantify your impact.

Share your methods for continuous learning, such as attending workshops, participating in online forums, or reading relevant literature. Explain how these efforts have helped you adapt to new tools and tech trends.

Provide a detailed overview of the stages you consider essential—from planning and agile methodologies to design, development, testing, and deployment. Discuss your philosophy on iterating and improving through feedback.