COBOL Experts
in minutes from over 15,000 CVs with the power of AIHire experts who maintain core COBOL systems, modernize batch jobs, and work with CICS, DB2, JCL, and mainframe integrations. Get fast, precise matching with vetted, available freelancers.
Meet FRATCH Experts who have recently used COBOL
Collin Kempkes
Last position:
Software Architect / Fullstack Developer at Equity Bytes
Built an international e-commerce platform for a multi-vendor marketplace for digital assets from scratch. Designed and operated cloud native architectures at enterprise scale.
- Designed and operated a highly scalable microservice and serverless architecture
- Built the complete cloud infrastructure with Terraform + AWS CDK in AWS
- Provisioned ECS/EKS clusters (Fargate), Application Load Balancers (reverse proxy), and Lambda functions
- Observability & tracing with CloudWatch, DataDog, Prometheus, and Grafana
- End-to-end setup with DataDog (formerly AWS CloudWatch), Prometheus, and custom Grafana dashboards
- Integration of advanced metrics (including ORM mapper) and distributed tracing with Jaeger
- Robust backup and disaster recovery strategies
- RDS Postgres backups and hourly snapshots
- Read-only, asynchronously synchronized replicas with automated master failover in emergencies
- Minute-level rollback capability through versioned Docker images on ECS and Git-based CI/CD pipelines
- Created CI/CD pipelines with GitHub Actions for automated multi-stage deployments (Dev, Testing, Prod)
- Integrated Stripe for international payment processing
- Built a marketplace payment system with multiple parties and payout routines
- Used Algolia for high-performance real-time search of digital assets on the platform
- Federation of services with GraphQL and Hasura
- Later migration to GraphQL Mesh
- Test Driven Development (TDD) - unit, integration, and E2E testing with Jest, Vitest, and Playwright
- Used Next.js / React for modern frontend applications in the nx monorepo
- Enterprise security architecture & access control
- Integration of JWT tokens with Auth0, OAuth, OIDC, IP guards, BOLA protection, and secret vaults
- Authorization concepts with RBAC, ABAC, and native Postgres Row-Level Security (RLS)
- Built internal microfrontends with Retool for fast prototyping and operational business processes
Technologies: ABAC, AWS CDK, AWS CloudWatch, AWS ECS, AWS EKS, AWS Fargate, AWS RDS, AWS S3, Algolia, Auth0, DataDog, Docker, GitHub Actions, Grafana, GraphQL, GraphQL Mesh, Hasura, JWT, Jaeger, Java, JavaScript, Jest, Kotlin, Kubernetes, Monorepo, Next.js, OIDC, Playwright, Postgres, Postgres RLS, Prometheus, RBAC, Redis, Retool, Serverless, Stripe, Terraform, TypeScript, Vitest
Christian R
Last position:
Project Manager Outlook and Teams Rollout at BWI
- Gathering information
- Creating wave concepts for the rollout
- Coordinating employees
- Monitoring and steering measures
- Project management including analyses & reporting to the board
- Creating instructions and requirement specifications
- Training floorwalkers
- On-site rollout support
- VIP support
- Introducing SharePoint
Wolfgang Orgler
Last position:
Business Analyst at Österreichische Post AG
IT systems: Azure DevOps, SharePoint, Opal/Repost, JustinMind, Monday, SAP
Analysis of requirements for branch software
Coordination of intercultural teams
Partly agile project organization
Master data management / DMS
UI/UX design and mockup creation
Requirements documentation
Digitalization of signatures
Stakeholder management and workshop facilitation
Billing/bank transfer
Business analysis / requirements engineering
Robert Karash
Last position:
Interim Manager | Group Leader in the IT Operations & Digitalization Division "Databases, Operations & Support" (DOS) at Landwirtschaftliche RentenBank
- Technical leadership and further development of a team of 28 IT staff (internal & external) in the areas HelpDesk/HelpLine, RHEL (Red Hat), MUREX (trading system & applications), SAP basis operations
- Managing external service providers (including FI-TS for SAP basis operations)
- Personnel, resource and budget planning for the IT department and projects
- Introducing and establishing regular communication formats (weekly status meetings, team and cross-department meetings)
- Ensuring application operations in a hybrid environment (Windows/Linux with database and web/application servers)
- Supporting transformation projects to modernize the application landscape (e.g. DevOps approaches)
- Setting up and implementing a digital IT procurement for hardware & software (e.g. with DELL)
- Developing and managing the "IT Operations DOS" department based on corporate strategy
- Preparing management reports & decision papers on IT projects, optimization potential and automation opportunities
- Representing the department in the advisory boards of the Rentenbank and ensuring regulatory compliance (BaFin §44, GDPR, BSI, MaRisk)
Carsten Rösner
Last position:
Enterprise Product Owner at opta data IT GmbH
- Product responsibility for the central platform "one" as a group-wide web-based customer portal
- Coordination of the connection of 20 group companies to the product platform
- Derivation and steering of a group-wide product strategy and roadmap aligned with company goals
- Prioritization and bundling of strategic requirements from the various group companies
- Harmonization of different interests and moderation of complex decision-making processes at management level
- Ensuring the technical and business integration of the product into existing system landscapes, business processes, and business models
- Building transparent governance and decision-making structures for group-wide product development
- Representation of the product towards internal and external stakeholders at leadership level
Olaf Kiese
Last position:
CIO Advisor・IT Strategy・Tech/IT Due Diligence・Enterprise Architecture・IT Governance・AI Transformation・ex-BCG Platinion at Kiese IT
- -- ENGLISH Version (Deutsche Version unten) ---
Experience
- Ex-BCG Platinion: 14 years as Manager & Chief IT Architect, leading large-scale IT transformations in complex group structures
- 20+ years of C-level consulting across AI/IT strategy, enterprise architecture, IT organization, transformation, M&A due diligence, project recovery, and interim management
- IT leadership experience with cross-functional, intercultural teams of up to 100+ people
- Hands-on background in software engineering, IT architecture, and project management
- Fortune Europe 500 focus; numerous international projects; SME and start-up experience
Core services:
- IT strategy, enterprise architecture (EAM), target architectures and roadmaps
- PE/M&A/carve-out IT/tech due diligence, asset valuation, cost estimation
- GenAI transformation, process automation, and AI governance
- IT reorganization, target operating model (TOM), agile transformation
- IT governance, development and ITSM process optimization (BizDevOps, SAFe)
- Review and recovery of critical large-scale IT programs
- Planning and steering of transformation programs and IT project portfolios
- IT vendor and platform selection (RfI / RfP)
- Coaching & Interim management
Industries (selection): Insurance, financial services & banking, energy & utilities, telecommunications, retail & consumer goods, logistics, media, industry & engineering, healthcare, professional services
Projects (selection):
M&A Buy-side IT/Tech Due Diligence of an Acquisition in the Energy Sector (Utility, Smart Home) — AI-augmented with Anthropic Claude
AI Initiative for LLM-Based Optimisation and Automation of Sales and Billing Processes
Interim management Enterprise Architecture & group target architecture/roadmap development (METRO)
Reorganization: Design and introduction of agile IT target operating model at international wholesale group (METRO)
Design and implementation of agile BizDevOps target operating model (E.ON Grid Solutions)
Platform/vendor selection for renewal of core insurance solution of start-up (ELEMENT Insurance)
Establishment of project assurance capability and review/recovery of critical transformation projects (ERGO)
Enterprise architecture management and development of divisional/solution architectures (Deutsche Post DHL)
Strategic pricing architecture decisions in digital sales application landscape (E.ON Energie)
IT due diligence: Architecture evaluation and monetary valuation of IT assets (ProSiebenSAT.1 Media)
Interim management of group-wide security/compliance programme (ERGO)
Enabling an application landscape for different sales organizations and product structures (E.ON Energie)
Realignment of business/IT strategy and InsurTech platform selection (RfI, RfP) (nexible, ERGO Digital Ventures)
Stabilization/optimization of an agile/SAFe business/IT DevOps landscape transformation (Lufthansa AirPlus)
Process optimization and design/management of digitization and robotics introduction in power plants (RWE Nuclear)
BSS target architecture development for fixed/mobile networks convergence (Deutsche Telekom)
Optimization of IT organization model and methodology in application development and testing (Deutsche Telekom)
Evaluation of fulfillment of a general contractor agreement for run-off/migration of contract portfolios (ERGO)
-- DEUTSCHE Version (English version above) ---
Experience
- Ex-BCG Platinion: 14 years of strategy and implementation of large-scale IT transformations in complex corporate structures (Manager & Chief IT Architect)
- 20+ years of C-level-adjacent IT consulting: IT strategy, enterprise architecture, IT organization, transformation, due diligence, project recovery, and interim management
- IT leadership responsibility for cross-functional, intercultural teams of up to 100+ people
- Solid hands-on experience in software development, IT architecture, and project management
- Focus on Fortune Europe 500, numerous international projects; SME and start-up experience
Industries: insurance · financial services & banking · energy · telecommunications · retail & consumer goods · industry & engineering · logistics · media · healthcare
Services (focus areas):
- IT strategy, enterprise architecture (EAM), IT landscape target visions and roadmaps
- M&A/carve-out IT/tech due diligence, asset valuation, and cost estimation
- GenAI transformation, process automation, and AI governance
- IT reorganization, target operating model (TOM), agile transformation
- IT governance, development and ITSM processes (BizDevOps, SAFe)
- Review and recovery of critical large-scale IT projects
- Planning/steering of transformation programs and IT project portfolios
- IT service provider/platform selection (RfI, RfP)
- IT project management (agile, classic, hybrid)
- Coaching & interim management
Projects (selection):
- M&A buyer-side IT/tech due diligence of an acquisition in the energy sector (utility, smart home) — AI-augmented with Anthropic Claude
- AI initiative for LLM-supported optimization and automation of sales and billing processes
- Interim management of Enterprise Architecture and development of group target architecture in wholesale (METRO)
- Reorganization: design and introduction of an agile IT target operating model (TOM) at an international wholesale group (METRO)
- IT reorganization: introduction of an agile BizDevOps target operating model (TOM) at an energy group (E.ON Grid Solutions)
- Platform selection / vendor selection for renewal of the core insurance solution of a B2B2C start-up (ELEMENT Insurance)
- Process optimization, digitalization, and introduction of robotics in power plants (RWE Nuclear)
- Assessment of fulfillment of a general contractor agreement for run-off/migration of life insurance portfolios (ERGO)
- Business/IT strategy and InsurTech platform selection for a digital insurer/start-up (nexible, ERGO Digital Ventures)
- Enabling an energy application landscape for multiple sales units (E.ON Energie)
- Strategic architecture decisions in price management of a digital sales application landscape at an energy group (E.ON Energie)
- Stabilization/optimization of an agile DevOps IT transformation in business travel and payment management (Lufthansa AirPlus)
- Interim management in a group-wide security and compliance program of a global insurer (ERGO)
- Building project assurance capability as well as review and optimization/recovery of critical IT projects in an insurance group (ERGO)
- Building enterprise architecture management and development of domain and solution architectures for a logistics group (Deutsche Post DHL)
- M&A IT due diligence – evaluation and valuation of IT assets in the media sector (ProSiebenSAT.1 Media)
- Development of BSS target architecture and roadmap for fixed/mobile convergence (Deutsche Telekom)
- Optimization of IT governance/organization and methodology in application development and testing at a telecommunications group (Deutsche Telekom)
Wadim Lupejcenko
Last position:
Fullstack Developer at dripwear.app
Development of an iOS app for virtual try-on and outfit suggestions
The goal of the project is to develop a mobile application for personalized, photorealistic outfit suggestions. Users should be able to upload their own photos, try on clothes virtually, and find products that can be bought directly in the generated suggestions.
- Planning and implementation of the onboarding and photo upload in the iOS app
- Development of the mobile application with Expo and React Native
- Implementation of a Hono/Node.js backend for user, product, and generation processes
- Building an asynchronous processing pipeline with BullMQ and Redis
- Connection of PostgreSQL/pgvector and S3 for product, image, and generation data
- Integration of Gemini and OpenAI for outfit generation and image processing
- Implementation of a credit system and integration of RevenueCat
- Integration of Stripe Connect and affiliate product feeds for products that can be bought directly
Label: TypeScript, React Native, Expo, Hono, Node.js, PostgreSQL/pgvector, BullMQ, Redis, S3, Gemini, OpenAI, RevenueCat, Stripe Connect, Docker
Michael Kunz
Last position:
Enterprise Architect, Lead Architect of the transformation program and coach at Swiss Ministry
- Development of the overall architecture
- Support for the respective workstreams in developing architectures in the areas of infrastructure, data centers, security, and network topology
- Management of the architect pool
- Support for program management in setting up the transformation project based on agile methods
- Consideration of regulatory requirements for IT projects in the federal administration
Tezcan Dilshener
Last position:
Solution Architect / Project Manager at German Football Association
- Overall responsibility for the project lifecycle from scope definition to completion
- Close collaboration with platform teams, IT leaders, and external service providers
- Application of SAFe principles and structured sprint work
- Creation of a migration roadmap with clear milestones
- Monitoring of the lifecycle: onboarding, repository migration, replication of permissions, and system tests
- Visualization of the architecture with PlantUML and Gliffy as well as documentation in Confluence
- Regular status reports and running knowledge transfer sessions
Guido Bäcker
Last position:
Independent Management Consultant and Interim Manager at BCTC Unternehmensberatung Guido Bäcker
Consulting, training, and coaching in the financial sector on strategy, organization, and IT topics
MorgenFund: Advising the operator of a fund platform on software selection for a sub-ledger "Cash Accounts" based on Virtual IBANs (VIBAN)
Structuring requirements, market screening, creating RfIs, communicating with vendors, and conducting the selection process
UniCredit/HypoVereinsbank: Workstream lead "Booking and Customer Reporting" in the payment transformation project "PULS"
Business analysis, creating business requirements and aligning solution items as part of the functional specification with the bank's IT service providers
Business analysis of SEPA CT and SWIFT MX (.camt, .pain, and .pacs formats), change management, team lead for a virtual team of fifteen line experts, and stakeholder management
equensWorldline Germany: Program management for three projects of the SWIFT service bureau (CBPR+, ESMIG, and Euro1Step1 migration) as part of the SWIFT MX migration
Managing individual project managers regarding overarching goals and requirements; reporting to internal and external committees and stakeholders; coordinating with dependent projects and programs
Project management/PMO: interim project management, stand-in for project managers, resource planning, budget and cost management, general PMO tasks
Diego Espinoza
Last position:
RPG Software Developer from RPG III to Free Format
- Development of software and system support for RPG development.
- Development, optimization and maintenance of programs in RPG (RPG II to ILE Free Format).
- Performing integration tasks, data management as well as applying and managing system updates.
- User support and training to ensure smooth system operation.
Birgit Stünkel
Last position:
Business Analysis, Requirements Engineer at BMW
Refinement of epics and user stories to achieve a higher degree of automation in CRM usage. Testing of new Discountsystem
Oliver Ohly
Last position:
Embedded Software Architect at Automotive supplier
Stellar SR6 G7 line, 32-bit Arm® Cortex®-R52+ MCU.
- MISRA-C, C99, Greenhills ARM compiler
- Dassault AUTOSAR Builder
- EB Tresos
- Sparx Enterprise Architect 16.1
- VS Code
- Python xml, lxml, NumPy and Pandas
ISO 26262, ISO 21434, hypervisor, key management, HSM. Tooling & automation. LieberLieber LemonTree + Sparx EA. Jira, Confluence, SharePoint. Git/Github. DevOps through Jenkins & Conan.
Mykhaylo Khazanovych
Last position:
Lead Developer Backend, Frontend, BPMN / Administrator at Main Customs Office, Department for Digital Affairs
- Development of backend, frontend, and BPMN processes in the Atlas Centralised Clearance for Import project
- Definition and implementation of REST, JMS, and SOAP endpoints
- Implementation of database access with JPA
- Implementation of BPMN processes with Camunda
- Frontend implementation with React
- Configuration of JBoss via CLI
- Performing code reviews
- Participating in communities of practice for developers and architects
- Implementation of frontend-backend communication with WebSockets
Matthias Ottowski
Last position:
IT Project Manager at IT service provider
Implementation of anti-money laundering requirements in accordance with AMLA/KYC for an international large bank in Munich
Services provided:
- Clarification of the assignment, definition of the work package structure for the AMLA/KYC implementation project
- AI-supported project planning using my own AI workflow for project management
- Creation of the project management plan
- Resource and capacity planning
- Development of collaboration structures between IT service provider and bank client
- Alignment of responsibilities (RACI matrix)
- Management of 5 project members (core team)
- Project control, project monitoring, project reporting
- Communication management
- Escalation management
- Stakeholder management (11 stakeholders)
- Permanent member of the steering committee
- Project representation internally and externally
- Project reporting, management of decision-making bodies
- Project volume: 506 person-days (development effort)
- Risk management
- Quality management
- Organization and running of workshops
Methods: PMI PMBOK, EVM, GWG, DORA, BAIT, KANBAN, AML, AMLR, AMLA, GWG, KYC
IT environment: JIRA, Confluence, Sharepoint, Kantata Kimble, AI LLM Copilot, ChatGPT, anti-money laundering systems (in-house developments and SMARAGD)
Discover over 15,000 top freelancers
Statistics of experts using COBOL
Aggregated from the professional profiles of matched freelancers.
Experience
31 years
Position duration
3.2 years
Positions per freelancer
19
Top business areas
Information Technology, Product Development, Project Management
Top industries
Information Technology, Banking and Finance, Insurance
Certification focus areas
Information Technology, Project Management, Quality Assurance
Bachelor's degree or higher
78%
Master's degree or higher
49%
Doctorate
8%
Certifications per freelancer
3
Most common languages
German, English, French
Speak two or more languages
95%
Based on our profile pool as of 6 Sep 2026.
Daily rate distribution
The chart shows how the daily rates of freelancers in this technology are distributed, based on recent contracts on our platform. Each bar covers a rate range — its height shows how many freelancers charge within that range.
Average rates of experts using COBOL
Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.
The average daily rate is the mean of all daily rates from recent contracts of comparable freelancers on our platform.
The median daily rate is the middle value of all daily rates — half of comparable freelancers charge less, half charge more. Unlike the average, it is barely affected by outliers.
Calculated based on our freelancers’ daily rates as of 6 Sep 2026. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
About the technology
Core systems
COBOL is still used for business systems that must stay stable, auditable, and predictable. It appears in banking, insurance, public sector, payroll, and claims processing where long-lived transaction logic matters more than rapid change.
What experts do
- Maintain and extend batch programs
- Review and stabilize legacy code
- Support migrations from older environments
- Fix data and file-processing issues
- Document rules hidden in old programs
Main stack
Strong COBOL specialists usually work with mainframe tools around it, not only the language itself. Common parts include JCL, CICS, DB2, VSAM, IMS, z/OS utilities, and source control or build tools used in mainframe teams.
When to bring help
Companies bring in freelance COBOL expertise when a system is too critical to risk, too old to hand to generalists, or too specific for internal teams. Typical needs include production incidents, audits, release support, and modernization planning without breaking existing behavior.
What good work looks like
Good professionals read procedural code carefully and trace data flow across files, screens, and jobs. They test edge cases, respect business rules embedded in the code, and explain trade-offs clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Search terms and fit
COBOL, Common Business-Oriented Language, and IBM COBOL are common search terms, and many teams still use them when looking for help. If your system runs on a mainframe or depends on old but reliable business logic, a focused specialist is often the fastest path to safe progress.
Frequently asked questions
Everything clients usually want to know about COBOL, in one place.
COBOL is used for business systems that handle transactions, records, and batch processing. It is common in banking, insurance, payroll, and public administration because those systems need stable logic and long-term maintainability. Many of these programs still run on mainframes and connect to older data stores and file formats.
COBOL is usually chosen for systems that already contain large amounts of proven business logic. Java or C# may be a better fit for new services, but replacing a core COBOL system often means rewriting rules that were refined over many years. In practice, companies often modernize around the code instead of replacing it all at once.
A strong COBOL specialist often knows JCL, CICS, DB2, VSAM, and z/OS basics. Those skills matter because the language rarely stands alone; it usually sits inside batch flows, transaction screens, and mainframe data processing. File handling and debugging across several job steps are also important.
A COBOL project that touches production code usually needs someone who has already worked on similar systems. Simple code review or documentation tasks can be handled by a more focused specialist, but production fixes, migration work, and batch troubleshooting need deeper experience. The key is real exposure to the same kind of environment, not just language knowledge.
Yes, much COBOL work can be done remotely if the team has secure access to the mainframe environment. Remote collaboration is common for code review, analysis, documentation, and testing. Some companies still prefer on-site presence for sensitive systems or when access rules are strict.
A good COBOL expert can explain what the program does, where the data comes from, and which downstream jobs depend on it. Look for clear reasoning, careful change management, and the ability to trace behavior across batch steps and transaction screens. Strong specialists also write notes that let other team members understand the code later.
Yes, COBOL modernization is often difficult because business rules are woven into old programs, copybooks, and job chains. The safest approach is usually to understand and isolate behavior first, then change it in controlled steps. That is why companies often bring in specialists for assessment before they rewrite anything.
Before hiring a COBOL freelancer, prepare access to the relevant code, job flows, sample data, and a clear list of the systems involved. It also helps to define whether the goal is incident support, code change, documentation, or migration planning. The more the specialist can see the real dependencies, the faster the work moves.
The average hourly rate of freelancers who have used COBOL in their recent projects is 101 €, which corresponds to a daily rate of about 807 € based on an 8-hour working day.
Of the freelancers who have used COBOL in their recent projects, 78% hold at least a Bachelor's degree, 49% hold at least a Master's degree, and 8% hold a doctorate.
On average, freelancers who have used COBOL in their recent projects have 31 years of professional experience, with a single engagement typically lasting around 3.2 years.
The most common languages among freelancers who have used COBOL in their recent projects are German (100%), English (94%), and French (30%).
The most common industries among freelancers who have used COBOL in their recent projects are Information Technology (90%), Banking and Finance (74%), and Insurance (52%).
The most common business areas among freelancers who have used COBOL in their recent projects are Information Technology (100%), Product Development (75%), and Project Management (75%).
Main locations of FRATCH Experts, who have recently used COBOL
Our freelancers and interim experts are at home across the DACH region — available on-site in the major business hubs or fully remote. Choose a location to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.
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