COBOL Experts
for critical mainframe systems, matched in minutes with AIHire experts who modernize legacy applications, maintain IBM z/OS workloads, and connect COBOL systems to current APIs and databases. FRATCH matches you quickly with vetted, available freelancers whose experience fits your project.
Meet FRATCH Experts who have recently used COBOL
Silvia B.
Last position:
Business Consultant - Product Management Banking at Aareal Bank AG
- Focus on optimizing and further developing the internal customer EBICS application
- Functional and technical consulting for Aareal First Financial Solutions AG on EBICS standard products and applications in the areas of operations and further development, as well as project-related communication with external development partners and the product manufacturer to implement the corresponding technical optimizations
- As the functional coordinator, providing advice on content-related and regulatory requirements as well as technical prerequisites and requirements, and bringing these together at the functional level
- Consulting on the use of EBICS formats
- Reviewing the current EBICS standard for optimization and further development potential
- Analyzing the current state to identify development potential and deriving appropriate recommendations for action while considering regulatory requirements
- Conducting EBICS tests throughout the project
- Functional responsibility for requirements management and, in this context, recording and documenting requirements for such tests
- Designing a functional and sustainable test management system
- Conducting and evaluating tests
- Consulting on sustainable quality assurance and audits
- Project language: German and English
- Tools/Methods: MS Project, MS Office, MS Visio, TestRail, Confluence, Jira, Business Logics Bankkrecher, Business Logics Test Data Generator, Business Logics Banking Tool, Business Logics Test System, DBEAVER, Squirrel, Unix Virtual Machines, WinSCP, Kitty, Putty, various Aareal Bank products, Online Banking Portal, Aareal Sign, core banking system, SAP Blue Eagle, SAP RE-FX, Aareon Wodis Sigma, Haufe Real Estate Wowinex, GAP Group Immotion, UTS Karthago, SAP IS-U/Waste, SIV kVASy, various EBICS clients
Wolfgang O.
Last position:
Project Manager at EnBW - Netze Südwest
- New development and further development of the existing MS Dynamics CRM
IT systems: Microsoft Dynamics Customer Service, SharePoint, DevOps, SAP IS-U
- CRM implementation / further development
- Taking over from the previous service provider
- Business process analysis
- Agile project organization
- Business analysis / requirements engineering with AI support
- Use of AI in development
- Analysis of master data processes
- CRM customer data management
- Requirements documentation
- Stakeholder management
- Workshop moderation
Collin K.
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
Hans-Dieter G.
Last position:
Training as an AI Expert
I continuously expand my expertise in AI and automation. I work with ChatGPT, OpenAI, Manus, Gemini, MS CoPilot, APIs, LangChain, Hugging Face, Manus, TensorFlow, and Auto-GPT, as well as Python-based ML frameworks and MLOps tools, to intelligently transform traditional software development, analysis, and testing processes.
Tobias R.
Last position:
M&A IT Project Manager / Cross-functional Technical and Integration Manager at Sandoz AG
- Worked for several M&A projects (Eire, Sunshine C, Coral) in the role of IT project manager and cross-functional technical manager / integration manager.
- Preparation and maintenance of project charters, project change requests and project plans.
- Weekly project status report.
- Preparation of decision papers and steering committee slidedecks.
- Risk & issue management.
- Tracking and managing activities, dependencies and deliverables across all functional IT domains.
- Data migration (planning and execution).
Christian R.
Last position:
Project Manager, Outlook and Teams Rollout at BWI
- Gathering information
- Creating rollout wave concepts
- Coordinating employees
- Monitoring and managing activities
- Project management including analysis and reporting to the board
- Creating instructions and specifications
- Training floorwalkers
- Supporting the rollout on site
- VIP support
- Introducing SharePoint
Robert K.
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)
Michael L.
Last position:
Head of IT at Ruthmann Holdings GmbH
- Management of IT with 10 employees, including budget and personnel responsibility.
- Harmonization of the Navision systems in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
- Connection of the ERP systems in Switzerland, Austria and Italy to the central Microsoft Power BI systems in Germany.
- Rollout of a new firewall at 10 locations in D, CH and A.
- Evaluation of a new DMS.
- Migration to Windows 10 / 11.
- Transformation of 9 countries into ONE Europe.
- Start of NIS2 implementation in 5 European countries.
Carsten R.
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 K.
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 L.
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 K.
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 D.
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
Diego E.
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 S.
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
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
76%
Master's degree or higher
49%
Doctorate
7%
Certifications per freelancer
3
Most common languages
German, English, French
Speak two or more languages
95%
Based on our profile pool as of 26 Sep 2026.
Daily rate distribution
The chart shows how the daily rates of experts in this technology are distributed, based on recent contracts on our platform. Each bar covers a rate range — its height shows the share of experts charging 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 26 Sep 2026. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
COBOL experts industry focus
See which industries our matched freelancers work in most often — every figure is calculated live from the freelancers on FRATCH.
- Information Technology (90%)
- Banking and Finance (75%)
- Insurance (53%)
- Manufacturing (51%)
- Automotive (44%)
- Professional Services (42%)
- Transportation (41%)
- Retail (41%)
Please note that freelancers can work across multiple industries, so percentages overlap.
About the technology
Core role
COBOL is a business programming language built for reliable, high-volume transaction processing. It remains central to mainframe systems that manage records, payments, policies, reservations, billing and public services. Companies often depend on it because its applications encode stable business rules accumulated over many years.
Main environments
COBOL work commonly runs on IBM z/OS with CICS, IMS, DB2 and JCL. Depending on the estate, specialists also work with Linux or Unix COBOL implementations, Micro Focus Visual COBOL and GnuCOBOL. Strong knowledge of batch scheduling, file handling, copybooks, data definitions and VSAM is often essential.
Typical deliverables
- Extend transaction processing while preserving existing business rules
- Refactor batch jobs, reports and file-based integrations
- Connect mainframe applications with APIs, databases and event services
- Migrate workloads or support phased modernization programs
- Diagnose production issues and improve operational documentation
Projects may involve source analysis, program changes, data conversion, test design and controlled releases. Specialists must understand both the code and the operational processes around it.
When to hire
Companies bring in freelance COBOL professionals when internal expertise is scarce, a key system needs urgent change, or a modernization program must continue without disrupting daily operations. They can support application assessments, platform migrations, regulatory changes, mergers and complex integration work. Clear access rules and release procedures are important from the start.
Connected skills
Useful adjacent expertise includes IBM z/OS operations, JCL, CICS, IMS, DB2, SQL, REXX and enterprise scheduling. API design, Java or .NET integration, messaging, data migration and automated testing matter when legacy systems connect to newer services. Knowledge of domain processes such as banking, insurance, logistics or government services can be equally valuable.
Quality signals
A strong specialist explains dependencies, data flows and business rules before changing code. They can read unfamiliar copybooks, trace a transaction across batch and online components, and create tests that protect existing behavior. Look for disciplined version control, careful incident handling, clear documentation and experience collaborating remotely with teams that may work on-site around secure mainframe environments.
Frequently asked questions
Everything clients usually want to know about COBOL, in one place.
COBOL is mainly used for large-scale business applications that process transactions, records and structured data. It is common in banking, insurance, government, transport and other environments where reliability and long-term continuity matter.
Companies hire COBOL specialists because important mainframe applications still support core business operations. A specialist can change or modernize these systems while preserving established rules, interfaces and data structures.
COBOL is optimized for established business processing and mainframe operations, while Java and .NET are more common in newer application and service architectures. The right choice depends on the existing system, operational risk, integration needs and modernization goals.
A strong COBOL freelancer often works with JCL, IBM z/OS, CICS, DB2, IMS, VSAM and enterprise scheduling. API integration, SQL, data migration, testing and knowledge of the relevant business domain are also valuable.
Projects involving core transaction systems, complex batch chains, production incidents or sensitive data need deep COBOL experience. Modernization, platform migration and major business-rule changes also require someone who can assess dependencies before making changes.
COBOL specialists can often work remotely on analysis, coding, testing, documentation and release preparation. Secure access, controlled environments and communication with on-site operations teams may determine whether occasional on-site collaboration is necessary.
Ask a COBOL specialist to explain how they would trace a transaction, protect existing behavior and test a change across batch and online processing. Look for clear questions about copybooks, data dependencies, scheduling, recovery and release controls rather than code changes made in isolation.
COBOL knowledge is highly useful during modernization because existing code contains business rules that may not be documented elsewhere. Specialists can help expose those rules, separate stable core processing from new services, and plan API, data or platform changes with less operational risk.
The average hourly rate of freelancers who have used COBOL in their recent projects is 100 €, which corresponds to a daily rate of about 804 € based on an 8-hour working day.
Of the freelancers who have used COBOL in their recent projects, 76% hold at least a Bachelor's degree, 49% hold at least a Master's degree, and 7% 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 (75%), and Insurance (53%).
The most common business areas among freelancers who have used COBOL in their recent projects are Information Technology (100%), Product Development (77%), and Project Management (75%).
Main locations of FRATCH Experts, who have recently used COBOL
Our freelancers and interim experts are at home all over Germany — available on-site in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and every major business hub, or fully remote. Choose a city to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.
Hamburg 
Munich 
Frankfurt 
Dusseldorf 
Berlin Hamburg Munich Cologne Frankfurt Stuttgart Dusseldorf Leipzig Dortmund Essen Bremen Dresden Hanover Nuremberg In Austria our freelancers and interim experts support companies from Vienna to Graz — on-site where your project needs them, or fully remote. Choose a city to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.
Vienna Graz Across Switzerland our specialists are active in Zurich, Geneva, Basel and Bern — working on-site or fully remote. Choose a city to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.
Zurich Geneva Basel Bern Countries:
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FRATCH CEO
