COBOL Experts in Switzerland
to modernize critical systems with vetted, available freelancers matched by AIHire experts who maintain core banking platforms, develop batch processing workflows and connect COBOL systems with modern APIs. FRATCH matches you quickly and precisely with vetted, available freelancers suited to your project.
Meet FRATCH Experts in Switzerland, who have recently used COBOL
Detlef W.
Last position:
Sourcing Manager at BEDAG Informatik AG
- Solely responsible for managing procurement operations
- WTO tenders in an open procedure
- Invitation process
- Direct call-offs and mini-tenders from framework contracts
- Simap.ch, SuisseOffer.ch, Confluence, Jira, Microsoft 365 applications
Hanspeter J.
Last position:
Lead Salesforce Consultant DACH at DXC Technology
- Recording, validating, and coordinating customer requirements
- Analyzing customers' business processes, and designing and implementing solutions in Salesforce
- Designing and developing Salesforce architectures using Sales and Service Cloud
- Maintaining and expanding my skills to stay current with Salesforce's new features
- Taking an active role in the pre-sales phase and working closely with sales and pre-sales teams
- Building and strengthening the team's expertise in new areas
- Actively helping to define and align my role within DXC's best practices
- MC Growth implementation
- AI Agentforce Agents Builder
- Agent Designer with elements.cloud
- Salesforce org assessments
- Process configuration mining
- Serving as a single point of contact for global SFDC contacts
- Coordinating projects with the EMEA and global headquarters
- Preparing proposals and presales work with Salesforce Account Executives and client partners for global accounts
Max R.
Last position:
ICT Solution Architect Senior at ewb, Energy, Water
- Questioning and discussion of technical requirements and coordination with the team
- Contributing to objectives of the Digital Transformation Services unit and implementation of objectives
- Analyzing, specifying, updating and delivering architecture models to implement digital solutions in line with business, data infrastructure and requirements
- Selecting suitable technical options for application design considering interoperability, reversibility, scalability, usability, accessibility and security and optimizing cost/quality ratio
- Creating and maintaining concept documents, architecture models and other technical documentation
- Reviewing services to be provided and other documents for solution development
- Collaborating with IT enterprise architect, business analyst, project manager, developers, testers and process owner in design and documentation of technical specifications for new and further developments
- Communicating and supporting concepts to relevant stakeholders
- Participating in enterprise architecture activities and ensuring compliance with principles, standards and guidelines
- Monitoring compliance with defined design at application, solution and enterprise level
- Developing and testing existing and new solutions as required
- Supporting and guiding development teams in implementation of new projects or maintenance of existing products, assuming product manager role if required
- Establishing and ensuring best practice in implementation, documentation, testing and packaging for distribution
- Contributing to handling of reported incidents and requests assigned to third level support and follow-up actions as required
Frank G.
Last position:
Project Lead at Flamingo Med Solutions
- Led the founding of a startup for AI-based consulting products for dental practices.
- Developed and launched PraxisScore, a data-driven consulting product for economic analysis and corporate consulting of dental practices.
- Held full responsibility for technical implementation, AI integration, and structured startup setup from product idea to public launch at IDS 2025 in under three months.
Alexander S.
Last position:
IT Manager & Architectural Draftsman at Architektur Jürg Gasser
Design, operation, and further development of a stable IT environment to ensure smooth CAD and planning operations.
Implement structured backup and data protection concepts to reduce operational risks and safeguard business-critical data.
Optimize and secure the web and server infrastructure in a LAMP environment to increase stability, security, and availability.
Ensure reliable operation of Microsoft 365 and Exchange services for daily business operations.
Combine technical infrastructure expertise with domain experience in architecture and CAD.
Michael T.
Last position:
Senior Consultant, Developer, Business Analyst at Swiss Army, Federal Office for Informatics
- Maintained PeopleSoft HCM 9.2/Tools 9.59.08 for batch and interface programs
- Used Application Designer, Application Engine/Packages, PeopleCode
- Developed BI/Excel reporting and proof of concept
- Performed business analysis, SQL reports and documentation
Stefan L.
Last position:
Senior Manager, Project Manager, Auditor and Consultant at Laager Consulting GmbH
Many years of experience in application development, ICT infrastructures, systems management, hardware and software, telecommunications, ICT strategies, business models, database management, data center consolidations, support and call center setup
Since 1999 independent consultant and project manager: ICT strategies and governance, processes, audits, security, infrastructure (including cloud, DevOps and tools), data and output management, organizational restructurings, business project management and consulting in various industries
Generalist with analytical skills, strong communicator at all hierarchy levels, deployable as manager, coach, project manager or consultant
Beat Z.
Last position:
SAP Test Manager at E.ON Grid Solutions GmbH
- Responsible for IT integration test and user acceptance test for SAP S/4 Hana and BDO BO Customer Financials Management
- Led the test team (business testers and IT testers)
- Resource planning and control within the test team
- Created test concepts and test plans
- Performed test risk analysis
- Coordinated test execution and defect tracking
- Ensured test progress
- Generated and visualized reports
- Summarized test reports and reported to management
- Prepared and conducted user acceptance tests
- Managed SIGMA and JIRA/Confluence at project level
Christoph W.
Last position:
System Architect / System Engineer / Programmer at Deutsche Vermögensberatung (DVAG)
- Create requirements for the modularization of the promotion forecast.
- Set up and expand the various competitions for 2024.
- Customize and test the CICS dialog.
- Create various reports for the department using SQL.
- Implement and test new requirements in batch processes with IWS.
- Update documentation for the new requirements.
- Provide on-call support for daily and monthly production.
- Technologies used: SCRUM, Jira, Confluence, Windows 11, Unix, Enterprise Developer, z/OS, GIT, Mineral, Moped, IWS/TWS, JES, COBOL, CICS, DB2, SQL, Rocket, FortiClient, Citrix.
Karl E.
Last position:
incl. CI/CD, automation at AALS Software AG
- Designed and delivered a practical real-time course on Flink and Hadoop with MapReduce, HDFS, Spark, Flink, Hive, HBase, MongoDB, Cassandra, and Kafka
- Gained extensive DevOps and CI/CD experience
- Created ETL/ELT pipelines with Apache tools and Pentaho
- Led projects in municipal software, financial services, and big data with Kafka
- Developed AI/NLP models and chatbots with RASA, Chatter, and Dialogflow
- Built and managed a TypeDB knowledge database
- Worked with OpenStack, Kubernetes, and Podman
Richard W.
Last position:
Freelance Developer at Freelance Developer
- Refactoring and bug fixing for Vibe Code
Discover over 15,000 top freelancers
Statistics of experts using COBOL
Aggregated from the professional profiles of matched freelancers.
Experience
32 years
Position duration
4.3 years
Positions per freelancer
16
Top business areas
Information Technology, Product Development, Business Intelligence
Top industries
Information Technology, Banking and Finance, Manufacturing
Certification focus areas
Information Technology, Project Management, Quality Assurance
Bachelor's degree or higher
43%
Master's degree or higher
29%
Certifications per freelancer
4
Most common languages
German, English, French
Speak two or more languages
82%
Based on our profile pool as of 19 Sep 2026.
Daily rate distribution
The chart shows how the daily rates of freelancers in this technology in Switzerland 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 in Switzerland 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 19 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 (100%)
- Banking and Finance (82%)
- Manufacturing (73%)
- Government and Administration (73%)
- Professional Services (64%)
- Retail (55%)
- Energy (45%)
- Healthcare (45%)
Please note that freelancers can work across multiple industries, so percentages overlap.
About the technology
Core business systems
COBOL, short for Common Business-Oriented Language, is built for reliable processing of structured business data. It remains central to banking, insurance, public administration, retail and logistics systems where accuracy, auditability and long-running operations matter. COBOL applications often handle account records, payments, policies, invoices and transaction histories.
Mainframe ecosystem
COBOL work commonly involves IBM z/OS, Enterprise COBOL, CICS, IMS, JCL and DB2. Strong specialists understand batch and online processing, job scheduling, data layouts, copybooks, VSAM files and mainframe security. They may also work with Micro Focus Visual COBOL or GnuCOBOL when applications run outside traditional mainframe environments.
- Design and maintain batch jobs
- Update CICS transaction programs
- Connect COBOL workloads to APIs
- Manage DB2 and VSAM data flows
Modernization projects
Companies bring in freelance COBOL expertise when a core application needs a controlled change without disrupting daily operations. Typical work includes code analysis, migration planning, API enablement, test automation, documentation and integration with Java, .NET, cloud services or event-driven systems. In Switzerland, remote collaboration can work well when access, release processes and language expectations are defined early.
When support matters
Specialist help is valuable during system migrations, regulatory changes, platform upgrades and succession planning. A professional can map undocumented dependencies, improve deployment routines and reduce the risk of changing code that supports critical business processes.
- Assess legacy code and dependencies
- Prepare a phased modernization plan
- Stabilize production incidents
- Transfer knowledge to internal teams
Quality signals
Reliable COBOL professionals combine language knowledge with business-process understanding. They read unfamiliar code carefully, trace data across programs and jobs, and test both normal and exception paths. Look for experience with the relevant operating environment, database, scheduling model and release controls rather than language knowledge alone.
Delivery and collaboration
A good engagement starts with access requirements, source-code conventions, system diagrams and a clear definition of done. Strong specialists produce maintainable changes, test evidence and documentation that another team can use. They can work on site or remotely, while coordinating safely with operations, security and business stakeholders.
Frequently asked questions
Everything clients usually want to know about COBOL, in one place.
COBOL is used for high-volume business processing such as payments, account management, insurance administration, payroll and public records. Its predictable data handling and mature transaction environments make it suitable for systems that must run consistently over long periods.
COBOL is deeply established in transaction-heavy mainframe environments, while Java and .NET are often chosen for newer services, web applications and cloud-native systems. The right choice depends on existing data, operational risk, integration needs and the cost of replacing a stable core application.
A strong COBOL specialist may also understand IBM z/OS, JCL, CICS, IMS, DB2, VSAM and mainframe security. API design, automated testing, source control and experience with Java, .NET or cloud integration are useful for modernization work.
The required depth depends on the system’s complexity, production risk and documentation quality. A small interface change may need focused language and environment knowledge, while a migration or core banking change calls for a professional who can trace dependencies across programs, jobs, data and operational controls.
COBOL work can often be delivered remotely when secure access, clear release procedures and reliable communication are available. On-site collaboration may still help during discovery, incident response or workshops involving sensitive mainframe operations, and teams should agree on language expectations early.
A COBOL modernization project may include code discovery, dependency mapping, test creation, API exposure, database changes and a staged migration. The safest approach preserves business behavior first, then improves interfaces or replaces selected components in controlled steps.
Ask how the professional approaches copybooks, batch schedules, transaction boundaries, data validation and rollback planning. Good COBOL specialists explain risks clearly, create repeatable tests, document assumptions and show how a change can be released without weakening operational controls.
COBOL specialists work on systems that support essential business operations and require careful technical judgment. Their work can include maintenance, incident resolution, integration and modernization across mainframe and distributed environments, often alongside teams responsible for newer technologies.
The average hourly rate of freelancers in Switzerland who have used COBOL in their recent projects is 110 €, which corresponds to a daily rate of about 880 € based on an 8-hour working day.
Of the freelancers in Switzerland who have used COBOL in their recent projects, 43% hold at least a Bachelor's degree and 29% hold at least a Master's degree.
On average, freelancers in Switzerland who have used COBOL in their recent projects have 32 years of professional experience, with a single engagement typically lasting around 4.3 years.
The most common languages among freelancers in Switzerland who have used COBOL in their recent projects are German (100%), English (82%), and French (45%).
The most common industries among freelancers in Switzerland who have used COBOL in their recent projects are Information Technology (100%), Banking and Finance (82%), and Manufacturing (73%).
The most common business areas among freelancers in Switzerland who have used COBOL in their recent projects are Information Technology (100%), Product Development (91%), and Business Intelligence (73%).
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.
Countries:
Zurich Geneva Basel Bern Request a free demo
Get in touch with the FRATCH team and we will get back to you within 4 hours.
Would you rather directly get in touch?
We always have the time for a call or email!
Philipp Thomaschewski
FRATCH CEO
