Mainframe Experts in Düsseldorf
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Meet FRATCH Experts in Düsseldorf, who have recently used Mainframe
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)
Christian W.
Last position:
Software Engineer, cross-platform Application Manager at International major bank
- Creating interfaces between the legacy platform and the new container solution
- Coordinating required contributions from line units
- Moderating regular status meetings with the software vendor
- Minimally invasive conversion of TWS scheduling from the old to the new platform
- Environment: IBM Mainframe, DB2, CICS, MQ, Red Hat Linux, Oracle, Kubernetes, Kafka, Helm, GitLab, Jenkins
Thorsten O.
Last position:
Workstream Lead (WS) at Bank-Verlag GmbH
- Introduction of giro card with Visa Debit card payment function (Combocard) for Commerzbank
- Support for the Card Processing Team (card processing; Clearing & Settlement incl. Dispute Management teams) in project work
- Creation of requirements for the Clearing & Settlement team, Authorization team (AZ) and Card Production team (KP) as part of a requirements catalog
- Requirements engineering (requirements management) with business contact person
- Participation in workstream meetings between VISA Inc., SRC Security Research & Consulting GmbH, Commerzbank AG and consulting firms (PwC and Senacor Technologies AG)
- Sprint planning with Jira tickets of type Task and use of Confluence
- Creation and presentation of weekly status reports for the Clearing & Settlement, Dispute Management and Reporting & GUI workstreams
- Coordination with network and file transfer teams for connection tests of new interfaces, e.g. setup of host keys, use of VPN or sipnet connections
- Coordination of the delivery of test files, e.g. exchange rates (FX rates; TC 56 of VISA rates), VISA Debit and Credit transactions (format Base II) and EANSS/ISS Base II clearing files to the Debit Clearing System (DCS)
- Conducting coordination meetings on the use of Visanet Settlement Service (VSS) and PSD2 reports and payment traffic statistics (ZVS)
- Organizing workshops with FiServ (First Data) on Dispute Management and complaint handling
- Setup and maintenance of Open Point List (OPL) in Confluence
- Technologies/methods: Jira, Confluence, giro card, VISA Debit card, payments, Kanban board, BIN, routing, CIQ, VPAY, ScalaTest, Dispute Management
Jürgen S.
Last position:
IT Consultant / Analyst / Developer / Tester / Support at Automotive Manufacturer
- Analysis, software development/customization, and testing of various transaction and batch objects
- Conducting functional integration and regression tests on TEST and QA platforms under z/OS for later production implementation
- Hardware / Software / Tools: IBM MVS, z/OS, JES2/3, TSO-ISPF, JCL, DB2, SQL, SQL/PL, QMF, QMF for Workstations, SPUFI, FileAid, IMS-DB/DC, MFS, XPEDITER, COBOL, REXX, Windows 10, MS Office 365, MS Teams, batch job management via OPC, BETA92, RVS, BVB, ABL, DIALOGplus, PROBA, PRODPR (VW internal systems), JIRA, CONFLUENCE
Esmail S.
Last position:
Senior Load and Performance Tester at Deutsche Bahn (DB-Netz)
- Design, development, and execution of load and performance tests for the PRISMA project
- Use of Apache Jmeter, Gatling, Apache ActiveMQ, Jms/Tibco Ems, SikuliX, Jython, Amazon AWS, PAN-Client
- Methods: load tests, test automation
Dalia C.
Last position:
Oracle Developer at Freelance
- Design and implementation of an OCI-based data warehouse and ETL system to replace legacy mainframe applications
- Developed a database optimization strategy and planned the rapid conversion of JCL and COBOL routines to PL/SQL using AI
- Developed an Oracle Apex-based app for internal administrative processes in the public sector (office equipment, staff training)
- Implemented PL/SQL workflows for approval processes and created a responsive mobile version with JavaScript and CSS
- Used Azure DevOps for backlog management and documentation, and Git for version control
- Developed REST interfaces to CRM systems
- Replaced and reprogrammed Oracle Forms screens with Oracle Apex and updated to the latest Apex versions
- Designed a Git branching strategy and conducted code reviews
- Maintained and further developed an EDI-based data exchange system based on Oracle Advanced Queuing for the public sector in Austria
- Performed data analysis and created charts in the Oracle Apex frontend; installed standalone ORDS and Apex 23.1
- Worked agile using the Spotify model; developed complex Apex pages with support from Oracle JET
- Rebuilt and customized existing PL/SQL packages, created workarounds for database version differences, and optimized queries
- Developed Apex applications for broker pools to manage and optimize Oracle databases in the banking environment, including SSO-based authorization systems with OAuth2 and Keycloak
- Built extensive Oracle Apex applications for BI and data mining modernization projects and developed manual and automated projection methods in the frontend
- Carried out data warehousing projects in the banking sector and used Scrum and Kanban in team projects
Bernhard D.
Last position:
Enterprise Architect. And responsible for the cross-functional architecture as well as all domains with a focus on the sales at Süddeutsche Krankenversicherung
Creation of business and technical concepts as well as support for enterprise architecture management as part of the migration to the Adesso standard insurance solutions and the renewal of surrounding systems
Interface definitions
Business analysis and creation of the business concepts for input management and sales
Creation of architecture guidelines and processes
Processing technical and business decisions in the architecture board
Definition of service processes and system management aspects
Creation of the technical target operating model
Creation of an integration architecture for AI/LLMs from the providers Commasoft and Insiders
CommaSoft (Alan) webpages and web services
Insiders for Smartfix based on web services
Creation of a question catalog for a security/regulatory check.
Analysis of threats using threat modeling / STRIDE incl. creation of a set of measures to secure the systems
System environment: Jira, Confluence, Java, Enterprise Architect, VAIT/DORA, KritisV, GDPR, IT ServiceMgmt, Adesso Ecosphere and Insure Health, DoPIX and successor product, SmartFix, SmartFlow, Zabas, Kolumbus, Clarc archive, BiPRO, AI / LLM, MS Azure, AWS, TOM/FMO
Rüdiger K.
Last position:
Data Analyst and Reporting Manager at Energieversroger
Implemented Power BI reporting for various departments at an energy provider. Agile project: responsible for organizing and coordinating with departments and IT, and regularly presented interim steps and results to project management.
Discover over 15,000 top freelancers
Statistics of experts using Mainframe
Aggregated from the professional profiles of matched freelancers.
Experience
30 years
Position duration
2.3 years
Positions per freelancer
17 (Germany: 18)
Top business areas
Information Technology, Business Intelligence, Operations
Top industries
Information Technology, Banking and Finance, Retail
Certification focus areas
Information Technology, Project Management, Quality Assurance
Bachelor's degree or higher
100% (Germany: 72%)
Master's degree or higher
67% (Germany: 45%)
Doctorate
17% (Germany: 12%)
Certifications per freelancer
1 (Germany: 3)
Most common languages
German, English, Spanish
Speak two or more languages
88% (Germany: 96%)
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 Düsseldorf 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 Düsseldorf using Mainframe
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.
Mainframe 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 (88%)
- Retail (75%)
- Automotive (50%)
- Insurance (50%)
- Government and Administration (50%)
- Education (38%)
- Energy (38%)
Please note that freelancers can work across multiple industries, so percentages overlap.
About the technology
What Mainframes Do
Mainframes are high-throughput enterprise computers built to run critical workloads with consistent performance, strong security and dependable availability. Companies use them for core banking, insurance processing, public administration, retail transactions and large-scale batch operations. IBM Z systems and z/OS are the dominant ecosystem, with COBOL remaining central to many established applications.
Core Workloads
Mainframe applications process transactions and records that must remain accurate across complex business rules. They support online transaction processing, scheduled batch jobs, reporting, settlement, billing and high-volume data exchange.
- Banking and payment processing
- Insurance policy and claims systems
- Government and public-sector records
- Manufacturing and logistics operations
- Enterprise billing and customer data
Ecosystem and Tools
A strong specialist understands the relationship between application code, operating systems, databases and operational tooling. Common components include COBOL, PL/I, JCL, CICS, IMS, Db2, VSAM and MQ, alongside IBM Z tooling and source-control workflows. Integration may involve APIs, Java services, Kafka, cloud platforms and secure file transfer.
When to Bring in Specialists
Companies often need freelance expertise when experienced internal knowledge is limited, a critical application must be changed safely or a modernization program spans old and new environments. A specialist can support migration planning, production incidents, application changes and documentation without interrupting core operations.
- Assess a COBOL or z/OS application portfolio
- Refactor batch and transaction logic
- Connect mainframe workloads to APIs and cloud services
- Improve JCL, CICS or Db2 operations
- Document systems for handover and long-term support
What Strong Professionals Bring
The best professionals combine precise technical work with a clear understanding of business processing. They trace data across programs, files, jobs and interfaces; test changes against real operational scenarios; and manage releases carefully. They also explain risks plainly, preserve useful documentation and know when a stable workload should be modernized rather than replaced.
Collaboration in Düsseldorf
Mainframe work can be delivered remotely when secure access, test environments and communication routines are well prepared. On-site collaboration in Düsseldorf can help during production transitions, workshops, audits or knowledge-transfer phases, especially for companies in finance, insurance, logistics and public services. German or English communication should be agreed alongside access rules, delivery responsibilities and support windows.
Frequently asked questions
Need clarity? These are the questions we hear most often about Mainframe.
A mainframe runs business-critical workloads such as payment processing, insurance administration, billing, reservations and public records. It is suited to large transaction volumes, strict data consistency and long-running batch processes.
A mainframe prioritizes centralized control, predictable throughput, mature security and reliable transaction processing. Cloud and distributed systems offer flexible scaling and broad service options, so many companies combine both rather than choosing one exclusively.
A strong mainframe professional may also work with COBOL, JCL, CICS, IMS, Db2, VSAM and MQ. API integration, Java, Kafka, cloud services, DevOps practices and production operations are valuable when established workloads connect to newer systems.
The right level depends on the work, not on a fixed number of years. A mainframe change affecting CICS, Db2 or high-value batch processing needs proven production judgment, while documentation, testing or isolated maintenance may suit a specialist with a narrower scope.
Yes, mainframe work can often be performed remotely if access to development, test and monitoring environments is secure. On-site sessions in Düsseldorf may still help with release planning, incident response, workshops or knowledge transfer.
COBOL remains important because many core business applications depend on it, particularly on IBM Z and z/OS. It is only part of the required skill set; specialists should also understand job control, data structures, transaction monitors, testing and operational dependencies.
IBM zSystems is IBM's current family of enterprise mainframe systems. A professional working with it may also need knowledge of z/OS, the platform's operating system, plus the applications, databases and integration services running around it.
Ask a mainframe specialist to explain a comparable workload, its operational risks and how changes were tested and released. Look for clear reasoning about COBOL or PL/I, JCL, CICS or Db2, incident handling, documentation and the handover plan.
The average hourly rate of freelancers in Dusseldorf, Germany who have used Mainframe in their recent projects is 106 €, which corresponds to a daily rate of about 849 € based on an 8-hour working day.
Of the freelancers in Dusseldorf, Germany who have used Mainframe in their recent projects, 100% hold at least a Bachelor's degree, 67% hold at least a Master's degree, and 17% hold a doctorate.
On average, freelancers in Dusseldorf, Germany who have used Mainframe in their recent projects have 30 years of professional experience, with a single engagement typically lasting around 2.3 years.
The most common languages among freelancers in Dusseldorf, Germany who have used Mainframe in their recent projects are German (100%), English (88%), and Spanish (38%).
The most common industries among freelancers in Dusseldorf, Germany who have used Mainframe in their recent projects are Information Technology (100%), Banking and Finance (88%), and Retail (75%).
The most common business areas among freelancers in Dusseldorf, Germany who have used Mainframe in their recent projects are Information Technology (100%), Business Intelligence (75%), and Operations (63%).
Main locations of FRATCH Experts, who have recently used Mainframe
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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Philipp Thomaschewski
FRATCH CEO
