Associate I - Production Support

Entry-Level/Junior: The Paid Mainframe Apprenticeship Role This role is part of UST/Xpanxion's registered apprenticeship program and is designed for candidates looking to build hands‑on experience through structured training and real‑world work. The position begins with instructor‑led training, followed by on‑the‑job learning alongside experienced professionals. This is a full‑time role starting June 1, and candidates must be U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents (Green Card holders). Applicants should be prepared for a structured learning environment with clear expectations, accountability, and long‑term career development focus. If you are selected for the class, you will be hired by Xpanxion and provided with a laptop downloaded with the programs you will need for training. The Step IT Up team will be communicating everything needed for you to start onsite training on June 1st. Pay during the 55 teach days is $16.00 per hour. After successfully completing the 55 teach days of training your pay will increase to $23.56 per hour for day shift and $25.91 per hour for night shift. Key Responsibilities Monitor mainframe systems, jobs, and batch processing to ensure successful execution and adherence to operational schedules. Perform routine operational tasks, including system start‑up, shutdown, restarts, and job management in accordance with documented runbooks and procedures. Identify, analyze, and respond to system s, console messages, and operational exceptions. Execute problem determination steps and escalate incidents to senior operations staff, system programmers, or application support teams as required. Support scheduled maintenance activities, releases, and change events under change‑management controls. Maintain accurate operational logs, incident records, and shift handover documentation. Adhere to security, compliance, and access‑control policies when performing all operational activities. Participate in shift rotations, including day, night, weekend, and holiday coverage, as required for continuous operations. Skills and Knowledge Areas Fundamental understanding of mainframe concepts, including batch processing, job scheduling, and system monitoring. Familiarity with mainframe operating environments (e.g., z/OS concepts) and operational tooling. Ability to follow structured procedures, runbooks, and escalation paths. Strong attention to detail and ability to work effectively in a high‑availability, time‑sensitive environment. Clear communication skills for coordination with operations teams, application teams, and management. Willingness to learn and apply new operational procedures and technologies. Role Expectations Demonstrate reliability, accountability, and operational discipline. Show continuous improvement in operational knowledge and execution. Successfully support production environments while minimizing risk and downtime. Work under supervision initially, progressing toward increased independence as experience grows.