RQ00763 - Middleware Specialist - Senior

RQ00763 - Middleware Specialist - Senior

Location: 3 Days in Office at 525 University Avenue

Duration: 1 Year (252 Business Days) 

Must Haves:

• 7–10+ years of progressive, hands‑on experience in middleware engineering, integration services, or related technical domains, with a demonstrated ability to lead complex platform upgrades and modernization initiatives.
• Proven experience supporting and sustaining large‑scale, mission‑critical application environments across diverse technology stacks, preferably within highly regulated sectors such as healthcare or public service.
• Hands‑on expertise in the following technology stack: IBM DataPower (migrating from physical appliance to OpenShift Container Platform), and IBM App Connect Enterprise, Java Spring Boot microservices.
• Hands-on experience with AWS cloud services and CI/CD pipeline development for deploying, automating, and managing containerized middleware solutions, including IBM DataPower, on OpenShift or cloud-native platforms.

Responsibilities:

The Senior Middleware Specialist is accountable for the end‑to‑end implementation of the HIAL technology upgrade and migration to AWS project. This includes hands‑on technical execution, development of CI/CD pipelines for the deployment of IBM DataPower and other components to OpenShift Container Platform, coordination across multiple support teams, guiding QA and validation activities, and ensuring all components are delivered successfully with minimal impact to mission‑critical health services.

• Perform all technical activities required for the HIAL technology upgrade and migration to AWS, including system preparation, deployment, configuration, optimization, and validation across all the Agency environments.
• Provide expert‑level troubleshooting to resolve complex middleware, integration, and infrastructure challenges that arise during the upgrade lifecycle.
• Develop and maintain detailed implementation plans, technical procedures, runbooks, and operational guides for execution by cross‑functional support teams.
• Identify risks and issues early, propose mitigation strategies, and communicate impacts to project stakeholders.
• Collaborate with Architecture, Security, Privacy, and Infrastructure teams to ensure all upgrade activities meet enterprise standards and compliance requirements.
• Coordinate with Infrastructure, UNIX, Network, Middleware Support, Backup & Storage, and QA teams to ensure all upgrade activities are executed efficiently and consistently.
• Support QA testing by preparing environments, resolving defects, and validating readiness for deployment.
• Ensure full adherence to the Agency change and release management processes throughout all upgrade stages.
• Prepare and maintain project documentation, status reports, and readiness checklists to support go‑live and operational transition.

Required Skills:

• 7–10+ years of progressive, hands‑on experience in middleware engineering, integration services, or related technical domains, with a demonstrated ability to lead complex platform upgrades and modernization initiatives.
• Proven experience supporting and sustaining large‑scale, mission‑critical application environments across diverse technology stacks, preferably within highly regulated sectors such as healthcare or public service.
• Hands‑on expertise in the following technology stack: IBM DataPower (migrating from physical appliance to OpenShift Container Platform), and IBM App Connect Enterprise, Java Spring Boot microservices.
• Hands-on experience with AWS cloud services and CI/CD pipeline development for deploying, automating, and managing containerized middleware solutions, including IBM DataPower, on OpenShift or cloud-native platforms.
• In‑depth knowledge of PKI security infrastructure, digital certificates, TLS configurations, encryption standards, and enterprise network architecture, with proven troubleshooting expertise in secure system‑to‑system communication.

Desired Skills:

• Solid experience with system administration and networking, including Windows Server and Linux environments, IP networking, routing, and firewall concepts, with the ability to diagnose and resolve infrastructure‑level issues.
• Familiarity with healthcare integration standards such as HL7v3 (asset), with additional exposure to related formats like HL7v2, FHIR, or SOAP‑based healthcare messaging considered an advantage.
• Strong understanding of Information Management principles, including data governance, information lifecycle management, security policies, and compliance practices.
• Working knowledge of quality assurance practices, including test planning, defect management, risk assessment, and validation of middleware or integration components.
• Experience with system monitoring, performance tuning, capacity planning, and ensuring data integrity, following ITIL processes for incident, problem, and change management.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with cross‑functional teams, providing leadership, technical guidance, and subject‑matter expertise in middleware technologies and integration patterns.

Required Experience:

• Technical Depth in Middleware & Integration Stack (IBM DataPower, OpenShift Containers, RHEL). Hands on ownership of upgrades, migrations, performance tuning, HA/DR patterns, TLS/mTLS, cert management, and message durability/persistence.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience designing, developing, and supporting CI/CD pipelines and automated deployment processes for containerized middleware solutions such as IBM DataPower on OpenShift platforms or AWS
• Troubleshooting, Monitoring & Operational Excellence (ITIL) Diagnostics, RCA, observability (logs/metrics), incident/problem management, and production stability.
• QA, Testing Readiness & Validation. Ability to support test planning, environment setup, non functional testing, and defect triage.
• Architecture, Security, and Compliance Alignment. Understanding of enterprise security, PKI, privacy requirements, hardening standards, and architectural alignment.
• Documentation, Technical Artifacts & Knowledge Transfer, Ability to produce high‑quality build books, operational guides, scripts, and support artifacts.
• Cross‑Functional Leadership & Communication Ability to coordinate with Architecture, Security, Network, Unix, QA, and business partners; clarity in communicating risks and technical concepts.
• Healthcare / Mission‑Critical Domain Understanding, Awareness of HL7v3, regulated environments, PHI handling, and 24×7 availability constraints.

Deliverables:

• Execute the end-to-end HIAL technology upgrade and migration to AWS with minimal disruption to mission critical provincial health services, including:
  • Migration of IBM DataPower from physical form factor to container
  • Upgrade of operating system, such as, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
  • Upgrade of HIAL Integration Bus (HIB) containerized applications
  • Redesign and implementation of Full Message Body Logging (FMBL) components and servers
• Perform hands on upgrade and deployment activities across all the Agency environments, including Development, QA, PST, PPE, and Production, ensuring consistency, stability, and alignment with enterprise standards.
• Coordination across cross functional support teams, including Cloud Operation team, Virtual Infrastructure & UNIX teams, Middleware Support, Network Services, Backup & Storage, and Quality Assurance, to ensure efficient planning, execution, and validation of all upgrade activities.
• Ensure strict adherence to the Agency change management and release management processes, including preparation and submission of required documentation, scheduling, approvals, and communication for environment promotions.
• Update, maintain, and obtain approval for all required project and operational artifacts, including (but not limited to):
  • Operational guides
  • Build books
  • Implementation and rollout plans
  • Health check procedures
  • Runbooks and support documentation

AI Disclaimer: Source Code may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist in certain aspects of its recruiting and business operations.

Note: The higher end of the range is intended for absolutely exceptional candidates who meet all must-have requirements and most or all nice-to-have qualifications. The client will evaluate candidates based on both rate expectations and overall skill set when shortlisting.

INCORPORATED RATE RANGE (7.25 billable hours per day)

• $86.32/hr - $103.59/hr Inc.

T4 RATE RANGE (7.25 billable hours per day)

• $69.06/hr - $82.87/hr T4