Senior MQ Engineer

About This Role

This role involves supporting a federal client's mission-critical defense systems by managing daily operations and administration of IBM MQ environments. The Senior MQ Engineer ensures secure, reliable message flow across applications, monitors system performance, and maintains security protocols.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain scalable, secure, and high-performing IBM MQ and Liberty messaging infrastructure, including queue managers, channels, queues, clustering, and high-availability configurations.
• Monitor system health and performance metrics, identifying and resolving bottlenecks, tuning MQ settings, and optimizing configurations to ensure reliable and efficient operations.
• Lead enterprise messaging initiatives, including planning, execution, testing, and deployment, while ensuring alignment with business and IT strategies.
• Provide advanced troubleshooting and serve as the final escalation point for complex MQ and Liberty issues; support junior admins and application teams during integration and issue resolution.
• Implement and manage security controls, encryption, and auditing across MQ environments to maintain data integrity and meet compliance requirements.
• Perform capacity planning and resource forecasting to support growth and ensure scalability across enterprise environments.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams—such as infrastructure, development, and operations—to ensure seamless messaging integration and support.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation including architecture, procedures, troubleshooting steps, and recovery strategies.
• Mentor junior MQ administrators, promote best practices, and contribute to standardization efforts across the team.
• Stay current on MQ technologies, patches, and best practices; recommend and implement enhancements to maintain a competitive and compliant messaging environment.

Requirements

• 12+ years of experience in a MQ Administrator role or in a related field
• Experience with WebSphere
• Active Secret clearance is required
• Must be a US Citizen
• Reside within a commutable distance for daily onsite work and on-call requirements
• Able to accommodate a rotational on-call schedule

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in a MQ Administrator role or in a related field

Nice to Have

• IBM System Admin for MQ certification
• Experience with Liberty Suite

Skills

* Required skills