Senior Enterprise Middleware Engineer

Who We’re Looking For (Position Overview): Spry Methods seeks a Senior Enterprise Middleware Engineer to support the U.S

Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of Contracting & Procurement (OCP) and its enterprise acquisition and financial systems

This role is centered on IBM WebSphere Application Server, IBM MQ, and Oracle-based enterprise applications, supporting mission-critical procurement and financial platforms such as PRISM

The position focuses on sustaining, modernizing, and integrating legacy Java EE middleware environments while supporting USDA’s transition from AIX-based, on-prem platforms to Azure-hosted Linux environments

While direct IAS or PRISM experience is beneficial, it is not required

The core need is deep enterprise middleware expertise combined with the ability to support and advise on platform migrations, system integrations, and operational risk management in complex federal environments. \n What Your Day-To-Day Looks Like (Position Responsibilities): A

USDA Procurement System Engineering Provide senior-level engineering support for enterprise procurement and financial applications (e.g., PRISM, Oracle-based systems)

Support application sustainment, configuration, patching, upgrades, and troubleshooting across middleware and application tiers

Assist with workflows, interfaces, and integrations between procurement, financial, and enterprise systems

Develop and maintain system architecture diagrams, engineering documentation, and operational runbooks

B

IBM WebSphere / IBM MQ Enterprise Middleware Administer and support IBM WebSphere Application Server (WAS) and IBM MQ across enterprise environments

Deploy, configure, and maintain WebSphere and MQ workloads on Linux-based platforms, including Azure-hosted environments

Configure clustering, failover, performance tuning, and secure messaging

Support automation of middleware configuration and deployments using scripting or configuration management tools (e.g., Ansible, Terraform, shell scripting)

C

PRISM & Legacy Platform Modernization7.6.2 (AIX → Azure Linux/Cloud Migration) Support PRISM and similar enterprise systems across AIX and Linux platforms

Perform system tuning, patching, remediation, and environment troubleshooting

Lead or contribute to efforts supporting migration of enterprise middleware and applications from AIX to Linux-based cloud environments (e.g., lift-and-shift or phased modernization)

Identify and document migration risks, dependencies, and operational impacts; contribute to migration planning, runbooks, and post-migration stabilization

D

Oracle Application & Database Integration Support Oracle-based enterprise applications and databases integrated with middleware platforms

Develop and maintain PL/SQL packages, database automation, and integrations supporting procurement and financial workflows

Support Oracle APEX-based user interfaces, dashboards, and APIs as needed

Collaborate with database and functional teams to ensure reliable integration with Oracle Financial systems

E

Cloud, Integration, and DevSecOps Support Support deployment and operation of enterprise middleware and applications in Azure-hosted Linux environments

Collaborate with cloud, DevOps, and security teams on hybrid hosting strategies spanning USDA data centers and commercial cloud platforms

Support CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure automation, and configuration management related to middleware and application deployments

Contribute to containerization or modernization initiatives where appropr F

Security, Compliance & Governance Ensure systems comply with FedRAMP, FISMA, NIST 800-53, and USDA OCIO security requirements

Support ATO processes, security assessments, remediation activities, and audits

Implement and support secure integration patterns (TLS, certificates, LDAP/SSO, RBAC)

G

Stakeholder Support & Documentation Collaborate with OCP, OCIO, developers, architects, security teams, and operations staff

Provide senior-level engineering recommendations, risk assessments, diagrams, SOPs, and onboarding documentation

Participate in Agile ceremonies, sprint planning, and change control processes

What You Need to Succeed (Minimum Requirements): Public Trust clearance (or ability to obtain)

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, or equivalent experience. 8+ years of experience supporting enterprise applications and middleware environments

Strong hands-on experience with IBM WebSphere Application Server and IBM MQ in production environments

Experience supporting enterprise Java EE / Jakarta EE applications and integrations

Experience supporting systems on AIX and/or Linux platforms, including participation in platform migrations

Working knowledge of Oracle databases, PL/SQL, and enterprise system integrations

Strong Linux administration skills

Experience supporting systems in hybrid or cloud-hosted environments (Azure preferred)

Scripting experience (e.g., Bash, Python, PowerShell)

Strong understanding of enterprise security principles and federal compliance requirements

Ideally, You Also Have (Preferred Qualifications): Experience supporting PRISM, IAS, or other large-scale federal procurement or financial systems

Experience advising or leading legacy-to-modern platform transitions (e.g., AIX to Linux, on-prem to cloud)

Experience with Azure DevOps pipelines, Terraform, Ansible, or CI/CD automation

Familiarity with Docker and Kubernetes in enterprise or middleware contexts

Knowledge of Oracle Financials processes and integrations

Strong communication skills and ability to interface effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders. \n #CJ