Hardware Developer
IBM · Posted Oct 27
Hybrid cloud, artificial intelligence, enterprise software, quantum computing, and IT consulting services
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About the role
IBM Z mainframes are engineered for high reliability, availability, and serviceability, and the hardware validation team ensures every subsystem meets IBM quality standards before shipping. The role sits in the EST squad, validating enterprise-class workloads and channel subsystem functionality on System Z platforms. The engineer will execute and automate test scenarios, troubleshoot I/O recovery failures, and work with firmware development to validate new features.
What you will do
- Design, develop, and execute IBM Z channel subsystem test plans for enterprise hardware platforms.
- Identifying existing manual test scenarios and workloads and design programmatic automation to replace them.
- Validate channel path configuration, I/O routing, adapter connectivity, and subsystem functionality.
- Perform high-availability and redundancy validation, including path failover and recovery testing.
- Investigate and debug I/O recovery failures through log analysis, diagnostics, and root-cause determination
- Participate in test strategy, test planning, and customer-focused validation to ensure robust and reliable I/O recovery capabilities.
- Working with firmware development to understand the technical details of new firmware features in order to design appropriate test scenarios and workloads to validate them
- Growing knowledge of physical server design and logical constructs behind its operation
- Hardware handling, maintenance, changes and manipulation
- Working with multiple Z mainframe operating systems to execute workloads that are used to verify the latest hardware and firmware deliveries
- Large amount of troubleshooting, investigation and problem resolution.
Skills used in this role
What the employer is looking for
- Hardware system testing and validation.
- I/O subsystem, networking, and storage technologies.
- Error injection and fault tolerance testing.
- Performance and stress testing methodologies.
- Test automation using Python, Shell scripting, or similar technologies.
- Debugging, log analysis, and root cause analysis.
- Knowledge of IBM Z, Linux, virtualization, or enterprise server environments is highly desirable.
- Strong understanding of computer architecture (CPU, memory hierarchy, buses, I/O subsystems).
- Familiarity with PCIe, USB, Ethernet, SAS/SATA, NVMe, DDR, or similar protocols.
- Good knowledge of firmware/BIOS, drivers, and low-level debugging.
- Gather and analyze hardware requirements to create detailed test plans, test matrices, and test strategies.
- Identify coverage gaps and ensure test completeness across hardware components.
- Proficiency in scripting (Python/Shell/Bash) for automation, tooling, and operational efficiency.
- Demonstrated experience in automation of deployments, monitoring, and operational workflows using scripting or orchestration tools.
- Strong team player with good communication and interpersonal skills.
- Proven ability to work effectively in a global team environment.
Preferred qualifications
- Experience with CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure automation tools (e.g., Ansible, Jenkins).
- Exposure to cloud-native architectures and container security best practices
- 2+ of experience working with Z mainframe systems in some capacity
- Experience with one or more mainframe operating systems.
- Experience with practical applications of the mainframe
- Experience writing and executing test plans with the ability to ensure proper coverage based on customer requirements and workloads, and perform regression testing
- Hardware troubleshooting skills
- Knowledge of Agile practices
- Ability to handle testing and debugging tasks independently.
Benefits and support
- Compensation and benefits are detailed in the job posting
About IBM
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is a global technology and consulting company that provides hybrid cloud, artificial intelligence, and enterprise infrastructure solutions. Operating in over 175 countries, IBM helps businesses across industries modernize operations, secure data, and drive digital transformation through platforms like watsonx and Red Hat OpenShift. Founded over a century ago, the company remains a pioneer in high-performance computing, enterprise automation, and quantum technology.
- Industry
- Information Technology
- Company size
- 260,000+ employees
- Founded
- June 16, 1911
- Location
- Armonk, New York, USA
- Funding stage
- Public Company
Funding
Public Company · $3.5B raised
- ·Post Ipo Debt$150M
Leadership
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Senior Vice President, Software and Chief Commercial Officer
Senior Vice President, IBM Consulting
Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications
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