Software Engineer

Job Description

Forward Air is seeking an experienced Senior iSeries / RPG Developer to join our Operations Technology team in a critical maintenance and support capacity. This role is responsible for a substantial portfolio of IBM i / AS400 applications that are foundational to our freight and warehouse operations-systems that have been in continuous production for over two decades and serve as the operational backbone of the business.

This role reports directly to the Operations Development Manager and will collaborate periodically with our Java / Spring Boot microservices team as we modernize integration points between the IBM i platform and newer services. While deep integration experience is not required, a strong aptitude for cross-functional collaboration and a willingness to engage with modern technologies are expected.

Core Duties & Responsibilities

• Assume ownership of a portfolio of long-running IBM i / AS400 production applications, many of which were originally implemented 20 or more years ago with limited or absent documentation
• Analyze, interpret, and work confidently within legacy RPG codebases - including fixed-format RPG III and RPG/400 - to diagnose defects, understand undocumented business logic, and implement safe, targeted changes
• Respond to and resolve production incidents, operational data issues, and time-sensitive support requests from internal business stakeholders
• Perform code analysis and impact assessments prior to changes in order to identify downstream dependencies and reduce production risk
• Write and optimize DB2 SQL for operational reporting, data extraction, and integration support
• Maintain and develop Service Programs and Modules within the ILE framework, ensuring alignment with established binding and activation group conventions
• Support and extend Data Queue-based messaging patterns integral to asynchronous operational workflows
• Create and maintain technical documentation for programs and processes as changes are introduced, building institutional knowledge where it previously did not exist
• Participate in integration touchpoints with REST APIs and modern microservices on an as-needed basis
• Provide technical guidance and peer support to team members with less IBM i experience
• Support during off hours or weekends may be needed on occasion based on business needs

Qualifications

• 7 or more years of hands-on IBM i / AS400 development experience in a production environment
• Demonstrated ability to read, interpret, and safely modify legacy RPG codebases - including programs with no documentation, minimal inline comments, and complex implicit data structures
• Proficiency in RPG IV / ILE RPG and free-format RPGLE; working familiarity with fixed-format RPG III and RPG/400 as encountered in legacy programs
• Strong CL / CLLE scripting experience, including job streams, data area manipulation, and error handling
• Expert-level SQL on DB2 for i, including complex multi-file joins, embedded SQL in RPG, views, and stored procedures
• Deep understanding of ILE architecture: Service Programs, Modules, binding directories, and activation group management
• Experience with Data Queues for asynchronous inter-program communication and event-driven processing
• Familiarity with REST API consumption or outbound integration from the iSeries platform
• Strong analytical and debugging instincts, particularly in environments where tooling, tracing, and documentation are limited

Skills

• Prior experience in logistics, freight, or supply chain operations
• Exposure to JT400 / JDBC-based Java-to-IBM i integration patterns
• Familiarity with IBM i object authority, user profiles, and security management
• Experience collaborating with or contributing to a microservices / Spring Boot development team
• Background using Git or comparable version control systems for IBM i source management