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Software Engineer 1 - Mainframe (Cobol)

U.S. Bank · Brookfield, WI · $86,360–$101,600 a year

Posted Oct 1, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Why do you want to work on mainframe systems at a bank?

What they are checking: Whether they have real interest in this work and will stay to build deep expertise.

Tell me about a time you learned a programming language or tool on your own.

What they are checking: Whether they can teach themselves, which matters when learning legacy technology.

Tell me about a team project where something went wrong. What was your role in fixing it?

What they are checking: Whether they take responsibility and work with others to solve problems.

How do you ask for help when you are stuck?

What they are checking: Whether they try first and then ask clear questions, which helps new engineers grow quickly.

What would you do

You find a bug in code someone else wrote years ago. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they investigate carefully, ask for help and document the fix instead of guessing.

About the work

What do you know about COBOL and how a COBOL program is structured?

What they are checking: Whether they understand divisions, data definitions and basic logic, even at an entry level.

What is JCL used for, and how does it relate to a COBOL program?

What they are checking: Whether they understand how batch jobs run on the mainframe, not just how to write code.

How would you test a small change to a program before it goes to production?

What they are checking: Whether they think about test cases, edge cases and checking results against expectations.

How do you approach reading code that has little documentation?

What they are checking: Whether they have patience and a method for tracing logic in unfamiliar systems.

What do agile and DevOps mean to you?

What they are checking: Whether they understand the basics of iterative delivery and automation the team uses.

Practice this interview out loud.

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The full job description

As published by U.S. Bank.

At U.S. Bank, we’re on a journey to do our best. Helping the customers and businesses we serve to make better and smarter financial decisions and enabling the communities we support to grow and succeed. We believe it takes all of us to bring our shared ambition to life, and each person is unique in their potential. A career with U.S. Bank gives you a wide, ever-growing range of opportunities to discover what makes you thrive at every stage of your career. Try new things, learn new skills and discover what you excel at—all from Day One. Job Description This position will be responsible for the analysis, design, testing, development and maintenance of best in class software experiences. The candidate is a self-motivated individual who can collaborate with a team and across the organization. The candidate takes responsibility of the software artifacts produced adhering to U.S. Bank standards in order to ensure minimal impact to the customer experience. The candidate will be adept with the agile software development lifecycle and DevOps principles. Essential Responsibilities: - Responsible for designing, developing, testing, operating and maintaining products - Takes full stack ownership by consistently writing production-ready and testable code - Consistently creates optimal design adhering to architectural best practices; considers scalability, reliability and performance of systems/contexts affected when defining technical designs - Performs analysis on failures, propose design changes, and encourage operational improvements - Makes sound design/coding decisions keeping customer experience in the forefront - Takes feedback from code review and apply changes to meet standards - Conducts code reviews to provide guidance on engineering best practices and compliance with development procedures - Accountable for ensuring all aspects of product development follow compliance and security best practices - Exhibits relentless focus in software reliability engineering standards embedded into development standards - Embraces emerging technology opportunities and contributes to the best practices in support of the bank’s technology transformation - Contributes to a culture of innovation, collaboration and continuous improvement - Reviews tasks critically and ensures they are appropriately prioritized and sized for incremental delivery; anticipates and communicates blockers and delays before they require escalation Basic Qualifications - Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent work experience - Two to three years of relevant experience Preferred Skills/Experience • Strong technical knowledge and skills in Cobol, DB2 , JCL, VSAM • Adept with agile software development lifecycle and DevOps principles • Complete understanding of a feature, the users impacted, the flows impacted and feature's purpose • Technically proficient and able to define and fulfill solutions requirements for end user • Able to communicate processes and results with all parties involved in the product team, including engineers, product owner, scrum master, third party vendors and customers • Proficient understanding of algorithms, data structures, architectural design patterns and best practices • Strong problem-solving and analytical skills Location expectations This role requires working from a U.S. Bank location three (3) or more days per week. If there’s anything we can do to accommodate a disability during any portion of the application or hiring process, please refer to our disability accommodations for applicants . Benefits: Our approach to benefits and total rewards considers our team members’ whole selves and what may be needed to thrive in and outside work. That's why our benefits are designed to help you and your family boost your health, protect your financial security and give you peace of mind. Our benefits include the following: • Healthcare (medical, dental, vision) • Basic term and optional term life insurance • Short-term and long-term disability • Pregnancy disability and parental leave • 401(k) and employer-funded retirement plan • Paid vacation (from two to five weeks depending on salary grade and tenure) • Up to 11 paid holiday opportunities • Adoption assistance • Sick and Safe Leave accruals of one hour for every 30 worked, up to 80 hours per calendar year unless otherwise provided by law Review our full benefits available by employment status here . U.S. Bank is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or veteran status, and other factors protected under applicable law. E-Verify U.S. Bank participates in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security E-Verify program in all facilities located in the United States and certain U.S. territories. The E-Verify program is an Internet-based employment eligibility verification system operated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Learn more about the E-Verify program . The salary range reflects figures based on the primary location, which is listed first. The actual range for the role may differ based on the location of the role. In addition to salary, U.S. Bank offers a comprehensive benefits package, including incentive and recognition programs, equity stock purchase 401(k) contribution and pension (all benefits are subject to eligibility requirements). Pay Range: $86,360.00 - $101,600.00 U.S. Bank will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment. U.S. Bank conducts background checks consistent with applicable local laws, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance and the California Fair Chance Act as well as the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. U.S. Bank is subject to, and conducts background checks consistent with the requirements of Section 19 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA). In addition, certain positions may also be subject to the requirements of FINRA, NMLS registration, Reg Z, Reg G, OFAC, the NFA, the FCPA, the Bank Secrecy Act, the SAFE Act, and/or federal guidelines applicable to an agreement, such as those related to ethics, safety, or operational procedures. Applicants must be able to comply with U.S. Bank policies and procedures including the Code of Ethics and Business Conduct and related workplace conduct and safety policies. Posting may be closed earlier due to high volume of applicants.

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