COBOL Programmer Analyst

COBOL Programmer Analyst

Hybrid Work Schedule

Buffalo, New York

Merchants Insurance Group, is a leading Property and Casualty Insurer in the Northeast, and is looking for an experienced COBOL Programmer Analyst to join our Information Technology team located in Buffalo, New York.

The COBOL Programmer Analyst will become part of a dedicated Information Technology team focusing on COBOL development, integration with other systems, technical documentation and testing requirements associated with required tasks.

Merchants Insurance Group, rated A- (Excellent) with a stable outlook by the A.M. Best Company, is proud to be one of Buffalo Business First ’s Best Places to Work in Western New York (2023-2025), a Fast Track company (2019-2025), and a Top Private Company (2019-2025). Merchants was also granted the Ward’s 50® designation as a top-performing property-casualty insurance company for four consecutive years (2021-2024) and has been granted the Ivans Spark Award for innovation (2024-2025). In October 2024, Newsweek and Statista included Merchants Insurance Group on their first-ever America’s Most Reliable Companies list, which highlights organizations that other companies can feel confident doing business with in 2025. Of 1,500 B2B companies evaluated, Merchants was one of only 300 companies to make the list.

Merchants offers its colleagues a Hybrid work schedule. The Hybrid work schedule requires 8 full days per month in the office, with the option to work the remaining days at home or in the office. This exciting Hybrid Work benefit offers colleagues a flexible work schedule with the ability to remain connected with their Merchants team and colleagues.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Responsibilities of this position will be focused on development and maintenance of COBOL programs and supporting integration with connecting systems.


• Communicate with business users to ensure the full understanding of business requirements.


• Analyze business requirements to determine scope of changes and provide estimates of work effort.


• Carry out programming tasks required for completion of an assignment in a professional manner.


• Ensure coding structure complies with IT standards i.e. documentation, naming conventions. Complete work within project timeline expectations.


• Responsible for unit and system testing of changes to ensure solutions operate according to specifications.


• Provides appropriate turnover documentation including test results and special instructions, at each development phase.


• Responsible for analysis, programming, and testing requirements as assigned.

Qualifications & Skills:

• Qualified candidates should have a 4 year degree or equivalent work related experience.


• Five or more year’s practical program/analyst development experience. Prior experience with insurance or financial institution automation systems preferred.


• Experience with COBOL/400 or mainframe environments.


• Experience with DB2 database concepts, Apache, IIS, Query/400, and SQL are helpful.


• Highly desired skill sets include COBOL/400, OPMILE, Query/400, CL and any web development technologies and tools.


• Knowledge of system integrations and experience in triage of production issues.

Merchants Insurance Group Pay information:

Merchants Insurance Group offers a competitive pay scale. Merchants Insurance Group offers a competitive pay scale. The estimated salary for this role ranges from $65,000 - $95,000 based on leveling and geography, along with an equity component and a comprehensive benefits package. This range is merely an estimate; actual compensation may deviate from this range based on skills, experience and qualifications.

Merchants Insurance Group Benefits:

• Welcoming and positive work environment


• Flexible work arrangements, including flex scheduling and summer hours


• Hybrid work schedule requires 8 full days per month in the office, with the option to work the remaining days per month at home or in the office. This exciting new Hybrid Work benefit will offer colleagues a flexible work schedule with the ability to remain connected with your Merchants team and colleagues.


• Colleague Appreciation Events.


• Competitive pay scale


• Generous paid time off package


• Full Benefits: Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short Term Disability, 401(k) employer match amount is 100% up to 6% of your annual contributions. You are immediately 100% vested in the employer match dollars.


• Outstanding company bonus program


• Tuition Reimbursement

And many more exciting company benefits!!

Merchants Insurance Group is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status. Merchants Insurance Group supports a safe workplace through pre-employment background screenings.