Senior COBOL Engineer & AI Innovator

Rivant is recruiting a Senior COBOL Engineer & AI Innovator for a major Belgian insurer in Brussels. The role is a 12-month contract with possibility of extension, working on a strategic Employee Benefits platform that manages group insurance and healthcare contracts. As Senior COBOL Engineer & AI Innovator, you own development, technical analysis, production support and maintenance on a Micro Focus Enterprise Server estate (COBOL, SQL Server, online and batch), and you help the organisation use Generative AI and Microsoft Copilot to improve analysis, documentation, testing, code quality and modernisation — bridging proven legacy technology and pragmatic innovation.

Responsibilities include designing effective, maintainable and performant technical solutions with functional designers; taking ownership of important applications, batch processes, incidents and technical improvements; ensuring correct deployment across environments and validating solutions through appropriate testing; maintaining technical patrimony quality and anticipating the impact of new developments; identifying and resolving technical implementation issues, including production and performance problems; coaching less experienced colleagues and sharing knowledge within the team; contributing to modernisation initiatives and the future direction of the application landscape; and exploring Generative AI and Microsoft Copilot for analysis, documentation, testing, code quality and developer productivity.

Business experience required: working in a large IT organisation with transversal stakeholders, analysing complex business processes and translating them into reliable technical solutions, and proven ownership of critical applications, incidents and production processes (all mandatory); insurance or banking experience is preferable.

Functional experience required: functional analysis knowledge for IT projects, structured testing and test automation concepts, and database and data model design (all mandatory).

Technical experience required: advanced COBOL application development (10+ years), strong SQL / DB2 or SQL Server knowledge including performance (10+), technical analysis, solution design, debugging and troubleshooting (10+), testing, deployment and production support (10+), application modernisation and integration with other technologies (10+), and strong interest in Generative AI, Microsoft Copilot and intelligent automation (mandatory).

Preferable: practical experience with Generative AI, Microsoft Copilot, GitHub Copilot or intelligent automation, and experience with AI-assisted software development.

Language requirements: English (basic speaking, good reading, basic writing) is mandatory; Dutch and French at fluent level are required (the text says 'Dutch or French fluent · both understood · English' — but the table marks Dutch and French as not mandatory individually; we'll state as per the table). Soft skills include logical and methodical insight, autonomy and collaboration, clear communication with a coaching mindset, ownership of running requests, and curiosity about new technologies.

The estimated daily rate is EUR 610-740, and the start date is ASAP. Work location is Brussels centre, typically 2 days per week at the office, with remote/telework from Belgium only.