IT Contractors UK Profile
Ashlin Joseph
Senior IBM Integration SME | IBM MQ | IBM ACE | Apache Kafka
Verified email
Founding Contractor · 2026
Contractor snapshot
Primary specialism
Architecture
Location / working location
London
Current availability
Available now
Confirmed 10 Aug 2026
Profile status
Active contractor profile
Professional profile
Principal Integration Architect with 15+ years of experience designing, developing and modernising missioncritical integration platforms using IBM MQ and IBM App Connect Enterprise (ACE). Former IBM Hursley software engineer who developed IBM MQ and ACE products, providing rare code-level insight into the architecture, internals and behaviour of the technologies. Selected to join IBM Expert Labs, IBM's premier consulting organisation, where I delivered complex integration and messaging solutions for enterprise customers across 22 countries worldwide. Recognised specialist in enterprise integration architecture, IBM MQ, ACE/IIB migration, financial messaging, event-driven architectures, OpenShift and high-availability solutions. Combines deep product knowledge with hands-on delivery experience gained from product engineering, global consulting and independent architecture engagements.
Core skills
IBM MQ
IBM ACE
Integration SME
Apache Kafka
What I’m looking for next
Target roles: MQ ACE contractor
Contract preferences
Working preferenceRemote · Hybrid
Will workUK
IR35 preferenceOutside IR35
Expected rate
£650+/day
SeniorityPrincipal
Contract length6–12 months · 12+ months
Contracting experience5 years
Available from10 Aug 2026
Relevant work experience
MQ SME @ Alliance Healthcare (Cencora), United Kingdom: Engaged to assess, modernise and improve the resilience, security and operational maturity of the enterprise IBM MQ estate. Designed and implemented High Availability architecture using RDQM. Onboarded several MQ Client Applications working with the Architecture Board to design message flows. Led security hardening for Integraions and implemented MQ Security best practices (TLS mutual auth, CHLAUTH etc). Developed MQ change management, upgrade and patching procedures. Implemented automated backup, monitoring and alerting solutions. Delivered MQ training and knowledge transfer to internal engineering teams. ACE SME @ AGC Glass Europe via IBM Belgium: Engaged by IBM Expert Labs as a business partner to lead a strategic migration programme from IBM Integration Bus v9 to IBM App Connect Enterprise v12 on Red Hat OpenShift. Analysed and migrated 240 production integration services supporting critical business operations. Conducted migration assessments using IBM Cloud Transformation Advisor. Migrated User Defined Properties (IIB) to Policy-based configuration (ACE). Reworked ESQL and Java Compute Node implementations to remove deprecated functionality. Migrated MQ connectivity from bindings mode to MQ on OpenShift. Designed and implemented OpenShift deployment architecture and operational procedures. Optimised licensing and infrastructure requirements for the target platform. MQ Appliance SME @ AIB Group, Ireland Provided architecture, migration and operational expertise for one of Ireland’s largest banking groups. Led migration of production messaging infrastructure from distributed platforms to IBM MQ Appliance. Delivered migration from MQ Appliance v2001 to v2002 platforms. Designed High Availability
Experience & credentials
Certifications, sector experience and security clearance are self-declared unless specifically marked as independently verified by IT Contractors UK.
Sector experience
Financial services · Government agencies
Contact details are controlled by the contractor and are not displayed automatically. Profile information is self-declared unless explicitly marked as verified.