The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) is recruiting a SKA Mid–IT Officer to its Cape Town, Western Cape facility on a permanent contract. The chosen candidate will be responsible for supporting IT services to the Science Operations Centre (SOC) staff of the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) in South Africa and other locations. They will oversee the management of technical assistance and support for the SKAO desktop computing environment, which includes hardware, software, and infrastructure. Their primary goal will be to ensure that all computing resources are maintained and operational per internal service processes and the operational framework.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide technical support to stakeholders by identifying and resolving hardware and or software issues, troubleshooting and patching systems;
- Monitor network activity and identify performance issues that may need to be addressed;
- Install, configure and troubleshoot computer hardware and software;
- Conduct root cause analysis and resolution management of technical issues;
- Identify and define desktop system security requirements and provide recommendations to the team for implementation;
- Actively respond to support requests;
- Responsible for the overall management desktop vulnerability solution at the SKAO;
- Server administration for non-critical systems, including patch management;
- Print server management;
- Domain user account management;
- Administration of the organisational service desk tool;
- Documentation of standard operating procedures within the IT Service and Operations team;
- Provide input into the design of security strategies, implementation, and monitoring of security; measures for the proactive protection of desktop computer systems, networks, and information;
- Update existing security standard operating procedures and protocols for the desktop security environment;
- Configure and troubleshoot security infrastructure;
- Develop technical solutions and new security tools to help mitigate security vulnerabilities and automate repeatable tasks; and
- Manage the SKAO vulnerability management software to protect desktop computers against virus and malware threats.
Key Requirements:
Qualification:
- National Diploma (NQF6) in Computer Science / Information Systems / Information Technology or equivalent with 4 years plus relevant experience; or
- Certificate Training (A+ and N+) or equivalent with over six years of relevant experience.
Experience:
- Technical experience in providing direct IT support when required;
- Experienced in the administration of local area wired and wireless networks;
- Knowledge and experience in IT service provision;
- Experience in asset lifecycle management and software asset management;
- Experience in managing resources and prioritisation;
- A flexible team player who is adaptable to change;
- Strong communication skills with internal stakeholders;
- Able and willing to work out of regular working hours on occasion to meet service needs;
- Experience with Layer 3 configuration (Cisco or similar);
- Experience with firewall/VPN support (Cisco or similar);
- Experience with Microsoft, Apple and Google computing devices and mobile device technologies and device management systems;
- Experience with Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Online services like 365; and
- Experience Cloud products such as Dropbox and Atlassian products or similar.
Knowledge:
- Knowledge and background with IT Service Management disciplines and Frameworks such as ITIL / Cobit and Change Management Risk management, and IT policies (DRP/Security);
- Dell Hardware (Certification would be advantageous);
- Infrastructure design;
- Supply Chain Management;
- Cyber Security (Mimecast or similar);
- ICT Capex and OPEX;
- Server Administration;
- Vmware;
- Cisco CCNA (advantageous);
- MCSE; and
- Mimecast.
Additional Notes:
The successful candidate must possess the following abilities/skills/competencies:
- Strong critical thinking and decision-making skills;
- Capacity to assess, learn and adopt new IT technologies;
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills for managing teams and internal and external stakeholders; and
- Personal integrity in handling sensitive and personal data.
How to Apply
Interested applicants should submit a comprehensive CV here by 17 July 2023. Applicants should also include a motivation letter in their applications, demonstrating their eligibility for the role. In addition, applicants must provide at least three referees’ names and contact information.
South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF) offers a challenging career and competitive remuneration package commensurate with qualifications and experience. Also, the NRF is committed to employment equity and redress, and appointments to the position will align with the NRF Employment Equity Plan. In addition, the NRF reserves the right not to make an appointment and will send correspondence to short-listed candidates only.
For information regarding the opening, click here.
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