Head Infrastructure Network

SUMMARY:
Infrastructure Network

POSITION INFO:

Head:  Infrastructure Network:  Cape Town

The provision of cost effective, efficient, stable, and secure network infrastructure shared services including Data/Voice/Video network (WAN/LAN/WLAN) for all participating businesses in the Client Group, across the geographies of a global organisation as per agreed services levels focussed on Infrastructure as a Service Platforms.

Defining and implementing the SGT Shared Network strategy and delivering networking infrastructure services supporting the Client Technology strategy. The role will work closely across the Client Group businesses, vendors, business partners and Public Cloud Service Providers to design and implement a clear roadmap for ensuring delivery of On-premises Private and Hybrid infrastructure services.

Understanding and deep curiosity about emergent IT and Infrastructure trends, notably software-defined network, Infrastructure as Code, Hyper-convergence, DevSecOps, Containerisation, Micro services, some application coding skills in addition to systems knowledge.

• Rigorous budget, cost recovery and charge back mechanisms and procedures.
• Continuous standardisation, consolidation, and optimisation of shared networking across the Group.
• Delivery on the Software defined strategy for WAN and Data Centre including the technology, process, and engineering to enable and maintain it.
• Managing outsourced services delivery and relationships.
• Engaging with Client Group Business Units to understand their strategy and business requirements to ensure alignment of the SGT services offered.
• Technology Strategy Execution and delivery of business requirements.
• Knowledge of contracting trends, licensing models, and traditional and emerging contract and
• Vendor performance models.
• Strong project and process management skills, with the ability to handle multiple vendors and multiple contracts, as well as a wide range of tasks.
• Knowledge of best practices for IT contract negotiation tactics and strategies.
• Inventory accuracy in support of our security, billing, and recovery objectives per instance.
• A zero-tolerance attitude to non-compliance of security framework including patch management, hardening, user access reviews and technical debt.

Outputs:

• An understanding and deep curiosity about emergent IT, Networking and Infrastructure trends as referenced above.
• Achievement of stringent SLA’s and mean time to restore of 2 hours for business-critical systems.
• Accurate inventory of all networking platforms provisioned in Client Group Data Centres and Cloud platforms.
• Accountable for the provision of cost effective, efficient, stable, and secure networking shared services for all participating businesses in the Client Group, across the geographies of a global organisation as per agreed services levels.
• Ongoing Cost optimisation.
• Expense and income management.
• Agile solutions delivery for new business requirements.
• Managing Shared Network Infrastructure risks on behalf of businesses.
• Providing support for all business change initiatives where IT support and guidance is required.
• Maintain and enhance technical hybrid cloud and software defined networking platform.
• Accountable for request, incident, problem, change, release processes and configuration management adherence for areas of responsibility.
• Expose networking APIs to enable self-service provisioning of compute and networking infrastructure.
• Support the development of future roadmaps
• For technologies that the business is accountable for.
• Development of Policies, Standards, Procedures and Guidelines for responsible areas.
• Management of business partners
• Risk Management including the avoidance of repeat audit findings.
• People Management
• Customisation of solutions for diverse business requirements
• A constantly declining unit price if networking infrastructure components measured budget to budget each year.
• Ensuring continuity (Resilience Engineering) of all Client Core connectivity platforms delivered through SGT.
• Align network platforms ways of work with Data Driven Lean and Agile solutions delivery for new business requirements
• Instil a culture of automation in all provisioning and lifecycle tasks for on premise, and cloud provisioned network platform services.
• Build a competence of scripting and automation within Networking Platform team to enable future efficiencies
• Enable and Integrate Networking Infrastructure (on premise and cloud based) to development environment practices for improved DevOps experience
• Ensure proper integration of security practices and toolsets into the Networking Platform environment for proper security protection (patching, vulnerability, authentication, event, intrusion protection, etc.) for on premise and cloud protection
• Ensure use of cloud-based toolsets for vulnerability protection, policy compliance and patching where appropriate to supplement Client provisioned tools.
• Enable strategy and decision making of the correct networking platform, together with easy integration between on premise and respective cloud platforms.
• Networking Platform Design in support of deployments for Africa Operations and related technology risks on behalf of the business.

Knowledge and Experience:

• Extensive (10+ years) technical, operations, risk, and business management experience in complex large technology environments (at least 10 years of which 5 years is in a senior management role
• Understanding the current state and strategic direction of Networking Infrastructure.
• Understanding software defined networking and automation.
• Understanding and experience of Cloud competencies.
• Understanding and experience of Cisco product suite, WAN, UTP Cabling, Knowledge of the Network service providers’ technologies, Wireless.
• Understanding the business climate and technology needs in the global enterprise, servicing multiple client requirements.
• Understanding and experience of IT cost management and charge out mechanisms.
• Understanding of Software Defined Data Centre technologies and operating models.
• Extensive experience in managing Vendor and outsource relationships including risk and financial management.
• In depth experience in the IT environment across the areas of responsibility including but not limited to networking, physical datacentres, remote sites, and enterprise data centre technologies and services.
• Dealing with enterprise customers and Global suppliers and vendors.
• Negotiation across the geographies and cultures of a global organisation.
• Experience of a multi-vendor, multi-Client Environment.
• Management and recovery on large Infrastructure budgets.
• Extensive experience in managing service level agreements.
• Extensive experience of managing project oversight.
• Rest of Africa experience would be valuable.

Qualifications:

• Appropriate Technical degree in Information Systems/Commerce

Recruitment Note:

• Communication will only be with shortlisted candidates
• --------Please upload your CV here--------

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