Senior Technical Specialist

SUMMARY:
Senior Technical Specialist | Johannesburg OR Paarl, Western Cape (Hybrid)

POSITION INFO:

Senior Technical Specialist

Johannesburg OR Paarl, Western Cape (Hybrid)

Join a global company in a critical technical position, supporting plants, factories and offices across Africa, Europe and the Middle east. You will co-ordinate and deliver end user and infrastructure support over EMEA region, with specific focus to South and East African sites, and to contribute to specific EMEA wide IT infrastructure projects. Ensure that a high level of customer service and support is provided to all internal and external customers. High back-office technical expertise in domain of infrastructure and network management is required. Deployment and enforcement of IT Policies, Governance and Strategy as directed and defined by Group and EMEA IT Organisation. The successful applicant is acting in a similar role for 5 years minimum in a structured, geographically distributed, industrial company.

While this role will have direct reports, this is not a focused management role. It is a hands-on technical role best suited to a level 2 or 3 who has the ability to lead and organise direct reports, managed services reports and vendors across the globe. This role will keep you busy with various projects in various areas and locations. While most of the work can be done remotely from one of the SA offices, you will do some travel between the South African, African and international offices and plants for curtesy visits as you take on the role as the face of infrastructure and support management for the international group.

Key Performance Areas:

Business Support and communication:

• Organise end user and infrastructure support through tools and resources in place, improve continuously the service through KPI management.
• Make sure local key executive is aware of IT procedures and policies.
• Guide and advise business leaders on the best practices to apply for a high and secure business productivity.
• Process requests and changes according to the global policies and align with the best practices shared into the EMEA IT team.

Technology Support:

• Responding to breakdowns. Installing, configuring, and troubleshooting hardware, software, virtual environment, networks, industrial environment.
• Interfacing with vendors and suppliers where appropriate and ensuring that service is being restored with minimum possible impact on operations.
• Providing support for MAC and PC/Laptop/Tablet/Mobile/MFP Device.
• Act as an IT technical resource for technology project implementation.
• Recommend and implement appropriate hardware and software solutions under the direction of the Manager of Technology Services.
• Always conform to the groups’ change management processes and governance.

Project Delivery:

• Technical skills are required to operate, maintain, support, and contribute to the evolution of the existing infrastructure serving the main production system for the entire EMEA region.
• This includes back/ front office, network, and peripherals components.
• The incumbent must also be able to manage infrastructure project, maintaining timeline, budget and providing clear reporting to management.

Operations:

• Monitor systems resources including uptime, hardware, software, and network.
• Manage and perform maintenance to hardware and software.
• Perform administrative support duties as required to meet specific operational objectives.
• Work extra hours to meet deadlines, as required and where reasonable e.g., global project work between multi-time-zone locations.
• Ensure network and business systems are secure and always protected from virus infection.

Vendors:

• Maintain appropriate vendor support relationships.
• Monitor and discuss vendor performance monthly and negotiate, agree and purchase support credits where appropriate.
• Ensure SLA’s are adhered to, escalate where necessary and provide a monthly performance report to the Manager of Technology Services.
• Develop a communications plan to provide enhanced vendor visibility and monitoring.

Policy, Process and Procedure:

• Provide education and mentoring to all users when implementing and enforcing IT policy process and procedures.
• Work with local Sarbanes Oxley representative when appropriate to ensure compliance of IT financial and security controls.
• Highlight breaches and risks to Manager of Technology Services where necessary.

People:

• Ensure all employees are always treated with patience and consideration.
• Own their problems, empathise with their predicament, and communicate progress (or lack of) at regular intervals.

Requirements:

Mandatory:

• Advanced skills in operating and supporting virtual environments made of Hypervisors (hyperV/VMware) + Network Attached Storage management.
• Advanced Skills in operating and maintaining Large and local scale network made of SDWAN, LAN, ISPs, VPNs, Switches CLI config for VLANs, WIFI, etc.
• Very good knowledge in deploying and supporting Microsoft enterprise technologies and cloud services, like complex AD configurations, GPOs, Windows Servers modules, RDP terminal servers, scripting, etc.
• Advanced technical ability to manage and support applications and network software. Ability to select, install, maintain and upgrade all hardware.
• Multi-Site Backups
• End Point security administration
• Sourcing, negotiating and procurement of IT components and services, maintaining relationships with 3rd party suppliers and partners.

Desirable:

• Industrial IT experience: thin clients, industrial PC and devices, PLCs for shop floor data collection, barcode printers, barcode scanners, etc.
• Database Administrator experience, especially on Microsoft SQL Server
• Mac Os X administration in a complex network environment
• Citrix based application delivery.
• IT Security expertise
• Driver’s License
• Must be willing to travel

NB! This job is now closed. You can apply for other jobs by uploading your CV.