“We encourage people with disabilities to apply.”Summary:The Applications Specialist (L2) is responsible for the effective provision of strong technical expertise with regards to the development of technical infrastructure underpinning complex business in order to enable data acquisition and reporting function inclusive of SAP source applications (SAP ECC and SAP S4), Data warehouses (SQL), ETL tools (SAP DS, SAP SLT, Alteryx, Data IKU), RPA (UI Path) and Visualization tools (Tableau, Power BI, SAC). The role is also expected to play an integral part in ensuring the sustainability and overall integrity of the overall integrated application landscape including design principles, testing & problem solving as well as optimization specific to the ETL, Data and BI function. Consult and support the service or project teams to implement technical solutionsResponsibilities:Systems Integrity and Integration specific to the Data, ETL and BI application landscape• Maintain and oversee version control on the OS and application layers.• Maintain, manage and update technical system documentation where relevant, in conjunction with the Service Provider where required.• Ensure that integration layers across the application landscape are considered and that changes in a specific area do not negatively impact related or peripheral applications and systems.• Work with the BA’s across the respective Product Teams to gather information from customers to determine business, auditing, and system requirements.• With the strong understanding of ETL (Extract, Transform and Load) identify valuable data sources and automate data acquisition processes with a key focus on removing duplication.• Ensure system access and governance controls are in place and adhered to.Systems Performance:• Minimize service disruptions and facilitate business operations which largely include Group reporting and BI to support a data driven organization.• Ensure that applications specific to this function are performing as expected and that degradation issues are escalated, investigated and resolved.• Facilitate and co-ordinate discussions with respective business owners to interpret, assess, and evaluate business requirements in order to establish project scope and design criteria specific to capacity planning.• Propose modifications and enhancements to existing applications to improve their functionality and to address any technical issues that arise.• Identify core processes and measures required to optimize performance thereby ensuring successful solution implementation.• Ensure effective data warehouse and Database administration management. Collaborate with relevant Group Technology teams to design and develop applications related database/s.• Undertake pre-processing of structured and unstructured dataSystems Support:• Provide technical support and assistance with daily operations of application (BAU).• Investigate and resolve identified discrepancies and specific application errors. Recommend solutions to the Senior Manager II: ETL, Data and BI.• Provide effective systems Analysis by determining how a system should operate, how it changes in certain conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.• Identify complex problems and review related information, working with large amounts of data to develop, evaluate and implement solutions based on discovered trends and patterns.• Facilitate issue resolution between multiple Service Providers in line with the approved service level agreements.• Resolve calls and incidents within the assigned SLA including the timeous update of calls on Service Now to ensure that progress is relevant and accurate.• Escalate any recurring incidents or issues for remediation by the relevant Service Provider, Business Owner or Product Team.Data accuracy and Reporting:• Assess the relevance of business queries pertaining to the provision of data and recommend/facilitate the appropriate process in which to make the data available (Data acquisition)• Develop and maintain processes and standards to enable data access and or reporting. This could extend to the use of visualization tools• Address diverse and unusual problems by analysing large volumes of data where considerable interpretation of processes is required• Conduct business& data analysis, determine & implement a course of action, set priorities, recognize and consider changing events & conditions during projects and Business as usual activities.• Adapt techniques and interpret or modify procedures to achieve objectives where any changes are within the agreed project scopeSystems Design and Architecture (Technical skills):• Create and document functional specifications for all enhancements and projects identified as part of the current Group strategy, business demand and governance processes.• Review and approve Lean Business Case and Change requests to ensure that all requirements are met and that proposed solutions are sustainable and achievable.• Provide insight into the applicability and relevance of new business requirements and the prioritization of deliverables• Engage with the Product Managers, Business Analysts and Service Providers to refine business requirements and ensure that an optimal functional and technical design is achieved.• Influence the design of new systems and/or enhancements together with the relevant Group Tech teams.• Consult and support the service or project teams to implement technical solutions that meet client and business requirements in support of the Massmart Group strategy.• Provide solution design services as part of a new system implementation or new integration requirements in the capacity of a subject matter expert• Provide project management support by tracking project steps and process flow. Make recommendations where required.• Complete the technical design with detailed specifications, programming system components, as well as system integration to support an agile project framework• Develop complex queries using basic Business Intelligence tools• Using the understanding of Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing principles, ensure maintenance of consistent, accurate, and up-to-date data• Drive new application software specifications that encompass functional, programming, and system process flows.• Provide walkthroughs of systems and their interconnectivity with other applications in the organization and maintain a current architecture diagram of your relevant systemsTesting:• Create and document comprehensive test plans/packs• Define, develop, and perform application testing procedures• Perform unit and integration testing as part of the project/enhancement lifecycle• Accurately record any issues and communicate these backs to the relevant Business Analyst, Project Manager, Product Manager and Service Provider and determine the timeline impact for remediation.• Perform end-to-end testing of resolved issuesStakeholder Engagement:• Maintain stakeholder relationships across the business to ensure the adoption of operational innovation and to maximise the achievement of business goals.• Leverage stakeholder relationships to drive the delivery of efficiencies in relation to the specific business applications.• Collaborate with Group Tech teams on Tech solutions.• Ensure appropriate measures are in place for value realizationResearch and Thought Leadership:• Remain current with changes in the applications landscape• Research and share innovations in the applications landscape with Group Tech teams and business stakeholders• Use understanding of the applications innovation to optimize your current environment and create sustainable, long-term solutions.• Understanding of Data Lakes and the various use cases supported.• Mentor Applications Specialist (L1) associates.Requirements:Minimum Academic, Professional Qualifications and Experience required for this position• IT Degree or Diploma with SAP Certification / comparable systems certification.• ASAP Certified / comparable other systems certification.• Knowledge of Python advantageous.• Minimum 5 years related ETL tools like SAP or other systems experience.• Extensive experience implementing solutions using Azure or SQL.• 5 completed SAP/relevant other systems implementation projects.• Possess a high level of Technical Proficiency with the ability to determine how a software solution fits into an organization’s current landscape and assists in the development of specifications and requirements.• Solid understanding of Big Data technologies like Hadoop, GCP and Spark as well as event processing or message ingestion services like Kafka.• Exposure and proficiency in visualization tools (I.E: Tableau) advantageous.• An expert understanding of ETL and integration.• Strong SQL skills with proficiency in SSIS and T-SQL is advantageous.• Experience in SQL Server management Studio and Visual Studio advantageous.#J-18808-Ljbffr