Contract type: PermanentJob Level: ManagementWork Location: Cape Town, Western CapeClosing Date: 28 April 2024The National Research Foundation (NRF) (www.nrf.ac.za) supports and promotes research and human capital development through funding, the provision of National Research Facilities and science outreach platforms and programmes to the broader community in all fields of science and technology, including natural sciences, engineering, social sciences and humanities.The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) (www.sarao.ac.za) spearheads South Africa’s activities in the Square Kilometre Array Radio Telescope, commonly known as the SKA, in engineering, science and construction. SARAO is a National Facility managed by the National Research Foundation and incorporates radio astronomy instruments and programmes such as the MeerKAT in the Karoo, the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO) in Gauteng, the African Very Long Baseline Interferometry (AVN) programme in nine African countries as well as the associated human capital development and commercialisation endeavours.The Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) (www.skao.int) is a next-generation global radio-astronomy facility that will revolutionise our understanding of the Universe and the laws of fundamental physics. It is one observatory with two telescopes – SKA-Mid in South Africa and SKA-Low in Western Australia. South Africa is a co-host member of the SKAO, an intergovernmental organisation headquartered at Jodrell Bank (near Manchester in the United Kingdom) responsible for SKAO construction and operations globally.The Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) Manager – SKA-Mid, is responsible for building and leading the Site Reliability Engineering team for the SKA-Mid telescope in South Africa. This role will use Site Reliability Engineering and other leading principles to support the planning, monitoring, and controlling of the day-to-day operations and delivery aspects of the global IT and Networks of the Observatory, with a particular focus on the systems in South Africa. The construction of the SKA software and computing systems adheres to large scale agile principles, using an SKA tailored version of the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe); this role will be a key stakeholder within this framework as it evolves from construction to operations. This role is also an active participant in implementing all aspects of Site Reliability Engineering across the Global Observatory, including technical vision, observability, automation strategy, solution delivery, and platform incident and problem management. This is a leadership role with both technical and people leadership responsibilities. As such, this role participates in short and long-term system and capability planning, teams and organizational planning. This position reports directly to the SKA-Mid Head of Computing and Software.Key Responsibilities:* Build, lead and manage the SRE and IT Telescope Operations Team.* Operations and Service management – Work with SKAO, SKA-Low and stakeholders within SKA-Mid to develop and detail Computing and Software operations and service framework, processes and tools required to operate the telescope as intended.* Service delivery and support – Continuously assess and recommend improvements to our platform and processes to enhance the effectiveness of our services.* Infrastructure, network and platform management.* Support telescope construction and deployment.Key Requirements:Qualification:* BTech/ Degree/ Masters/ PHD in Computer Science, Information Technology, Information Systems, Computer Engineering or related fieldsExperience:* BTech in Computer Science, Information Technology, Information Systems, Computer Engineering or related fields coupled with 13 years’ relevant working experience; or Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Information Systems, Computer Engineering or related fields coupled with 9 yearsrelevant working experience; or Master’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Information Systems, Computer Engineering or related fields coupled with 7 yearsrelevant working experience; or PHD in Computer Science, Information Technology, Information Systems, Computer Engineering or related fields coupled with 5 years’ relevant working experience.* Computer and network infrastructure implementation* IT service, operations and management, including significant responsibility over Service Level Agreements* IT Infrastructure or software Team leadership* IT Architecture and Governance* Project management* IT systems engineering, application support, and user management* IT governance and security* Data governance and security* IT availability, resilience and redundancy* Systems analysis, design and engineering* Experience in supporting distributed software systems in a production environment such as Cloud and/or Data Centres* Procurement and IT asset managementKnowledge:* Track record of building and managing high-performance teams in a Software, IT or Technology related industry or organisation.* Experience in asset lifecycle management and software asset management.* Experience in managing resources and prioritisation.* Knowledge and background with IT Service Management disciplines and Frameworks such as ITIL and Change Management.* Experience of Lean Agile project management.* Experience of working in a globally diverse team.* Programming/scripting experience and capability across multiple platforms.Additional Notes:SKILLS/ABILITIES/COMPENTENCIES:Essential:* Experience working with Linux and within the Open Source Software Ecosystem* Experience with DevOps tools, processes and culture.* Experience and/or certification and knowledge in SRE, ITIL or related IT Management processes.* Experience supporting and maintaining large-scale High-Performance Computing (HPC) and storage systems.* Advanced experience with programming and/or scripting languages such as Python.Desirable:* Certification in Project management* Experience in agile project management e.g. SAFe, Scrum.* Demonstrate interest in astronomy and understanding of the challenges of controlling telescopes similar to SKA.* Strong Leadership Quality* Strategic thinker* Problem solving skills* Planning and Time Management* Team building and collaboration* Resource Management* Planning and Design* Communication and Interpersonal skillsSkills:* Teamwork and Collaboration: Cooperates with others to achieve organisational objectives and may share team resources in order to do this. Collaborates with other teams as well as industry colleagues.* Influence and Communication: Identifies critical stakeholders and influences them via an influential third party, for example through an established network, to gain support for sometimes contentious proposals/ideas.* Resource Management/Leadership: Provides leadership that fosters an environment that encourages new ideas and provides support for the development of emerging skills. Creates trust by displaying consistency, understanding, integrity and patience. Plans, seeks, allocates and monitors resources to achieve outcomes.* Judgement and Problem Solving: Anticipates and manages problems in ambiguous situations. Develops and selects an appropriate course of action and provides for contingencies. Evaluates, interprets and integrates complex bodies of information and draws logical conclusions, synthesises proposals and defends options with reasoned arguments.* Independence: Assesses the risk and opportunity of identified strategies, options and actions. Overcomes problems and setbacks in achieving goals. Invariably includes consideration of value-added future impact on the bottom line when determining the optimal andefficient use of resources.* Adaptability: Demonstrates flexibility in thinking and adapts to and manages the increasing rate of organisational change by adjustingstrategies, goals and priorities.Organisational Values:The SKA-Mid Site Reliability Engineering Manager will be expected to demonstrate the SARAO and SKAOs values, and to work actively to instil those behaviours in all SKA-Mid staff in South Africa.SKAO’s values are:1. Diversity and Inclusion2. Excellence3. Collaboration4. Creativity and Innovation5. SustainabilitySARAO’s values are:1. Passion for Excellence2. World-class service3. People-centered4. Respect5. Integrity and Ethics6. AccountabilityBoth SARAO and SKAO value and respect difference and are committed to building an inclusive culture by creating an environment where you can balance a successful career with your commitments and interests outside of work. We believe that you will do your best at work if you have a work / life balance. Some roles lend themselves to flexible options more than others, so if this is important to you, please raise this during your interview, as we are open to discussing flexible working opportunities during the hiring process.Information:The website www.nrf.ac.za provides more details on the NRF initiatives and activities.Applications:Applicants should submit a comprehensive CV by logging to https://ess.nrf.ac.za/Account/Recruitment and apply online. Applications should be accompanied by a letter of motivation indicating the applicants suitability for the position. The names and contact details of at least three referees should be provided.Closing Date: 28 April 2024The NRF offers a challenging career and competitive remuneration package which is commensurate with qualifications and experience.The NRF is committed to employment equity and redress and the appointment to the position will be made in line with the NRF Employment Equity Plan.The NRF reserves the right not to make an appointment.Correspondence will be sent to short-listed candidates only#J-18808-Ljbffr