About the position
Postion Summary:
SARAO seeks to appoint a Senior Systems Administrator to perform a role of ensuring ensuring high availability, performance, software product evaluation and testing on the computing environment including system configuration, troubleshooting, resource monitoring, administration of Storage Area Networks (SAN) software and development of specialised programs and security of systems while providing technical leadership and expertise in managing diverse operating systems, also collaborate with cross-functional teams to design, implement, and support complex IT solutions that meet business needs and objectives.
Key Responsibilities:
- Designing, setting up, and executing jobs to customise softwareExecuting software upgrades to new versions and releasesIntegrating vendor products across platformsUtilising complex installation techniques and proceduresApplying appropriate software maintenance fixesAcquiring and installing new softwareGenerating, tuning, configuring, and upgrading system softwareModifying existing software and/or creating software for specific business needsDesign, implement, and manage backup and disaster recovery solutions for critical systems (Veeam, Ceph, Spectrum Protect, Flash Copy etc
- )Design, implement & manage Virtual Tape LibraryProviding technical support in the installation and maintenance of productsProviding technical support with multi-vendor integration at all levels, i
- e
- (communication gateways, data and file servers, overall management and linking networks)Provide Tier 3 support and troubleshooting for complex system issues
- Performing software product evaluation, including planning, installation, testing, and technical support for the applicationsImplementing and using capacity management toolsDeveloping a database to maintain statistics for various hardware and software componentsMonitor system health, network performance, and system logs for proactive issue detectionImplement and manage security policies, access control, and encryption protocols across all server environments
- Conduct security audits, vulnerability assessments, and ensure compliance with industry standards
Minimum Qualification:
- Bachelors Degree / Advanced Diploma / NQF 7
Minimum Experience:
- B
- Tech IT with 13+ years; ORB
- Eng/B
- Sc Hons IT 9+ years; OR
Experience:
- 9 years of relevant experience includes:System Administrator oriented role, preferably in a high-performance computing environment
Knowledge:
- Linux system installation, configuration and administrationOperating systems (Windows, Linux, Ubuntu, etc
- )Security (intrusion detection, data backup/recovery)Scripting (Python, C C++ Programming Language)Databases (SQL etc
- )Hardware (server hardware, storage systems and other related components)Infrastructure-as-code (e
- g
- , Ansible, Puppet, Chef)Distributed monitoring and alerting (e
- g
- , Prometheus, Grafana, Elastic)Distributed logging (e
- g
- , ELK stack)Deployment (e
- g
- , MaaS, FAI)Virtualisation and containerisation (e
- g
- , Openstack, proxmox, DockerContinuous integration (e
- g
- , Jenkins, Buildbot, Github Actions)Distributed Storage (e
- g
- , Ceph, Lustre, MinIO)Knowledge of high-performance computing infrastructureKnowledge of Ethernet networks
The NRF website provides more details on the initiatives and activities Applicants should submit a comprehensive CV by registering and apply online through the NRF Recruitment and Selection Portal. Applications should be accompanied by a letter of motivation indicating the applicant·s suitability for the position. The names and contact details of at least three referees should be provided.
Desired Skills:
- Skilled in applied field of position
- Knowledge to be relevant
- Responsible in performing duties
About The Employer:
The National Research Foundation (NRF) 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) 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 telescope 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
