SKA Mid - Platform Engineer at NRF National Research Foundation

About the position

Postion Summary:
The SKA Mid-Platform Engineer works as part of the SKA-Mid Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) team within SKA-Mid Computing & Software. The SKA-Mid Platform Engineer will contribute to the development, integration, and day-to-day operation of shared platform services that underpin scientific computing and complex software systems. While contributing to platform construction and working alongside senior engineers and cross-functional teams, this role will support efforts in automation, observability, and service reliability, and will play a part in operational readiness activities as the platform transitions from construction into steady-state operations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the development and improvement of platform services supporting engineering and operational teams
• Support integration of platform services with application and infrastructure systems
• Contribute to platform automation, monitoring, and operational reliability efforts
• Develop expertise in platform engineering while contributing to continuous improvement and innovation

Minimum Qualification:

• Diploma / Advanced Certificate / NQF 6

Minimum Experience:

• 1-7 years

• National Diploma in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Electronic Engineering or equivalent qualifications coupled with 7 years’ experience, ORBTech in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Electronic Engineering or equivalent qualifications coupled with 6 years’ experience, ORBENG/MTech in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Electronic Engineering or equivalent qualifications coupled with 4 years’ experience, ORMENG in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Electronic Engineering or equivalent qualifications coupled with 3 years’ experience, ORPHD in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Electronic Engineering or equivalent qualifications coupled with 1 years’ experience

Experience:

• 2+ years demonstrated technical hands-on experience in infrastructure automation, distributed systems, observability, CI/CD, container orchestration orchestration (e
• g
• Kubernetes), DevOps/SRE practices and cloud-native technologies
• Experience working in teams or initiatives that intersect with data platforms, storage, networking, and systems engineering domains
• Experience of platform engineering practices, including infrastructure as code, observability stacks, and automated deployment pipelines
• Exposure to DevOps and SRE principles, including monitoring, alerting, incident response, and resilience engineering

Knowledge:

• Knowledge of software systems architecture, microservices, service meshes, and distributed system design
• Familiarity with networking and security in cloud or containerized environments, Understanding of storage systems (object, block, distributed), data lifecycle management, and backup strategies
• Familiarity with agile methodologies and cross-functional team delivery processes
• Exposure to control systems, data acquisition, or scientific computing platforms is advantageous

Additional Notes:
Competency – Essential: Hands-on experience (2+ years) in platform or systems engineering, preferably in infrastructure-heavy or scientific computing [URL Removed] understanding of distributed systems and the ability to implement scalable, resilient platform [URL Removed] with containerization and orchestration technologies such as Docker, Kubernetes, and [URL Removed] experience with CI/CD pipelines and automation tools (e.g., GitLab CI, ArgoCD, Jenkins, GitHub Actions).Working knowledge of infrastructure as code, monitoring/observability tools, and modern DevOps/SRE [URL Removed] skills in Linux systems administration, including basic tuning, troubleshooting, and [URL Removed] to contribute to technical planning, deliver scoped work in Agile teams, and collaborate across engineering [URL Removed] problem-solving ability with a focus on root cause analysis, operational reliability, and continuous [URL Removed] Solving & Analytical Thinking: Root cause analysis, incident response, system [URL Removed] & Collaboration: Clear articulation of technical decisions, cross-functional stakeholder engagement, feedback [URL Removed] and delivery: Proficient in backlog grooming, sprint planning, and technical delivery in Agile/DevOps [URL Removed] and knowledge sharing: Ability to produce high-quality technical documentation and share knowledge across engineering [URL Removed] learning and a passion for engineering excellenceTeamwork: Collaborate within your team and with cross functional teams with our partners. Tooling Proficiency (This is not an exhaustive list, and additional relevant experience or skills will be viewed favourably):Containerisation & Orchestration: Kubernetes, Docker, Podman, Helm, containerdHardware Acceleration: GPU, FPGA,Automation: Ansible, Terraform, Bash, Python, Systemd, PackerCI/CD: GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, ArgoCD, [URL Removed] & Observability: Prometheus, Grafana, Zabbix, ELK stack, or [URL Removed] Platforms: AWS, GCP, Azure, or [URL Removed] Values:The SKA-Mid Platform Engineer will be expected to demonstrate the SARAO and SKAO’s values, and to work actively to instil those behaviours in all SKA-Mid staff in South [URL Removed] values are:1. Diversity and Inclusion 2. 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 [URL Removed] 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) (wwww.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.