CAREER OPPORTUNITY

The CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) is a leading scientific and technology research organisation, implementing projects throughout Africa and making a difference in people’s lives.

Systems Administrator: SANReN

About the job:
CSIR Meraka Institute, a unit of the CSIR which focuses on information and communications technology (ICT), has a vacancy for a Systems Administrator in the SANReN competency area. This position is responsible for server platforms used by the SANReN team. The duties include commissioning, configuration, maintenance and decommissioning of hardware and software that support the day-to-day activities of SANReN, including platforms that enable the delivery of value-added service to the science and education user-base of SANReN. The position is based in Pretoria.Key responsibilities:

- Take ownership of server administration, and support the integration of desktop applications used by SANReN (excluding general support of desktop systems).
- Responsible for the performance of the SANReN server systems in terms of capacity planning, upgrades, updates and repairs, configuration and installation of new software and hardware, security and backups.
- Continuously compare, evaluate and select software and hardware systems that best support the strategic objectives of the SANReN technical team.
- Establish server administration procedures and standards (including rigorous change management) that improve efficiency and streamline the work-flow of the SANReN technical team.
- Participate in the design of products and services built on top of server platforms, and give guidance as an expert systems administrator.

Qualifications, skills and experience:

- A national diploma or a Bachelor’s degree in electrical, electronic or computer engineering, computer or information science, information technology or information and communication technology.
- One relevant industry qualification (ITIL, LPC, IT Service management or Unix/Linux certification, such as RHCE or NLCE) with three years of work experience.
- Experience with administration of server platforms and operating systems (Linux/UNIX).
- An in-depth understanding of systems (computer architecture, operating systems design and operations, systems software, protocols and interfaces).
- Ability to identify inefficiencies, poor technical choices, and implement corrective action with minimal disruption to the day-to-day operations of the users.
- Ability to apply basic project management techniques to roll-out and migration tasks.


PLEASE NOTE THAT FEEDBACK WILL BE GIVEN TO SHORTLISTED CANDIDATES ONLY.

Closing date: 6th February 2015

The CSIR is a responsible employer; we have put measures in place to ensure that equity is implemented such that it best serves the interests of the organisation and South Africa as a whole. This speaks to the CSIR’s commitment to the Employment Equity Act of 1998. By applying for this position at the CSIR, the applicant understands, consents and agrees that the CSIR may solicit a credit and criminal report from a registered credit bureau and/or SAPS (in relation to positions that require trust and honesty and/or entail the handling of cash or finances) and may also verify the applicant’s educational qualifications and employment history. The CSIR reserves the right to remove the advertisement at any time before the stated closing date and it further reserves the right not to appoint if a suitable candidate is not identified.