Job Description

Additional information:

• The SA Medical Research Council/Wits University Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt) is an exceptional health and population research centre in the Wits School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences
• The School has several strong divisions that include a major work on Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Health Policy and Health Economics, and a sister Demography and Population Studies programme
• The Unit's Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure supports a 'big data' health and population research data resource resulting from three decades of health and socio[1]demographic surveillance, a form of longitudinal population registration, coupled with observational and intervention studies along the life course
• These involve collaborations with an interdisciplinary network of leading global scientists
• The ICT infrastructure comprises state-of-the-art data centres distributed across 3 rural and urban sites, including robust storage solutions, advanced networking capabilities and high-performance data processing servers
• Together, these components form a framework that supports a wide range of scientific research endeavours and data science initiatives for driving innovation
• The successful candidate will join a talented and hardworking team addressing some of the country and region's most pressing health and development challenges
• Work links closely to leading national, regional and global R&D networks
• Personal academic and professional development is encouraged

Main purpose of the job:

• An exciting and challenging position to oversee the management, maintenance and further development of technological infrastructure and Information and Communication Technology systems in an internationally recognised, high-functioning research unit with 30 years of big longitudinal data.
• The position entails:

• technology infrastructure management
• information and network security
• compliance and governance
• emerging technology evaluation, and user support and training of administrative, scientific and technical staff

Location:

• Agincourt - Bushbuckridge (Mpumalanga Province)

Key performance areas:

• Developing and executing ICT strategies to advance the Unit's goals, objectives, and overall strategy
• Overseeing the design, implementation, and maintenance of the Unit's ICT infrastructure, including networks, servers, and data centres, to ensure high availability and reliability
• Managing and improving cybersecurity measures to protect the Unit's data and systems from threats, breaches, and vulnerabilities
• ICT budget planning and cost control, optimizing ICT spending while delivering necessary services and projects
• Delivery of ICT services and support to end-users across disciplines and capacities, including monitoring service levels, incident management, and problem resolution
• Supporting and training the unit's administrative, scientific and technical staff to ensure that all are aware of new technical advances and ICT changes that may impact and facilitate their day-to-day work
• Ensuring that the Unit's ICT operations and projects adhere to relevant laws, regulations, and industry standards
• Staying informed about new and emerging ICT technologies, trends, and best practices, and assessing their potential to advance the Unit's research goals, objectives and overall strategy
• Developing standard operating procedures for IT systems to ensure compliance with corporate governance (Wits University and Wits Health Consortium), including providing governance, risk, and compliance data insights to drive improvement across the ICT platform

Required minimum education and training:

• The ideal candidate should possess a minimum of a Masters Degree in Computer Science/Computer Engineering/Information Engineering/Systems or equivalent fields

Required minimum work experience:

• Minimum of 3 years of Systems/IT Administration

Desirable additional education, work experience, and personal abilities:

• MCSE (Microsoft certified Systems Engineer) or MCITP (Microsoft Certified IT Professional), and ITIL Foundation, and any relevant ICT related certifications
• Excellent knowledge of computer hardware/software systems, as well as information security
• Expertise in data centre management, data and information governance as well as cloud solutions (AWS, GCP, Azure)
• Hands-on experience with computer networks, network administration and network installation and security
• Proactive, systematic, self-motivated, able to work independently and as part of a diverse, multidisciplinary team
• Experience leading ICT teams and mentorship of junior staff
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English
• Ability to prioritise and work under pressure on a variety of tasks concurrently and adhere to deadlines
• Valid Driver's license

TO APPLY:

• Only if you do meet the minimum job requirements and experience as mentioned above, you may submit a detailed updated CV.
• Please Apply Online.
• Please take note that the applicants who do not adhere to the above criteria will not be considered for the respective position.
• The closing date for all applications: 12 July 2024.
• Note AJ Personnel is fully POPI compliant.
• Note WHC, in accordance with their Employment Equity goals and plan, will give preference to suitable applicants from designated groups as defined in the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 and subsequent amendments thereto.

Please note:

• AJ PERSONNEL is only responsible for the advertising of the advertisement on behalf of their client Wits Health Consortium.
• Wits Health Consortium will only respond to shortlisted candidates.
• Candidates who have not been contacted within two weeks of the closing date can consider their applications to be unsuccessful.
• AJ Personnel does not have any salary or other information regarding the position.

AJ Personnel