Job Description

Closing Date 2025/02/27
Reference Number SAA250218-3
Job Title Senior Manager IT Strategy and Architecture
Division Information Technology
Business Unit ITS Strategy and Architecture
Job Type Permanent
Location - Country South Africa
Location - Province Gauteng
Location - Town / City Kempton Park
Job PurposeThe role is principally responsible to lead the creation and/or evolution of the IT Business demand functions such as IT Strategy, Architecture, IT Governance and Risk Management and IT Programme and Business Relationship Management. The functions include service strategy, service architecture, service development, service deployment, programme management and business service relationship management. The position is required to liaise with industry specialists regarding long-range economic and industry trends to ensure the flexibility of the IT strategy to meet changing industry and business requirements. Ultimately this role must ensure that the IT function create and add value and efficiency at business level.The role is responsible to ensure that appropriate structures, infrastructure, resources and processes are in place to enable the operational execution of the strategy and plan. It must have a strong focus on the future technology state (target technology architecture) and the optimal roadmap, standards and policies to achieve the target state.The position is required to provide architecture and design philosophy for all aspects of the applications and long term architecture roadmaps. It must lead the identification and analysis of enterprise business-critical system capabilities to develop necessary IT Architecture requirements and map the IT Architecture blueprint to meet business requirements and specifications. The role must lead project and integration management in the execution of all major IT Architecture projects by creating initial designs and ensuring that project meets architectural goals and principles throughout the development lifecycle.Post implementation the position is required to conduct regular reviews and checks on IT Architecture and processes to ensure full compliance with IT general controls. It must continuously monitor IT Architecture performance and make improvement recommendations and ensure the effective resolution of any IT Architecture related issues to the business.
Principal Accountabilities

• Lead the development and implementation of the Departments strategy including integration of an appropriately balanced pursuit of enterprise business, information, technical and solution architectures
• Manage IT services business demand and relationships
• Ensure proper governance and change management of the IT Strategy and Architecture environment
• Ensure the management and control of the departments budget and monitor variances
• Liaise with the industry specialists regarding long-range economic and industry trends to ensure the flexibility of the IT strategy to meet changing industry and business requirements
• Ensure that appropriate structures, infrastructure, resources and processes are in place to enable the operational execution of the strategy and plan
• Support the formulation of system, multi-disciplinary level concepts about the future state of the business
• Engage in trend analysis to identify future capacity requirements and engage in discussion about integration and adoption of these into strategies and plans
• Strategise, research, develop and review appropriate IT technologies, systems, processes and adopt industry best practices
• Ensure proper risk management, backup and disaster recovery plans, processes and systems are in place
• Ensure regular and timeous reporting of information to key stakeholders
• Negotiate service level agreements with IT service suppliers
• Oversee allocation of scarce resources across IT disciplines
• Monitor and mitigate all business risk activities (including business continuity and operational risk management) taking place in the operational environment (both within the technological environment and other operational divisions, as appropriate) in line with industry regulations and legislation
• Analyse the technology industry and market trends and determine the potential IT Strategy and Architecture risks
• Ensure compliance to relevant legislation, statutory and reporting requirements
• Ensure regular and timeous reporting of information to key stakeholders
• Benchmark IT Strategy and Architecture systems and processes against industry standards and best practices
• Provide architecture and design philosophy for all aspects of the applications and long term architecture roadmaps
• Lead the identification and analysis of enterprise business-critical system capabilities to develop necessary IT Architecture requirements
• Analyse large volumes of complex data, SQL query building and report writing, experience of end user analysis and reporting applications
• Gather and analyse of data so as to ensure that the systems integrity remains intact through the development and implementation of IT project plans
• Review existing architecture and identify areas for improvement in terms of scalability, maintainability, and performance and develop plans for implementation
• Ensure the IT Architecture blueprint meets business requirements and specifications (WAN, LAN, Servers, Hardware infrastructure, Telecoms, etc.)
• Identify IT Architecture platform components and dependencies and incorporate security requirements
• Develop innovative solutions that meet needs with respect to functionality, performance, scalability, and reliability, realistic implementation schedules, and adherence to architectural goals and principles
• Lead project management and integration management in the execution of all major IT Architecture work by creating initial designs and ensuring that project meets architectural goals and principles throughout development lifecycle
• Lead and manage IT Architecture implementation and oversee the support of all design, developments, configuration and reporting requirements
• Navigate technical challenges including the development of a highly efficient data model, application and workflow logic for both transactional and decision-support applications, a multi-tier system architecture for scalability and performance and a dynamically driven content rich user interface
• Direct the development and execution of an IT Architecture communication plan and communicate relevant information to relevant stakeholders
• Conduct regular reviews and checks on IT Architecture and processes to ensure full compliance with IT general controls
• Monitor IT Architecture performance (throughput, uptime, etc.) and make improvement recommendations
• Ensure the effective resolution of any IT Architecture related issues to the business
• Develop and manage strategic supplier relationships to meet business objectives
• Engage IT service providers and other vendors to ensure optimum support to the business

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelors degree in IT or Business or relevant qualifications at NQF 7
• Relevant postgraduate qualification e.g. MBA or similar
• At least 7 - 10 years experience in IT Strategy and Architecture of which at least 5 years is at senior management level
• ITIL, COBIT, TOGAF certification would be an advantage
• Airline applications management experience is preferable
• Minimum of 5 years experience in managing large, multi-disciplinary teams
• Minimum of 5 years Vendor Management and Service Level Management experience

Knowledge and Skills

• Demonstrate knowledge of good financial management practices
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of basic accounting principles
• Demonstrate an understanding of the Public Finance Management Act (PMFA) and related Treasury Regulations
• Knowledge of different applications, infrastructure and network architectures and standards
• Demonstrate knowledge of computer architecture concepts
• Contract negotiations and management
• Service delivery
• IT System Development
• IT System Health Management
• IT Data Centre infrastructure
• IT Security
• ITIL Service, problem, incident, configuration management
• SLA and contract conformance and governance
• Budgeting and control
• Problem and change management
• Commercial analysis
• Business integration strategy and design
• Auditing and conformance
• License management, policy and governance
• Vendor in and outsource management
• IT Strategic Management
• Architecture governance
• Technical design skills
• Resource management skills
• Leadership skills
• Cloud practices
• DevOPS
• Application and data security
• Airline global operations management experience
• Business continuity skills
• IT auditing and conformance management skills
• Financial skills
• Stakeholder management
• Negotiation skills
• Analytical skills
• Communication skills
• Problem solving
• Commercial acumen
• Business continuity/high availability design
• IT Operating Model practices and knowledge

Attributes

• Ability to work with complexity and multiple stakeholders
• Innovative problem solver
• Inspirational and accountable leader
• Long term decision making and quality judgement
• Demonstrates executive presence and assertiveness
• Setting measurement targets and ensuring performance against these, holding staff responsible and developing staff where gaps are identified
• Leads with courage
• Coaches and mentors
• Drives innovation
• Visionary and inspirational leader
• Cultural and inclusive leader

Additional InformationSAA is using an online recruitment tool. Applicants are required to complete an individual registration profile capturing essential personal and career selection criteria. Applicants must please note that they only need to complete the online registration once and thereafter they can update their online profiles as and when necessary.PLEASE NOTE: The onus are on applicants to ensure all mandatory fields are completed. Incomplete online profiles will be disqualified from the application process. Online profiles are used for screening and shortlisting purposes. A CV is only for verification and record keeping purposes. Applicants need to ensure that their online profiles are completed with correct and current information. Incomplete sections can disqualify applicants from the screening and selection process.This applies to all internal and external applicants.

South African Airways