IT Systems Engineer - South Africa (Remote)

Cognisys; United States; Remote; USD 26,000 - 33,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Training budget

Referral bonuses

Birthday leave

Annual leave 25 days + holidays

Job summary

Cognisys is a cybersecurity-focused MSP based in South Africa, offering remote IT support to startups and cloud-first clients. You will own end-to-end IT services across macOS, Google Workspace/M365, IAM and security posture, with occasional on-site visits. Work hours overlap UK/Europe and you’ll be part of a hands-on, fast-moving team.

Ideal candidates have MSP experience, strong macOS and MDM skills, and can document work, automate tasks and communicate clearly with non-technical clients.

Qualifications

• 4+ years IT support, MSP experience preferred

Responsibilities

• Provide 2nd- and 3rd-line support via Slack, email and ticketing, owning issues to resolution.
• Manage EUC fleets via MDM (Jamf, Kandji, Mosyle), enrolment and security baselines.
• Administer Google Workspace/Microsoft 365, including SSO, MFA and user lifecycle management.
• Strengthen client security posture with endpoint protection, password management and backup readiness.
• Support small-office networking (Wi-Fi, DNS, VPN, firewalls).
• Document processes, automate repetitive tasks and feed lessons into standard configurations.

Skills

macOS administration

Google Workspace / Microsoft 365

IAM / SSO / MFA

Cloud-first / SaaS environments

Networking fundamentals

English communication

Tools

Jamf

Kandji

Mosyle

Intune

PowerShell

Job description

Location: South Africa (Remote)

Salary: R420 000 - R540 000 per annum

About Cognisys

Cognisys is a specialist cybersecurity partner helping organisations strengthen their security, manage risk and achieve compliance. Our services span Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC), penetration testing and managed security, supporting clients across EMEA, NAMER and APAC.

We work at the intersection of cybersecurity, compliance and technology, helping organisations turn compliance requirements into practical, measurable outcomes. As a trusted partner to leading security and compliance platforms, we combine technical expertise, consulting experience and innovative delivery to solve challenges that technology alone cannot address.

The Opportunity

We’re looking for an experienced IT Systems Engineer, based in South Africa, to support our growing MSP business.

This is a role for someone who has worked in a Managed Service Provider (MSP) environment and enjoys the variety that comes with it. Our clients are typically fast-moving, cloud-first startups running on Macs and SaaS tools, with little or no on‑premise infrastructure. You’ll be the hands‑on expert who keeps their people productive and their environments secure.

You’ll own and deliver reliable, high‑quality IT support and projects for our MSP clients.

You’ll work remotely, with occasional on‑site visits where needed, and overlap with UK and European business hours.

What You’ll Be Doing

Supporting Our Clients

• Provide 2nd and 3rd-line support to client users across Slack, email and our ticketing system, owning issues through to resolution.
• Run joiner, mover and leaver processes, including device provisioning, account creation, access reviews and secure offboarding.
• Deliver short projects such as tenant migrations, MDM rollouts, office network set‑ups and tooling clean‑ups.
• Build strong working relationships with client stakeholders and communicate clearly with non‑technical users.

Managing EUC and Cloud Environments

• Manage EUC fleets through an MDM such as Jamf, Kandji or Mosyle, covering enrolment, configuration profiles, patching, app deployment and security baselines.
• Administer identity and SaaS platforms such as Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Okta or JumpCloud, including SSO, MFA and user lifecycle management.
• Help clients strengthen their security posture through endpoint protection, password management, backup and compliance readiness for frameworks such as SOC 2 and ISO/IEC 27001.
• Support small‑office networking, including Wi‑Fi, DNS, VPN and firewalls.

Improving How We Deliver

• Document processes and fixes clearly so clients can self‑serve.
• Identify repetitive work and automate it using scripts or no‑code tools.
• Feed lessons from client work back into standard configurations, runbooks and service improvements.

Initial Priorities

Your initial focus will be on getting to know our clients, their environments and how we support them today.

Key priorities will include:

• Learn the client landscape: Understand each client’s users, devices, tools and support expectations.
• Take ownership of support: Start handling client tickets and requests independently, building trust with client contacts.
• Standardise and document: Identify gaps in documentation, standard configurations and onboarding processes, and start closing them.
• Find quick wins: Spot repetitive tasks that can be automated or simplified.

About You

We’re looking for an experienced, hands‑on systems engineer who is at home supporting multiple clients and modern, cloud‑first environments.

You’ll likely enjoy this role if you:

• Enjoy variety and can switch comfortably between different client environments in a day.
• Take ownership of problems and see them through to resolution.
• Prefer fixing root causes and automating repetitive work over applying the same fix again and again.
• Are comfortable working in fast‑moving startups where not everything is defined.
• Communicate clearly and patiently with non‑technical users.
• Are self‑managing and organised when working remotely.

What Success Looks Like

• Happy, productive users: Clients get fast, friendly and effective support, with issues resolved first time wherever possible.
• Well‑managed fleets: Client devices are consistently enrolled, configured, patched and secured through MDM.
• Seamless joiners and leavers: New starters are productive from day one, and leavers are offboarded quickly and securely.
• Secure by default: Identity, SSO, MFA, endpoint protection and access controls are applied consistently, supporting clients’ compliance goals.
• Less repetitive work: Common tasks are documented, standardised and automated, freeing time for higher‑value work.
• Trusted client relationships: Clients see you as a dependable extension of their team.

Essential Skills & Experience

• 4+ years’ experience in IT support, including at least 2 years in a Managed Service Provider (MSP) environment.
• Strong hands‑on macOS experience, including managing Macs at scale through an MDM.
• Solid administration experience with Google Workspace and/or Microsoft 365.
• Working knowledge of identity and access management, including SSO, MFA and SAML/SCIM provisioning.
• Experience supporting startups or scale‑ups in cloud‑centric, SaaS‑heavy environments.
• A good grasp of networking fundamentals for small offices, including Wi‑Fi, DNS, VPN and firewalls.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills in English, including the ability to document processes and explain technical issues to non‑technical users.
• Based in South Africa with the right to work here, and able to overlap with UK and European business hours.

Desirable Skills & Experience

• Experience with Jamf, Kandji, Mosyle or similar Apple MDM platforms.
• Scripting in Bash, Python or PowerShell, or automation.
• Some Windows and Intune experience for mixed fleets.
• Familiarity with security and compliance frameworks such as SOC 2 or ISO/IEC 27001, or compliance platforms such as Vanta.

Certifications

The following certifications are highly regarded:

Relevant certifications are beneficial but are not a substitute for practical experience. These may include:

• Apple Certified Support Professional (ACSP) or Apple Certified IT Professional (ACIT).
• Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace administrator certifications.
• CompTIA A+, Network+ or Security+.

Why Join Us?

At Cognisys, you will be part of a collaborative and innovative team that values your input and shares support. You'll have the opportunity to work on challenging projects that make a real impact for our clients. We'd love to hear from you if you want to challenge, lead and innovate! We're not just about the work; we're about the people. Join a team where innovation is celebrated, and your contributions are valued. We foster a collaborative environment where fresh ideas thrive, and professional growth is encouraged.

What we Offer:

• Annual Leave: 25 days per year plus 12 South African public holidays.
• Additional Leave: 1 day of paid leave for your Birthday.
• Health & Wellbeing: Individual healthcare insurance plan and access to an employee mental health and wellbeing platform.
• Professional Development: £2,000 annual training budget to support your continued learning and career growth.
• Referral Bonus: help to grow our team and earn up to £2,000 per successful referral.

Applications

We’re always happy to help with questions, but to keep our process fair for everyone, we’re unable to accept applications via email—

Please feel free to reach out to Andrea, our Talent Acquisition Lead, if you would like any further information, to discuss accessibility requirements, or if you require this information provided in an alternative format – [e-mail]

We welcome applications from candidates from a range of diverse backgrounds and can make various reasonable adjustments to consider individual needs.