Application Support Engineer

CDM Smith; Pietermaritzburg; On-site; ZAR 500 000 - 700 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading engineering firm in South Africa is seeking a Supervisor, Service Desk to join their Digital Engineering Solutions team. This role involves overseeing Tier 2 application support, managing incidents, and implementing ITIL-aligned strategies. The ideal candidate will have strong IT skills, cloud service knowledge, and a commitment to continuous improvement. The firm offers a supportive, progressive workplace focused on employee experience and growth.

Benefits

Employee experience programs

Career growth opportunities

Supportive work environment

Qualifications

• 4+ years of related work experience.
• ITIL Foundation certification required.
• Ability to monitor ticket queues and ensure timely resolution of support requests.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of incidents in a group environment.
• Serve as the primary contact for addressing Tier 2 application-related incidents.
• Lead the coordination and resolution of major incidents.
• Diagnose and resolve complex technical issues.

Skills

Programming techniques

ITIL frameworks

Ticketing systems

Organizational skills

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in computer science or computer engineering

Tools

ServiceNow

Freshdesk

Jira Service Management

Job description

Why CDM Smith?

Check out this video and find out why our team loves to work here!

Join Us! CDM Smith – where amazing career journeys unfold. Imagine a place committed to offering an unmatched employee experience. Where you work on projects that are meaningful to you. Where you play an active part in shaping your career journey. Where your co‑workers are invested in you and your success. Where you are encouraged and supported to do your very best and given the tools and resources to do so. Where it’s a priority that the company takes good care of you and your family.

Our employees are the heart of our company. As an employer of choice, our goal is to provide a challenging, progressive and inclusive work environment which fosters personal leadership, career growth and development for every employee. We value passionate individuals who challenge the norm, deliver world‑class solutions and bring diverse perspectives. Join our team, and together we will make a difference and change the world.

Job Description

CDM Smith is seeking a Supervisor, Service Desk to join our Digital Engineering Solutions team. This individual will be part of the Development group within the Digital Engineering Solutions team, helping design and implement cloud‑based solutions facilitating CI/CD pipelines and ensuring that software development and operations teams work collaboratively.

An ideal candidate will be a critical thinker, proactive, and highly interested in the application of new technologies and methods. This individual must showcase exceptional abilities in implementing solutions for AEC initiatives that involve cutting‑edge technologies. As a member of the Digital Engineering Solutions team, the Development group will be engaged in research and development and provide guidance and oversight to the AEC practices at CDM Smith, engaging in new product research and the incubation of innovative ideas that arise from around the company. The ideal candidate must have extensive experience in their field and demonstrate a commitment to continuous advancement and interest that drives measurable results.

Key Responsibilities

• Take ownership of the incident assigned while working independently in a group environment.
• Serve as the primary contact for addressing Tier 2 application‑related incidents.
• Diagnose and resolve complex technical issues using in‑depth knowledge and available tools.
• Replicate and test issues in controlled environments to identify solutions.
• Lead the coordination and resolution of major incidents, ensuring communication and post‑incident review.
• Escalate unresolved or critical issues to Tier 3 or relevant teams, providing thorough documentation and analysis.
• Document all actions taken in the ticketing system for transparency and future reference.
• Report trends or frequent issues to the development team for further investigation.
• Stay informed about product updates, patches, and new releases.
• Implement ITIL‑aligned policies and procedures to support the ongoing project's SLA standards, including project security and compliance.
• Promote best practices and continuous training in ITIL methodologies.
• Track and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) such as response time, resolution time, and customer satisfaction.
• Identify skill gaps and coordinate ongoing training for the support team.
• Ensure that incidents and requests are resolved within agreed Service Level Agreements (SLAs), tracking progress and escalating issues as needed.
• Provide regular communications to stakeholders on service impacts, planned change and risk mitigation.
• Assist in training Tier 1 staff and new Tier 2 team members.
• Oversee the creation and updating of FAQs, troubleshooting guides, and internal documentation.
• Share knowledge and best practices across the support team.
• Participate in reviews of support processes and suggest improvements based on incident analysis.

Skills and Abilities

• Working knowledge of programming techniques, various development frameworks, cloud services, and securities.
• Proficient in ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) frameworks and IT support lifecycle.
• Ability to develop and enforce escalation procedures and service‑level agreements (SLAs).
• Proficient at being the primary escalation point for complex or unresolved issues from Tier 1 and troubleshooting, coordinating with higher‑level technical teams or vendors as necessary.
• Proficiency with ticketing systems such as ServiceNow, Freshdesk, or Jira Service Management.
• Proficient in organizational abilities to manage schedules, tickets, and reporting.
• Strong understanding of performance metrics like FCR (first contact resolution), MTTR (mean time to resolution), and SLA (Service Level Agreement) compliance.
• Ability to track KPIs and create reports on team performance, ticket trends, and resolution times.
• Ability to monitor ticket queues and ensure timely resolution of support requests.
• Proficiency with understanding of IT systems, processes, and best practices is required.
• Proficient in written, verbal, and diagrammatic communication skills with clients, stakeholders, and other team members.
• Proficient in providing efficient and effective IT support within organizations in accordance with ITIL frameworks.
• Ability to oversee the logging, tracking, and resolution of incidents and service requests, ensuring adherence to ITIL processes and service level agreements (SLAs).
• Ability to create, maintain, and access knowledge base articles and troubleshooting guides for both the team and end users.
• Ability to maintain clear communication with users, IT management, and other stakeholders regarding service outages, major incidents, and ongoing support initiatives.
• Ability to assist in identifying recurring issues and contribute to root cause analysis.
• Ability to address service requests that require specialized knowledge or access, such as advanced software configuration, system permissions, or hardware setup.
• Ability to troubleshoot and document the finding and troubleshooting steps before escalating incidents to Tier 3 or external vendors, ensuring all relevant information is communicated.
• Ability to serve as subject matter experts on specific products, applications, or systems.
• Ability to provide timely and clear updates to users regarding the status of their incidents or requests, ensuring expectations are managed throughout the process.
• Ability to create, update, and maintain technical documentation, FAQs, and knowledge base articles to help Tier 1 agents and end users resolve common issues.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or computer engineering is a common educational path.
• 4+ years of related work experience.
• Domestic and/or international travel may be required. The frequency of travel is contingent on specific duties, responsibilities, and the essential functions of the position, which may vary depending on workload and project demands. Equivalent additional directly related experience will be considered in lieu of a degree.

Preferred Qualifications

• ITIL Foundation certification required.

Background Check and Drug Testing Information

CDM Smith will conduct background checks including criminal, employment, education, licensure, etc. as well as credit and motor vehicle when applicable for certain positions. Drug testing may be conducted for designated positions. Background checks are conducted after an offer of employment has been made. For positions outside the United States, background checks will be conducted in accordance with country statutory law, but will not precede an interview. Successful completion of the background investigation is required for employment. Criminal history will not automatically disqualify a candidate. During employment, individuals may be required to successfully complete additional background checks, including motor vehicle record and drug testing.