Security Specialist

Ayoba; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 300 000 - 400 000; Full time

Job summary

A dynamic technology firm in Cape Town is seeking a Security Specialist to enhance cloud infrastructure security and integrate DevSecOps practices. The ideal candidate has a degree in Computer Science and substantial experience in software development, specifically in security-focused roles. This position offers a chance to work in a collaborative environment and drive security initiatives forward.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of tertiary education in a related field.
• 5+ years experience in software development, particularly DevSecOps or SRE.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain secure cloud infrastructure.
• Integrate security into CI/CD pipelines.
• Manage security incidents and vulnerabilities.

Skills

Secure cloud infrastructure design

Automation (Python, Bash, Go)

Container orchestration (Kubernetes)

Incident management

Continuous improvement

Education

Tertiary qualification in Computer Science or related

Tools

Terraform

Docker

Prometheus

Grafana

AWS

Job description

SIMFY AFRICASECURITY SPECIALIST - Fixed Term Contract

Purpose & Context : We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Security Specialist with a strong background in Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) and DevSecOps.

In this role, you will be a key player in designing, implementing, and maintaining secure, scalable, and resilient cloud infrastructure.

You will champion security best practices throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC) while applying SRE principles to ensure high system availability, performance, and operational efficiency. Simfy Africa, an OPCO of MTN is entering a new phase in its lifecycle in which the key focus is on delivering technology components to support the MTN consolidated app as well as maintain and support the ayoba SuperApp product until its sunset. The incumbent must therefore ensure the successful delivery in context of : An expertise-based multicultural organisation, A dynamic and evolving field of Telecommunications & Platform based businesses, Evolving industry sector constantly presenting new challenges and opportunities to the core business.

Key Performance Areas

The Security Specialist is responsible across the following areas :

• Secure Infrastructure and Application Lifecycle : Design, implement, and maintain secure and scalable cloud infrastructure using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) principles (e.g., Terraform, Ansible).
• Integrate security controls and automated security testing (e.g., SAST, DAST, SCA) into CI / CD pipelines.
• Conduct threat modeling and risk assessments during the design phase of applications and infrastructure.
• Implement and manage cloud security controls, including IAM, network security (Security Groups, WAFs), data encryption, and secrets management.
• Manage and respond to security incidents and vulnerabilities, ensuring timely remediation and post-incident analysis.
• Stay abreast of the latest offensive security practices and techniques.
• Site Reliability & Operations : Apply SRE principles to continuously improve system reliability and performance.
• Define, measure, and enforce Service Level Objectives (SLOs) and Service Level Indicators (SLIs).
• Automate operational tasks and "toil" to free up time for engineering work.
• Implement and optimize observability pipelines (logging, monitoring, and alerting) using tools like Prometheus, Grafana, and ELK stack.
• Conduct post-mortems for incidents and drive a culture of blameless problem-solving.
• Perform capacity planning and performance optimization to ensure systems can handle future growth.
• Automation and Tooling : Integrate security practices CI / CD pipelines for both infrastructure and application deployments.
• Script solutions for automation tasks using languages like Python, Bash, or Go.
• Manage and orchestrate containerized workloads using technologies like Docker and Kubernetes.
• Implement Policy as Code (PaC) to enforce security and compliance standards.
• Collaboration and Culture : Collaborate closely with development, operations, and security teams to embed a culture of shared responsibility and continuous improvement.
• Promote "shift-left" security, encouraging developers to consider security early in the development process.

Job Requirements

Education

3 + years Tertiary qualification in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or a related field.

Relevant certifications

e.g., AWS Certified DevOps Engineer, Certified Kubernetes Administrator, Certified DevSecOps Professional.

Experience

5+ years of professional software development experience. Proven experience in a DevSecOps, SRE, or Cloud Engineering role with a strong focus on security and reliability. Hands‑on experience with containerization technologies (Docker) and orchestration platforms (Kubernetes). Experience with secrets management solutions (e.g., HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager). Experience with monitoring and observability tools (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, Datadog). Experience with chaos engineering and / or resilience testing.

Competencies

Functional Knowledge : CI / CD pipeline tools (Proficient); MTN policies and procedures understanding (Proficient); Continuous improvement (Intermediate); Modern cloud platforms particularly AWS (S3, CloudWatch, DynamoDB, ElastiCache) (Proficient); Technical skills Proficiency in at least one scripting / programming language (e.g., Python, Bash, Go); Security frameworks and standards (e.g., CIS Benchmarks, NIST) (Intermediate); Network security, system hardening, and vulnerability management (Proficient); Infrastructure and platforms management (Intermediate); Data management (Intermediate).

Behavioural Qualities

• Collaboration (Proficient)
• Problem-solving (Proficient)
• Verbal and written communication skills (Proficient)
• Accountability (Proficient)
• Adaptability (Intermediate)
• Interpersonal Skills (Proficient)
• Highly Organised
• Attention to Detail
• Time Management
• Proactive & Self Driven
• Resilient
• Operationally Astute
• Emotional Maturity