Senior 3rd Line IT Engineer - Microsoft 365 & Networking

Protea Placements; Knysna; On-site; ZAR 420,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

Protea Placements is seeking a skilled 3rd Line Service Desk Engineer to join the Knysna team. This on-site role requires strong troubleshooting across hardware, software, networks and IT services, with expertise in Microsoft 365, Exchange Online, SharePoint and FortiGate firewalls.

Ideal candidates will have 5+ years of hands-on IT experience, excellent communication skills, and the ability to guide junior staff. Fluency in English and Afrikaans is preferred, with German an added advantage.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years’ hands-on technical IT experience, preferably within a managed services environment.

Responsibilities

• Handle complex 2nd and 3rd line technical support escalations
• Diagnose, troubleshoot and resolve advanced hardware, software, network and connectivity issues
• Administer, configure and support Microsoft 365 environments, including Exchange Online, SharePoint, Teams, Intune and Entra ID
• Configure, maintain and troubleshoot network infrastructure, including routers, switches, VLANs, VPNs and wireless systems
• Manage and troubleshoot firewalls, with particular emphasis on FortiGate technologies
• Investigate and resolve fibre, wireless and internet connectivity problems
• Perform root cause analysis and implement preventative and corrective measures
• Monitor and manage incident queues, service requests and technical escalations to ensure timely resolution
• Provide technical guidance and support to 1st and 2nd line support technicians
• Maintain and improve the stability, performance and security of client IT environments
• Liaise with vendors, internet service providers and third-party technical support teams
• Communicate technical findings, progress updates and resolutions clearly to clients and internal stakeholders
• Maintain accurate technical documentation, support records and knowledge base articles
• Assist with technical projects, infrastructure upgrades, installations and system improvements
• Identify opportunities to improve support processes, technical standards and service delivery
• Ensure all work is completed in accordance with established procedures, security requirements and best practices

Skills

Microsoft 365 administration

Networking

Troubleshooting

Documentation

Customer communication

Root cause analysis

Tools

Exchange Online

SharePoint

Microsoft Teams

Intune

Entra ID

FortiGate

Job description

Protea Placements is seeking a skilled 3rd Line Service Desk Engineer to join the Knysna team. This on-site role requires strong troubleshooting across hardware, software, networks and IT services, with expertise in Microsoft 365, Exchange Online, SharePoint and FortiGate firewalls.

Ideal candidates will have 5+ years of hands-on IT experience, excellent communication skills, and the ability to guide junior staff. Fluency in English and Afrikaans is preferred, with German an added advantage.