Senior Manager: IT Operations and Infrastructure

Headhunters recruitment; Roodepoort; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Headhunters recruitment invites applications for a Senior Manager: IT Operations and Infrastructure based in Roodepoort, Gauteng. The role leads IT operations, infrastructure governance, and cybersecurity initiatives within a highly regulated insurance environment.

Reporting to senior leadership, you will drive resilience, scalability, and cost-effective IT delivery while mentoring a growing IT team and collaborating with executives and vendors.

Qualifications

• 8-10+ years' experience in IT Operations and Infrastructure.
• At least 5 years' experience in a senior leadership or management role.
• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• NQF Level 7 qualification.
• Experience in financial services or regulated environments is advantageous.
• Proven experience managing enterprise-scale IT operations and governance frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Own performance, availability, reliability, and continuous improvement of the Group's IT environment.
• Manage and optimise network infrastructure, server environments, cloud platforms, IAM, and telephony systems.
• Ensure operational scalability, stability, and efficiency across technology platforms.
• Lead cybersecurity operations including SIEM, DLP, endpoint security, and vulnerability management.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, cybersecurity standards, and internal governance.
• Oversee monitoring, alerting, logging, and observability solutions; lead incident management and root-cause analysis.
• Manage backup strategies, disaster recovery planning, testing, and business continuity processes.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing IT team; manage relationships with executives and vendors.

Skills

IT Operations

Infrastructure leadership

Network infrastructure

Microsoft 365 administration

Linux server administration

Active Directory/LDAP

Telephony platforms

Monitoring tools

Backup and Disaster Recovery

SIEM and DLP

Vendor & stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science/Information Technology

NQF Level 7 qualification

Tools

Zabbix

SolarWinds

ManageEngine

FreePBX / Asterisk

Job description

Our client in the Insurance Industry is seeking to employ a Senior Manager: IT Operations and Infrastructure to join their team based in Roodepoort, Gauteng.
Exciting Opportunity:
Join a dynamic and forward-thinking team where your skills will make an immediate impact and your career can thrive.

Requirements

• 8-10+ years' experience in IT Operations and Infrastructure.
• At least 5 years' experience in a senior leadership or management role.
• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• NQF Level 7 qualification.
• Experience within financial services, insurance, or other highly regulated environments will be advantageous.
• Proven experience managing enterprise-scale IT operations and governance frameworks.
• Demonstrated expertise in:
• Network infrastructure (routing, switching, firewalls, VPNs).
• Microsoft server environments.
• Linux server administration.
• Active Directory and LDAP.
• Microsoft 365 administration.
• Telephony platforms (FreePBX / Asterisk).
• Monitoring tools (Zabbix, SolarWinds, ManageEngine).
• Backup and Disaster Recovery.
• SIEM and DLP solutions.

Responsibilities

IT Operations and Infrastructure Leadership

• Own the performance, availability, reliability, and continuous improvement of the Group's IT environment.
• Manage and optimise network infrastructure, server environments, cloud platforms, identity and access management, and telephony systems.
• Ensure operational scalability, stability, and efficiency across all technology platforms.

Cybersecurity and Risk Management

• Lead cybersecurity operations, including SIEM, DLP, endpoint security, and vulnerability management.
• Ensure compliance with relevant regulatory requirements, cybersecurity standards, and internal governance frameworks.
• Drive proactive risk identification and mitigation strategies.

Monitoring, Performance and Incident Management

• Implement and oversee monitoring, alerting, logging, and observability solutions.
• Lead incident management, root cause analysis, and preventive action planning.
• Foster a proactive approach to service reliability and operational excellence.

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery

• Own backup strategies, disaster recovery planning, testing, and business continuity processes.
• Ensure high availability architectures and effective failover capabilities are in place.

Leadership and Stakeholder Management

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing IT team.
• Build strong relationships with executives, business leaders, vendors, and external stakeholders.
• Drive a culture of accountability, innovation, continuous improvement, and exceptional service delivery.