Server Specialist

ICTEngage; Gqeberha; On-site; ZAR 500 000 - 700 000; Full time

Job summary

A technology services provider seeks a highly skilled Senior Server Specialist in Gqeberha, South Africa. This role involves diagnosing complex system issues, optimizing server performance, and managing infrastructure stability. The ideal candidate brings expertise in Active Directory, VMware, and cloud infrastructure, with a minimum of five years experience in server administration. This position offers opportunities for continuous learning and growth in advanced cloud and automation roles.

Benefits

Medical insurance

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) option

Provident fund

Qualifications

• Minimum 5+ years of experience in server engineering.
• At least 5+ years dedicated to server administration in complex environments.
• MCSA / MCSE certification is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Manage and optimise Windows Server environments.
• Diagnose high-level server issues and system instability.
• Create and maintain scripts for automation.

Skills

Active Directory

Windows Server (2012-2022)

VMware ESXi

PowerShell scripting

SQL server hosting knowledge

Cloud infrastructure

Education

Degree or Diploma in IT, Networking, or related field

Tools

Veeam Backup & Replication

Job description

We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Server Specialist who will serve as the final technical escalation point within our client’s server and infrastructure environment. This individual will be responsible for diagnosing and resolving the most complex system issues, optimising server performance, maintaining infrastructure stability, and driving technical improvements across the environment.

The ideal candidate is analytical, structured, forward-thinking, and passionate about delivering high-quality, resilient systems. They must bring deep expertise across Active Directory, virtualisation, backups, cloud infrastructure, and enterprise-level Windows Server environments.

Key Responsibilities

Server & Infrastructure Management

• Manage, maintain, and optimise Windows Server environments (physical, virtual, co‑lo, and cloud).
• Diagnose high-level server issues, performance bottlenecks, and system instability.
• Oversee OS patching cycles, updates, and long-term lifecycle planning.
• Conduct health checks on critical infrastructure including AD, DNS, DHCP, GPOs, IIS, SQL host environments, and VMware clusters.

Active Directory & Identity Management

• Serve as subject matter expert for multi-site Active Directory architecture.
• Troubleshoot replication issues (DFS‑R), authentication failures, and domain controller performance concerns.
• Design, update, and maintain complex Group Policies (GPOs).
• Ensure domain security hardening and policy compliance.

Virtualisation (VMware)

• Support and optimise VMware ESXi hosts, clusters, and resource allocation.
• Troubleshoot VM performance issues, vMotion failures, datastore latency, and HA/DRS behaviour.
• Monitor capacity and forecast infrastructure requirements.

Backup, Replication & Disaster Recovery (Veeam Preferred)

• Manage backup, replication, and retention strategies across environments.
• Perform restore testing, DR readiness checks, and SureBackup verification.
• Investigate and resolve backup or restore failures at an advanced level.
• Maintain DR documentation and assist in disaster recovery exercises.

Monitoring & Proactive Troubleshooting

• Monitor hardware, virtual, and cloud system performance dashboards.
• Identify risks or anomalies proactively and take corrective action.
• Implement improvements to monitoring, alerting, and automation.

PowerShell & Automation

• Create and maintain scripts to automate administrative, reporting, and compliance tasks.
• Improve operational efficiency by replacing manual processes with automated workflows.

Collaboration & Escalations

• Act as the final escalation point for complex technical incidents.
• Collaborate with Tier 1–3 teams, network engineers, security teams, and cloud administrators.
• Provide clear technical guidance and mentoring to junior technicians and engineers.
• Communicate effectively during incidents and maintain accurate documentation.

Required Technical Skills & Competencies

Core Technologies

• Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, GPOs, IIS, Certificate Services
• Windows Server (2012–2022), clustering, performance tuning
• VMware ESXi, vCenter, DRS, HA, resource management
• Veeam Backup & Replication, replication, SureBackup
• PowerShell scripting (strong proficiency)
• SQL server hosting knowledge (OS-level troubleshooting)
• Exposure to Azure, Microsoft 365, or hybrid cloud architectures is highly beneficial.

Minimum Qualifications & Experience

• Relevant tertiary qualification (Degree or Diploma in IT, Networking, or related field).
• Minimum 5+ years experience in server engineering, with at least 5+ year specifically dedicated to server administration in complex environments.
• Certifications (advantageous):
  • MCSA / MCSE
  • VCP (VMware)
  • Veeam VMCE
  • Azure Administrator
  • CompTIA Server+ or equivalent

Personal Attributes

• Analytical thinker with strong troubleshooting ability.
• Calm, structured, and methodical when working under pressure.
• Passion for technology, learning, and continuous improvement.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.
• High sense of ownership and responsibility.
• Comfortable with flexible working hours for critical maintenance windows.

What We Offer

• Medical insurance (accidental cover and day-to-day benefits).
• Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) option and personal internet contribution.
• Provident fund.
• Opportunity to work with large-scale, enterprise infrastructure.
• Growth into advanced cloud, automation, and architecture roles.