Systems Administrator: IT Operations

UWC Sport; Bellville; On-site; ZAR 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent South African university is seeking a Systems Administrator for its IT Operations. The role involves daily operations support, server performance evaluation, and ensuring data integrity. Candidates should have a relevant NQF qualification or senior certificate with experience in a datacentre environment. Strong knowledge in server technologies and problem-solving skills are essential.

Qualifications

• A NQF 7 (or higher) with three years experience in a datacentre environment.
• Or a Senior certificate with relevant professional certifications and five years experience in a datacentre.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for production and daily operations support.
• Evaluate server performance for systems utilisation and reliability.
• Ensure data recovery, maintenance, and space requirements.
• Maintain security of IT infrastructure.
• Provide input on business continuance issues.

Skills

Microsoft Server Technologies

Virtualisation technologies

Microsoft Azure

Office 365

Education

NQF 7 with three years experience in a datacentre

Senior certificate with Bachelors pass and 5 years experience

Job description

Title of Position

Systems Administrator: IT Operations

Post Number

8020004

Faculty/Department

University of the Western Cape -> ICS Department -> IT Operations & Services

Type of Position

Permanent - Full Time

Length of Contract Period

Location

Main Campus - Bellville, WC ZA (Primary)

Closing Date

22/8/2025

Role Clarification & Key Performance Areas

The Information & Communication Services (ICS) Department at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) delivers a broad range of best practice Information & Communication Technology services to one of South Africa’s most dynamic universities. The ICS department has identified a growth area within the IT Operations and Services unit that focus on delivering services aligned to the University Digital Transformation strategy and as part of the Institutional Operating Plan (IOP). In order to deliver on the Department’s strategic initiatives, an opportunity exists for a suitably qualified candidate: Systems Administrator: IT Operations.

The Key Responsibilities of the incumbent include but are not limited to:

• Responsible for production and daily operations support,
• Evaluate all aspects of server performance relating to systems utilisation, availability and reliability,
• Ensure data recovery, maintenance, data integrity and space requirements are met across a variety of platforms,
• Ensure performance, reliability and availability of platforms in datacentre to meet business objectives,
• Maintain security of IT infrastructure,
• Maintain infrastructure documentation, standard operating procedures and inventory of datacentre,
• Provide input and recommendations regarding business continuance issues and improvements to the operations of systems and processes supported,
• Setup and use monitoring and diagnostics tools effectively to troubleshoot issues on systems,
• Experiential exposure to best practice frameworks, change control, opensource technologies including ITIL processes,
• Contribute to development of procedures and processes for enterprise Datacentre operations,
• Contribute to developing technology standards and best practices for the Datacentre Infrastructure,
• Analyse technologies and market trends, determining potential impact upon the enterprise and recommend solutions to address risks,
• Work closely with the network infrastructure team, application support team, departments and other stakeholders.
  
  

Minimum Requirements

• A NQF 7 (or higher) with three (3) years experience in a datacentre environment
  
  

Or

• Senior certificate (with Bachelors pass) and relevant accredited (industry-recognised) professional certifications (e.g. MCSE, MSCA Certified DevOps Engineer, etc) with demonstrated five years’ experience in a datacentre environment at a large organisation or educational institution.
  
  

Skills And Experience

Strong knowledge or understanding in these key areas would be advantageous:

• Microsoft Server Technologies: MS Server, MS Clustering, Active Directory Services, Group Policy, Windows Remote Desktop
• Virtualisation technologies: VMware ESX Server, Hyper-V, KVM, etc
• Microsoft Azure, Office 365, Entra ID
  
  

Minimum Competencies Required

• Critical thinking and problem-solving skills,
• Ability to work across interdisciplinary teams,
• Ability to analyse and resolve problems swiftly using a range of diagnostic tools and techniques,
• Ability to adapt to new technologies, best practice frameworks in the datacentre environment,
• Understanding of the cyberthreat landscape and ability to mitigate these threats,
• Ability to create and maintain technical documentation, policies and processes as related to the datacentre infrastructure environment.
  
  

In your application, you are encouraged to highlight your strengths and include anything else you deem exceptional and outstanding to be considered by the selection panel. In addition, please attach a cover letter motivating your suitability, a detailed curriculum vitae including contact details of three referees, and your highest qualification to your online profile.

DISCLAIMER: By applying for the position, you consent to the University sharing your application, including curriculum vitae, with University stakeholders to process the application. In line with the University’s commitment to diversifying its workforce, preference will be given to suitably qualified applicants in line with our Employment Equity Targets. The official retirement age at UWC is 65 years. The University reserves the right to not make an appointment, make an appointment at a different level, seek additional candidates and may conduct competency assessments.