Job Purpose To be the technical Subject Matter Expert (SME) in your technical domain by providing solutions and advice to business across multiple complex problem sets, working with vendors to improve IT technical domain solutions as well as providing support to junior staff.
Key Responsibilities / Accountabilities
The role includes supporting inhouse and third party developed application with tasks such as :
Creating Dynamic Clusters
Creating application configuration for Databases, WebSphere MQ
Integration with LDAP
Encryption with SSL certificates
Scripting of various tasks using wsadmin and jython
Ability to work on weekends for maintenance, production implementations, recovery tests and system verifications / validations.
Ability to address production issues from home outside of normal business hours.
Provide operational maintenance and production support including consultation, facilitation and implementation of Technical domain functionality
Manage and control the technical IT domain solution in both project and production support
environments.
Provide a service that combines all the elements of consultancy, facilitation and Implementation, thus
providing an end-to-end enablement and implementation service.
Give input to the development of customized solutions.
Participate in the planning, development and implementation of the IT Domain projects and enhancements.
Provide subject matter expertise to participate in the development, maintenance and implementation of the relevant technical IT domain
Monitor projects throughout all phases to ensure compliance to design standards, and to ensure that the designed solution matches the business requirements, alerting project and IT leadership when there are potential disconnects.
Responsible for ensuring that detailed project design maintains architectural design principles related to reusable services, common technology underpinnings, and strategic technical capabilities.
Design must also maintain alignment to the architectural plan and roadmaps.
Provide subject matter expertise from a process perspective crossing multiple technologies to projects with regards to technical business processes
Consult with solution project teams in order to develop a solution design which is compliant with the
Architecture and standards of the Standard Bank Group.
Give input to the design and development of test plans (e.g., test objectives, test cases, test data, test scripts) for executing unit, integration, system or acceptance testing in order to ensure the solution meets the business requirements.
Review enhancement requests and designs to ensure system optimization and performance by working with various internal and external partners around the globe.
Assist in defining business and system requirements
Earn client trust and respect by providing insights on issues impacting the client's business regarding the technical IT domain.
Investigate complex problem situations and apply workaround and / or recommend solutions to resolve.
Manage internal and external relationships
Work with a range of stakeholders, and be seen as a subject matter expert within client organisations and by colleagues
Lead and give guidance to 3rd party organizations, suppliers and vendors in configuration, development and testing of changes, and team members in requirements definition and implementation with regards to the relevant technical IT domain
Manage interdependencies with other technical IT domains.
Act as coach and mentor to junior staff, provide training to new and junior staff as well as act as the go to person in a crisis.
Provide technical expertise and advice to the area and Production Area Heads.
Remain and maintain a current awareness of the relevant technical IT domain
Conduct research using available resources with respect to the technical IT domain and share knowledge
with team members.
Interact with IT Domain vendors, professional bodies and peers as appropriate to keep abreast of technology developments and business trends relevant to technical IT domain
Ensure relevant technical IT domain users are upskilled on the Domain modules to ensure governance and adherence to Group design principles.
Assist stakeholders with queries to ensure a better understanding of the environment and an appreciation of the technical IT domain.
Keep up to date with domain technology trends, enhancements and future technology developments in
infrastructure, e.g. NGI
Provide technical expertise in the relevant technical IT domain
As the SME in the relevant technical domain provide insight and advice to the Group on all matters relating to the relevant domain.
Ensure that all the relevant technical specifications are up to date and work with domain vendor to ensure that all domain parameters are up to specification
Ensure that all relevant training is up to date and that all vendor requirements and competencies are met.
Perform and monitor day to day scheduled and ad hoc (as per task requests) activities on associated IT infrastructure.
Perform deployment work for projects on demand and in accordance with project schedules.
Ensure all software is on supported levels including operating system software and 3rd party software.
Performance and tuning of the IT domain systems to acceptable levels in accordance with customer SLA’s
Configuration of all hardware across the IT Domain environment.
Perform day to day application and user administration and other application specific maintenance. In terms of user administration, ensure that user access and related permissions are managed in accordance with the user access management regime.
Deploy application patches, refreshes, and upgrades in accordance with related deployment and release schedules.
Maintain backups of the operational application to enable restore in cause of disaster recovery in accordance with the backup and restore regime.
Perform DR exercises as directed by the BCM regime.
Resolve incidents and problems and escalate 3rd level support requirements to 3rd party support contractor(s) and coordinate support provision.
Service restore shall satisfy service level agreements.
Maintain run books, where applicable, for IT domain operations utilizing deployment- and maintenance guides’ directives originating from Products & Services.
Interact with Products & Services to optimise and maintain IT domain infrastructure and operations service levels at a level that fully endorse GTI’s service level agreements with its customers.
Support Operational Controls processes (Audits, Risk and DR& BCM governance, business processes improvements, performance management, and finance and business management), supply requested information and implement corrective actions as applicable.
Research technology at hand to ensure appropriate application as well as knowledge in SBSA to exploit new functionality and features.
Provide leadership
Stimulate and motivate IT teams and any other matrix team member that provides support to execute the domain deliverable.
Mentor, educate and coach team members.
Responsible for the guidance of fellow domain users where appropriate as well as provide input into performance feedback.
Contribute to the development of talent management programs and succession plans.
Provide thought leadership to business and the IT community as to how better use technology to address business and IT related complexities.
Facilitate external input and vendor influence on domain evolution.
The incumbent shall be accountability to perform the work as allocated that will pertain to one or more of the following Database deploy and operate processes :
Perform deployment work for projects on demand and in accordance with project schedules.
With respect to operational databases :
Perform preventative and re-active (2nd and 3rd level) database maintenance and database administration and application support processes.
Deploy database changes and additions.
Maintain run books for databases maintenance and administration.
Support database data backup and restore in cause of disaster recovery in accordance with the backup and restore regime.
Perform DR exercises as directed by the BCM regime.
Resolve incidents and problems and escalate 3rd level support requirements to 3rd party support contractor(s) and coordinate support provision.
Service restore shall satisfy service level agreements.
Maintain run books for databases administration and maintenance utilising deployment- and maintenance guides directives originating from Products & Services.
Interaction with the Product Owner and Solutions Architect to optimise and maintain SQL infrastructure service levels at a level that fully endorses GIT’s service level agreements with its customers
Support Operational Controls processes (Audits, Risk and DR& BCM governance, business processes improvements, performance management, and finance and business management), supply requested information and implement corrective actions as applicable.
Maintaining and managing the Linux Platform. Incorporation of all activities and associated resources that perform deploy and operate functions pertaining to Linux Platform across Standard Bank’s IT operations, into one centrally managed operation.
Actively and Proactively engage with stakeholders such as P&SM, Capacity Management, FIT, BSM and Strategic support vendors
Actively automate and improve service to increase service availability and reliability
Ensure service availability, hardware and software currency and service restoration and automation
Risk management - any and all identified risks need to be logged on the UNIX risk register such as security risks, infrastructure resilience and support risks, disaster recovery risks
Maintaining and managing the Linux Platform. Incorporation of all activities and associated resources that perform deploy and operate functions pertaining to Linux Platform across Standard Bank’s IT operations, into one centrally managed operation.
Preferred Qualification and Experience Qualificaion
Grade 12 or National Senior Certificate
Requires Bachelor’s degree or Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
IBM or Oracle application server certifications would be an added advantage
Experience
5 - 7 years In depth knowledge and significant experience dealing with complex problems in the infrastructure space having worked across multiple domains or in depth specialisation in a domain. Technology
5 - 7 years experience in ability to deal with all levels of the business and technology stakeholders across large organizations.
Experience in defining conceptual, logical and physical infrastructure domain. Would be considered the SME in the domain.
6+ years of experience installing and configuring WebSphere Application Server V7.X, V8.X, V8.5.5.X and V9.X on Linux / Windows / AIX / Solaris.
Knowledge / Technical Skills / Expertise Install and configure WebSphere Liberty Profile on Linux / AIX. Install and configure IBM HTTP Server V8.
0, V8.5.5.X and V9.X on Linux / Windows / AIX. Configure LDAP such as Microsoft Active Directory. Knowledge of configuring standalone and federated repositories.
Configure Datasource with Oracle Databases / SQL databases. Deployment of Enterprise applications, installation and configuration of new application, configuring and / or modifying application content.
Strong scripting skills including wsadmin scripting, jython, jacl and shell scripts. Automation of the enterprise application deployment process (Strong JACL / Jython Expertise) - to align to the CI / CD pipeline Install, configure and maintain SSL Certificates.
Troubleshoot and Support problem solving for any issues related to all the above platforms and products. Provide 24X7 Production Support.
Driving the investigation and resolution of issues effectively. Maintain and Upgrade new versions / technologies for WAS.
Applying WebSphere patches & upgrades. Applying maintenance changes (within the Change Management Process) Contributing and participating in putting new deployments in place.
Delivery of project based work to agreed target dates. Operating Systems :
Solaris, AIX, Red Hat Linux, SUSE Linux and Windows
Knowledge of Products :
WebSphere Application Server
WebSphere Liberty Profile
IBM HTTP Server
Knowledge of WebSphere MQ and F5 will be an added advantage