The above vacancy exists within the IT Facilities Department and reports to the Manager: IT Facilities. The purpose of this role is to provide advanced, system-level technical support across multiple platforms, including operating systems, hardware, networks, databases and enterprise applications. The role involves the installation, configuration, administration, monitoring, maintenance, upgrading, documentation, performance tuning, security hardening and licensing of IT systems. The incumbentwill ensure optimal system performance, availability, security, and reliability while supporting the delivery of strategic IT initiatives.
The ideal candidate will be someone who has successfully completed a Degree/Diploma in Computer Science and must be Microsoft certified with at least 3 years-experience working within a similar environment.
Key Performance areas:
Infrastructure and Systems Management
- Provisioning and lifecycle management of IT infrastructure and enterprise applications
- System availability, performance, and capacity monitoring and optimization
- Windows Server and enterprise systems administration
- Infrastructure and endpoint security management
- Backup, restore, and disaster recovery planning and testing
- Incident management, root cause analysis, and problem resolution
- Implementation and delivery of IT projects in line with agreed IT priorities
- Infrastructure documentation and configuration management
- Change management and adherence to IT governance frameworks
- Vendor and service provider coordination
- Continuous improvement and automation of IT processes
SQL Server Administration and Database Management
- Installation, configuration, and upgrading of Microsoft SQL Server (2012 / 2014 / 2016 / 2019 / 2022 / latest versions)
- SQL Server instance configuration and best practice implementation
- Database creation, configuration, migration, and decommissioning
- SQL Server performance tuning and optimization (indexes, execution plans, query optimization)
- Monitoring database performance, blocking, deadlocks, I/O bottlenecks, memory pressure,and CPU utilization
- Implementation and maintenance of SQL maintenance plans
- Backup strategy design (Full, Differential, Transaction Log) and restore testing
- High Availability and Disaster Recovery implementation (Always On Availability Groups, Failover Clustering, Log Shipping)
- SQL Server security configuration (roles, permissions, encryption, auditing)
- Patch management and version lifecycle management
- Capacity planning and database growth forecasting
- Troubleshooting database corruption, recovery scenarios, and performance degradation
- Integration with enterprise applications (ERP, custom applications)
- Documentation of SQL configurations, recovery procedures, and system architecture
- Automation of database tasks using PowerShell and T-SQL scripting
Minimum requirements:
- Degree or Diploma in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field;
- Microsoft certification (MCSA, MCSE, or equivalent modern Microsoft certifications such as Azure Administrator / Windows Server Hybrid Administrator);
- Microsoft SQL Server certification (e.g., DP-300, SQL Database Administrator Associate) – strongly preferred;
- Minimum of 3 years’ experience in a similar IT system engineering role within a medium to large enterprise environment;
- Proven hands-on SQL Server administration experience in production environments.
Technical Skills & Experience:
Operating Systems & Platforms
- Strong experience supporting and administering Windows Server 2012 / 2016 / 2019 / 2022 / 2025
- Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, Group Policy, and Windows Server services
- Windows desktop operating systems and enterprise management tools
Systems Management & Tools
- Microsoft System Center Suite (SCOM, SCCM, SCVMM, DPM)
- Endpoint protection solutions (e.g., Microsoft Defender, Symantec Endpoint Protection)
- Microsoft 365 and Azure AD (preferred)
- PowerShell scripting and automation (strong advantage)
- ITIL-based service management practices (advantageous)
Virtualisation & Storage
- Microsoft Hyper-V virtualization and clustering
- Experience with VMware (advantageous)
- HP SAN provisioning and administration
- NAS/SAN technologies and storage management
Databases & Enterprise Applications
- Advanced Microsoft SQL Server administration (mandatory)
- SQL Server performance tuning and optimization expertise
- High Availability and Disaster Recovery design
- Microsoft SharePoint Server administration
- ERP system administration
- Microsoft Dynamics AX administration
Networking & Infrastructure
- Strong knowledge of TCP/IP, DNS, VLANs, routing, switching, Wi-Fi, and firewalls
- Understanding of load balancers and network security principles
- Solid understanding of OSI model and network troubleshooting
- Experience with network monitoring tools
Security & Compliance
- Infrastructure security hardening and patch management
- Backup and disaster recovery strategy implementation and testing
- Knowledge of cybersecurity principles and risk mitigation
- Familiarity with compliance frameworks (ISO 27001, POPIA, GDPR – advantageous)
Additional Advantageous Skills:
- Cloud platforms (Microsoft Azure, AWS – preferred)
- Hybrid infrastructure environments
- Microsoft Azure and hybrid SQL deployments
- Azure SQL / SQL Managed Instance exposure
- Scripting and automation (PowerShell, Bash)
- Monitoring tools such as SolarWinds, PRTG, or similar
- Experience in high-availability and mission-critical environments
Core Competencies:
- Strong analytical and problem-solving ability
- Customer-focused with strong service orientation
- Excellent troubleshooting and debugging capability
- High attention to detail and quality standards
- Strong conceptual and strategic thinking ability
- Effective interpersonal and stakeholder engagement skills
- Initiative and ability to work independently
- High integrity and professional ethics
- Strong verbal and written English communication skills
- Ability to multitask and manage competing priorities
- Resilience under pressure and deadline-driven environments
If you are confident that you have the necessary qualification and experience to perform the above mentioned duties, please forward your CV (stating which position you are applying for) in confidence to recruit@samro.org.za
All positions will be filled in accordance with our Employment Equity policy.
If you do not receive a response from us within two weeks of submitting your application, please consider your application unsuccessful.