PURPOSE OF THE POSITION

To improve the stability, availability and service quality of university-wide digital services by owning end-to-end problem management, leading root cause analysis, coordinating permanent fixes and preventive actions, monitoring service performance, and providing hybrid operational support with primary focus on digital telephony, Service Manager workflows, BI dashboards and monitored services, and secondary support across infrastructure, enterprise applications and end-user services.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

End-to-end problem management and root cause analysis 

• Own and manage problem records end-to-end; lead and document root cause analysis for recurring and major service issues; drive corrective and preventive actions; maintain the problem backlog and approve problem closure.

Service monitoring, trend analysis and BI reporting

• Monitor university-wide services, with an emphasis on digital telephony, Service Manager workflows, and BI dashboards; analyse repeat incidents, service trends, and performance data; compile weekly and monthly dashboards and reports. 

Known error, workaround and documentation management

• Maintain known error records, workarounds and support documentation; ensure information is current and accessible; capture lessons learnt and outputs from major problem reviews.

Availability, service level and risk management

• Review service availability, reliability, performance, and SLA trends; identify operational risks and recurring weaknesses; and recommend measures to improve service stability and continuity.

Operational support, incident handling and network service support

• Provide hands-on incident handling and incident coordination or oversight as required; support network services and monitored operational services; work with infrastructure and application teams to restore service quickly and reduce repeat failure.

Stakeholder coordination, vendor escalation and change follow-through

• Coordinate technical teams, business owners, CAB or change forums and vendors; escalate where required; track permanent fixes through change implementation; drive agreed service improvement plans to completion.

Projects and project resource support

• Contribute to small projects and provide resource support to project initiatives; assess operational impacts and dependencies; support implementation, transition and post-implementation stabilisation.

• An advanced certificate (NQF level 5) in Information Technology, Information Systems, Computer Science or equivalent IT certifications. 
• ITIL certification.
• CompTIA A , CompTIA Network , and ITIL 4 Foundation.
• A minimum of five (5) years’ experience within the enterprise IT service operations and monitoring environment – hands-on operational support, incident coordination and service monitoring across university-wide services.
• A minimum of five (5) years’ problem management and root cause analysis experience – end-to-end ownership of problem records, known errors, workarounds and permanent corrective actions.
• A minimum of five (5) years’ enterprise infrastructure and platform support experience – infrastructure, network, storage, servers, cloud, enterprise applications and end-user service environments.

ADDED ADVANTAGES:

• Additional technical certification - CompTIA Server , Cloud or Security , Microsoft MS-720, AudioCodes Certified Associate (ACA), AudioCodes Certified Professional (ACP) - Teams Environment - Advanced / Advanced Interworking & Security / Advanced Routing & Multitenancy, AudioCodes One Voice, Operations Center (OVOC), AudioCodes SBC in Microsoft Teams Direct Routing Environment or equivalent service management, telephony, platform or infrastructure certification.
• BI / analytics training – Power BI / Fabric BI reporting (e.g., Dashboard in a Day or DP-605T00; PL-300T00 / Power BI Data Analyst Associate; DP-600T00 / Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate).
• A minimum of three (3) years’ vendor and stakeholder management experience – coordination, escalation and follow-through with internal teams, vendors, business owners and CAB/change forums.
• A minimum of three (3) years’ reporting and analytics experience - problem dashboards, BI reporting, Power BI / Fabric reporting, trend analysis, KPI reporting and audit evidence.                                        

KEY FUNCTIONAL/ TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES:

• End-to-end problem management, root cause analysis, known error management, workaround management and post-incident review practice.
• SFIA 8 skill profile aligned to PBMG 5 (core) with supporting capability in AVMT 5, SLMO 5, ITOP 5, RLMT 5, MEAS 5 and BURM 5; role-aligned voice, telephony and service management certifications may further support diagnostic depth and service improvement execution.
• Supporting operational capability in CHMG 4, PRMG 4, STMG 4, NTAS 4 and USUP 4 within a hybrid service environment; Microsoft Teams Voice, AudioCodes SBC/OVOC and enterprise service monitoring/reporting capability are advantageous.
• Service monitoring, KPI reporting, BI dashboards, Power BI / Fabric reporting, audit and compliance reporting, and service improvement planning.
• Enterprise service knowledge across digital telephony, Service Manager workflows, network, storage, servers, cloud, infrastructure and enterprise applications.
• Documentation, knowledge article creation, testing support, change handling and training/coaching.
• Security-aware, Problem Management, risk/issue logging, vendor coordination, and post-incident improvement follow-through.
• BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES:
• Analytical and systematic problem solving with sound judgement under operational pressure.
• Strong communication, facilitation and stakeholder engagement across technical and non-technical groups.
• Accountability, ownership, initiative and follow-through to permanent resolution.
• Collaboration, customer and service orientation, and a continuous improvement mindset.

REMUNERATION:

The annual total remuneration package will be commensurate with the level of appointment as advertised and in line with the NWU policy guidelines.

ENQUIRIES REGARDING JOB CONTENT MAY BE DIRECTED TO: Mr. Lappies Labuschagne on 018 299 4635

ENQUIRIES REGARDING RECRUITMENT PROCESS MAY BE DIRECTED TO: Mrs. Goitsemang Ntsoelengoe on 018 299 4797

CLOSING DATE: 2 June 2026

PLANNED COMMENCEMENT OF DUTIES: As soon as possible 

Kindly take note: applications must be submitted online through the official nwu vacancy website. Incomplete applications and those submitted through any other platform will not be considered.

The University subscribes to and applies the principles of Employment Equity (EE) Act and is committed to transformation. Preference will be given to candidates from the designated groups, in accordance with the principles of the EE Act and NWU Employment Equity Plan.

The University reserves the right not to make an appointment. Communication will be limited to shortlisted candidates only.

If you are not contacted within two months from the closing date of this advertisement, please accept that your application was unsuccessful.

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