Server Manager – Department of Information Technology Services needed at University of Pretoria/Universiteit van Pretoria

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The successful candidate’s responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

Server infrastructure:

• Maintain, support and optimise the enterprise server infrastructure;
• Ensure the availability of enterprise servers’ infrastructure and all related services;
• Conduct capacity monitoring and planning as well as future growth plans of the University of Pretoria;
• Maintain server security and integrity, and develop and implement the current server infrastructure, as well as future planning to address server infrastructure requirements;
• Ensure design principles, support contracts and software levels, etc. are adhered to;
• Create and maintain architecture diagrams and configuration data;
• Produce and report on availability data and trends, and balance availability and maintenance;
• Initiate investigations for new technologies, products and features, as well as new user requirements;

Storage infrastructure:

• Maintain, support and optimise the enterprise storage infrastructure, and ensure the availability of enterprise storage infrastructure and all related services;
• Monitor and plan future growth plans, and maintain storage security and integrity;
• Develop and implement current storage infrastructure, as well as future planning to address storage infrastructure requirements;
• Ensure design principles, support contracts and software levels, etc. are adhered to;
• Create and maintain architecture diagrams and configuration data;
• Produce and report on availability data and trends, and balance availability and maintenance;
• Initiate investigations for new technologies, products and features as well as new user requirements;
• Plan, design, and implement upgrades and new storage infrastructure and monitor user activity and traffic flows to detect unusual patterns (potential misuse/abuse);
• Monitor storage status and health, provide and monitor different levels of redundancy, and align and contribute to ITS’ Disaster Recovery Plan;

Backup infrastructure 

• Maintain, support and optimise the enterprise backup infrastructure, and ensure the availability of enterprise backup infrastructure and all related services;
• Monitor and plan future growth plans and maintain backup security and data integrity;
• Develop and implement the current backup infrastructure, as well as future planning to address backup infrastructure requirements;
• Ensure design principles, support contracts and software levels, etc. are adhered to, and create and maintain architecture diagrams and configuration data;
• Produce and report on backup data storage and data trends and balance availability and maintenance;
• Initiate investigations for new technologies, products and features as well as new user requirements;
• Plan, design, and implement upgrades and new backup infrastructure and monitor backup status and health;
• Provide and monitor different levels of redundancy and align and contribute to ITS’ Disaster Recovery Plan;

Change management:

• Ensure that the change management system is adhered to and that all changes to the server infrastructure are planned in advance, documented and approved;
• Work closely with ITS managers to ensure all new and changed services are successfully transitioned into operation, ensuring documentation, training, risk management, future obsolescence, and ongoing operational management is considered;
• Manage the team to ensure service desk calls and are resolved within SLA’s, and design and planning of all server changes and foresee possible impact of changes;
• Test, before and after, and provide fall-back plans, and monitor problem solving of server teams;
• Prioritise problems, optimise troubleshooting process, and monitor the operation of server monitoring/alarm systems;

Project management:

• Manage the technical implementation of agreed initiatives working with all required parties to ensure successful delivery according to stakeholder and project office criteria;
• Provide technical expertise and operational insight for all planned projects and work closely with managerial peers in other technology teams to ensure the efficiency, compatibility, security, integrity and ease of ongoing operations of all new server technologies;
• Assist with site inspections, scoping, technical advice, quotations for equipment etc.;
• Manage ITS resources and contractors for projects and work with professional project team, architects, engineers etc.;
• Ensure equipment is ordered and booked into the IT store for safekeeping and released via the ITS change management system;
• Vet, design and implement any data centre, server room, network room infrastructure project;

Vendor management:

• Establish and maintain strong relationships with existing and new vendors and suppliers;
• Ensure vendors adhere and comply to the agreed Service Level Agreements (SLAs);
• Manage quotations, purchase orders and invoices;

Resource management:

• Set standards and procedures, coach and mentor the team;
• Provide guidance and specialist knowledge to colleagues within and beyond the server team, challenging assumptions and driving best practice;
• Lead troubleshooting and mentor technical staff in formulating conclusions and judgements;
• Encourage collaboration with all other teams in the ITS department and embed a culture of proactivity, establishing proactive monitoring and analysis as a standard way of working
• Manage the server team, including their personal and professional development, appraisals, training, coaching, discipline, and workload;
• Coach, guide, feedback, and mentor the team’s technical and non-technical abilities and conduct appraisals and enabling conversations. Ensure development plans exist, are executed, and results are fed back positively and proactively;
• Communicate and promote the work of the server team within and beyond the ITS team;

General administration:

• Financial management;
• Asset management.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• A Bachelor’s degree in an applicable field such as Computer Science, Informatics or Information Technology from a recognised Tertiary institution, WITH

Five years’ relevant experience in/of:

• Operations management;
• Designing, building, operating and troubleshooting large scale IT Server and storage systems;
• Line managing a team of server and storage specialists and specialist 3rd parties;
• Server and storage architecture and design;
• Windows Server OS and Linux Server OS support and troubleshooting;
• Setup and installation as well as security hardening of server and storage infrastructure;
• Oracle/Solaris environments;
• VMWare virtual environments;
• Expertise in HCI environments;
• Storage technologies and administration;
• Strong expertise in Backup technologies and administration;
• Cloud solutions such as Google, AZURE, AWS;
• Objective evaluation of technical systems and tenders;
• Developing systems and procedures to improve efficiency, using the ITIL framework;
• Configuration management and capacity planning;
• Producing clear management and reporting documentation;
• Planning of future direction and utilisation of appropriate server technology.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES (SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND BEHAVIOURAL ATTRIBUTES):

Knowledge of:

• Windows Server;
• Nutanix HCI; 
• VMWare; 
• Oracle hardware and Solaris OS; 
• Storage technologies; 
• Backup technologies; 
• Cloud technologies; 

Technical competencies:

• Project management;
• Server infrastructure;
• Storage infrastructure; 
• Backup infrastructure; 
• Infrastructure architecture;