Data Centre Manager

Ensure excellent IT service delivery to all AFGRI businesses and affiliates through effective management of data centre infrastructure services in line with 3rd Party Service Level Agreements.

**Requirements**:

- Required minimum education/training:

- Relevant degree/diploma an advantage
- Grade 12, relevant tertiary qualification will be an advantage (Cobit/ITIL)
- ITIL V4.0
- A+
- N+

**Minimum work experience required**
- Minimum 8 year’s working experience in an IT environment with relevant IT Infrastructure and Datacentre management experience

**Key performance areas**
- Coordinate, oversee, execute and/or any operational changes without compromising system integrity across all role players
- Provide operational inputs into hosted infrastructure
- Day-to-day management and interaction with third-party suppliers
- Plan, negotiate and assist with the implementation of optimal technology services, without compromising system integrity
- Assess data centre infrastructure needs for future developments without compromising system integrity
- Responsible for identifying continuous improvement opportunities
- Provide input into IT strategies relating to the Data Centre environment
- Identify business needs and streamline with IT business support
- Ensure alignment to the horizontal IT strategic integration
- Provide feedback on interactions with the business to align and prioritise IT operational aspects based on business strategy
- Responsible for the day-to-day health and, management of the following services:

- all corporate infrastructure systems
- collaboration, including MS Teams
- server operating systems and compliance
- hosted File repositories
- hosted environments
- plan, participate and report on adversary simulation (DR) tests
- Ensure all servers are equipped with all required tools
- Maintaining current hosting environments including, but not limited to on-premises, cloud (private and public)
- Manages all requests with regard to data centre infrastructure services
- Function as an advisory for technicians on complex issues
- Ensure all related SOPs are completed and updated bi-annually
- Optimise service levels for each of the technologies
- Maintaining a monitoring system to detect:

- Faults
- Availability of systems
- Capacity Planning
- Resource outages for all systems
- Backups. Ensure all systems are backed up as per the agreed backup strategy in line with the current Business requirements
- Review and maintain vendor performance levels
- Establish and maintain a weekly operational service committee with service providers
- Function as a change agent to ensure that all related changes touching the hosting/server (on-premises / hosted) environments are logged and implemented successfully to ensure business needs are met
- Ensure all changes are scrutinised pertaining to the associated responsibility areas and implemented accordingly, in order not to negatively impact the Business
- Ensure adherence to all IT governance processes
- Function as point of escalation for issues not resolved by normal channels
- Keep all related diagrams and designs up to date
- Align IT services with business requirements
- Provide technical advice to business
- Ensure related infrastructure vendors deliver against their respective SLAs
- Provide progress/performance reports against the infrastructure, technology, and SLAs
- Continuously investigate operational enhancements to the infrastructure, technology, architecture
- Anti-virus compliance on all servers
- Microsoft Patch compliance on servers
- Using relevant technologies to ensure software distribution
- Responsible for Active Directory management, support, and associated technologies
- Responsible for assisting and providing input into IAR / RCA process and determining of the resolution thereof
- Mentor service desk employees to for their growth
- Plan, assist and document migration between data centres when necessary
- Give input in the due diligence process when necessary

**Technical knowledge/capabilities**
- Exceptional knowledge of Cloud datacentres, physical datacentres, hosting platforms, IoT, and ITIL principles
- Excellent crisis management and critical thinking skills
- Service Delivery experience
- Customer Service Orientation
- Project Management skills
- Presentation skills
- Manage and maintain the relationship between Business IT Support and Business Infrastructure needs
- Excellent MS Office skills
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Ability to build and maintain sustainable relationships with stakeholders
- Knowledge of different infrastructure architecture frameworks

**Behavioural competencies**
- Result driven
- Customer Service Orientation
- Innovative and creative
- Ability to lead and manage teams and individuals
- Goal orientated
- High sense of urgency
- Interpersonal skill
- Ability to work individually (initiative-taker)
- Sense of urgency
- Accuracy/diligence
- Analytical

**Closing Date: 23 February