Senior System Operator

Perm Position:
SysOps Team Lead

Location: Johannesburg or Cape Town

Start Date: ASAP

Salary: Negotiable depending on experience

Reference: 19876

An opportunity for an experienced SysOps Team Lead to join a forward-thinking Managed Service Provider. This role combines hands-on technical leadership with ownership of automation, monitoring, and RMM platform strategy. You will design, build and operate a modern Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) ecosystem that underpins high-quality, proactive managed services. The ideal candidate will bring strong expertise in automation, tooling optimisation, modern device management and team leadership.

Key Responsibilities:

Automation & Tooling:

• Design and implement automation workflows using PowerShell, Python, Ansible or RMM platforms.
• Develop and maintain Python and PowerShell scripts to streamline operations and eliminate manual tasks.
• Optimise and administer operational toolsets such as N-able, Acronis, Intune, Microsoft MDE, BitDefender, Qualys and Meraki.
• Embed automation, configuration consistency and process standardisation across service delivery.

Monitoring, Patching & RMM Operations:

• Drive proactive monitoring, alerting and self-healing capabilities across client environments.
• Oversee AutoPilot deployments, device provisioning and patch management processes to ensure compliance and reliability.
• Analyse telemetry, reports and trends to identify recurring issues and opportunities for optimisation and automation.

Reporting & Insights:

• Build and maintain dashboards and reporting in Power BI and internal RMM toolsets to provide actionable insights.
• Deliver regular performance reporting to management, highlighting achievements, risks and improvement initiatives.

Team Leadership:

• Lead and mentor the SysOps team to ensure efficient and high-quality service delivery.
• Conduct regular team meetings and 1:1s, providing coaching, performance feedback and development planning.
• Promote a culture of innovation, accountability and continuous improvement.
• Act as an escalation point for SysOps-related issues including changes, patching, automation or RMM configurations.
• Ensure adherence to SLAs, ITIL best practices, and clear communication across internal teams.

Collaboration & Strategic Initiatives:

• Work closely with support, security, cloud and project teams to deliver aligned solutions.
• Own SysOps-focused initiatives and ensure delivery within scope, time and budget.
• Stay current with modern technologies and recommend enhancements to tools, processes and automation.
• Drive documentation excellence by assigning and maintaining ownership of knowledge articles.

Required Skills:

• Strong passion for solving complex operational problems through automation and modern tooling.
• Excellent critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities, with a focus on scalable solutions.
• Advanced scripting skills in PowerShell and Python.
• Strong ability to build and maintain Power BI dashboards for operational insights.
• Excellent organisational, communication and people-leadership skills.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks, priorities and escalations in a fast-paced environment.
• Solid understanding of IT operations tools, device management and systems administration.

Experience:

• Proven experience designing and implementing automation workflows end-to-end.
• Hands-on experience developing scripts to automate operational processes and drive service efficiency.
• Demonstrated ability to optimise RMM and operational toolsets.
• Experience managing AutoPilot deployments, patching processes and hybrid device environments.
• Strong background in proactive monitoring, self-healing logic and alert optimisation.
• Proficient in Power BI reporting and translating operational data into insights.
• Experience leading technical teams and driving continuous improvement.
• Skilled in managing escalations related to SysOps automation, patching, configurations or systems changes.
• Familiarity with ITIL and practical application within support operations.
• Experience delivering cross-team initiatives and implementing operational improvements.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in IT, Computer Science or related field (Optional)
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) – Required
• Microsoft Certified: Endpoint Administrator (MD-102) – Required
• PowerShell Scripting Certification – Required
• Power BI Data Analyst Associate – Required
• CompTIA Cloud+ or Azure/AWS Architecture Certifications – Required
• ITIL v4 Foundation (Optional)
• Microsoft Security Operations Analyst (SC-200) or CompTIA Security+ (Optional)
• Ansible Automation Certifications (Optional)
• Microsoft Identity & Access Administrator (SC-300) (Optional)
• N-Able Advanced Reporting & Automation Certification (Optional)