Senior Specialist: System Engineer

Position: Senior Specialist: System Engineer (Fixed Term Contract)
Position Reports to: Manager:
Information Technology Service

Division: Strategy Enab & Modernisation

Location:
Pretoria

Advert Closing Date: 29 June 2026

About the Position

Consult to business on technology solutions in the IBM Web Sphere Application Server domain whilst ensuring 24/7 availability within all SARS BU platforms. Open Shift knowledge on containerization (Docker, Open Shift), Kubernetes orchestration will be an added advantage.

Job Purpose

To be responsible for co-ordinating, programming, implementing and maintaining system architectures, including hardware, operating systems, and utilities, and related client services within the organisation and ensuring to meet service level agreements. To be responsible for identification and resolution of complex hardware and software technical problems and malfunctions related to network and related servers and makes decisions that are critical in the areas of performance analysis, problem solving, and infrastructure planning, with the potential to affect the successful execution of business transactions, ensuring a stable performance environment for the enterprise business processing system.

Education and Experience

Minimum Qualification & Experience Required

Bachelor's Degree / Advanced Diploma (NQF
7) Information Technology AND 8-10 years' experience in IBM Web Sphere Application Server, of which 3-4 years at junior specialist level.

#OR

Senior Certificate (NQF
4) AND IT Qualification (s) / Certification (s), in Information Technology and 8-10 years' experience in IBM Web Sphere Application Serve of which 3-4 years at junior specialist level, AND additional requirements specified in Min Functional requirements, where applicable.

• AiX: IBM AiX Certified Engineer, Power
  
  HA, IBM Systems Director or relevant certification OR
• LINUX:
  SuSE Certified Professional or Linux Professional Certified Level 2 or Redhat Certified Technician OR
• WAS: IBM Web Sphere Application Server Certified System Administrator or any other relevant certification

#ALTERNATIVE

Senior Certificate (NQF
4) AND 15 years IBM Web Sphere Application Server experience of which 3-4 years at junior specialist level.

Job Outputs:

Process

• Analyse and make recommendations about improvements to specialist systems, procedures, policies and practices.
• Contribute to the optimum utilisation of org. resources, advising on effective planning and development of area of specialisation resource plans.
• Develop a single practice area in alignment with operational activity and procedural frameworks and ensure tactical implementation.
• Draw on own technical or professional expertise, knowledge and experience to identify and recommend tactical solutions to defined problems in practices.
• Integrate business information, compare, analyse and produce reports to identify trends, discrepancies and inconsistencies for decision making purposes.
• Optimise goal achievement through tactical strategy implementation and optimisation of practises, processes and systems across an internal value chain.
• Plan for value-added, continuous practice and system improvements to deliver on objectives to enhance tactical implementation and excellence.
• Proactively identify interconnected problems, determine its impact and use to develop best fit alternatives; best practice implementation solutions.
• Recommend changes to optimise processes, systems, practice areas and associated procedures and execute the implementation of change and innovation.
• Translate top-down policy, apply modification in relation to own practice area and communicate impact to relevant stakeholders.
• Advising on programming, implementation and maintaining system architectures, including hardware, operating systems, and utilities, and related client services within the enterprise.
• Advise on the identification and resolution of high-level hardware and software technical problems and malfunctions related to network and related servers.
• Makes decisions that are critical in the areas of performance analysis, problem solving, and infrastructure planning, with the potential to affect the successful execution of business transactions.
• Proactively researches and locates necessary tools and processes to identify and proactively avert troublesome trends as they develop.
• Advice on stable performance environment for the enterprise business processing system.
• Participates in various IT projects intended to continually improve/upgrade the systems infrastructure.
• Collaborate with network staff to ensure smooth and reliable operation of software and systems for fulfilling business objectives and processes.
• Configuring, debugging and supporting multiple infrastructure platforms.
• Developing, maintaining and supporting technical infrastructure, hardware and system software components and developed applications.
• Performing high-level root-cause analysis for service interruption recovery and creating preventive measures.
• Performing installation, maintenance and support of system software/hardware and user support.
• Work with executive…