Position – Systems Engineer; Re-Advertisement

Contract Type: Permanent
Job Level: Skilled / Middle Management
Work Location: Cape Town, Western Cape
Closing Date: 30 June 2026

The National Research Foundation (NRF) supports and promotes research and human capital development through funding, the provision of National Research Facilities and science outreach platforms and programmes to the broader community in all fields of science and technology, including natural sciences, engineering, social sciences and humanities.

The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) spearheads South Africa’s activities in the Square Kilometre Array Radio Telescope, commonly known as the SKA, in engineering, science and construction. SARAO is a National Facility managed by the National Research Foundation and incorporates radio astronomy instruments and programmes such as the MeerKAT telescope in the Karoo, the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO) in Gauteng, the African Very Long Baseline Interferometry (AVN) programme in nine African countries as well as the associated human capital development and commercialisation endeavours.

The main purpose of the job is to work as part of a team executing the systems engineering on projects covering design, development, construction, integration, verification and commissioning of complicated systems, elements, subsystems and associated supporting infrastructure and operational systems, both in the facilities in Cape Town and on site at Carnarvon in the Northern Cape.

• Ensuring delivered systems meet stakeholder needs through executing requirements engineering by defining, analysing and managing requirements, establishing and maintaining traceability and developing system and sub‑system design‑to specifications.
• Converting stakeholder needs and requirements into physical engineered systems through executing functional and physical architecting, analysis and synthesis, identifying and creating ICDs, performance analysis, performing FMECAs to implement safety in design and generating performance, build‑to and maintain to specifications.
• Deliver systems with verified performance and quality through implementing ICDs, physically assembling items, preparing and executing Verification Plans, Test instructions, ATPs and QTPs, ATRs and QTRs and establishing and maintaining baselines (DBL, QBL, PBL, OsBL).
• Ensuring the delivered systems continue to operate and deliver the expected performance by maintaining the PBS in ALIM, managing baseline changes via ECPs, CNs, waivers, concessions, etc., performing Root Cause Analysis and designing modifications to eliminate failure modes.
• Ensure the engineering is executed with integrity and risk is managed by assisting in compiling Project SEMPs, technical schedules, WBS and SOWs and providing inputs into engineering process reviews.

• B.Tech (Eng) with 6+ years RELEVANT experience; OR
• B.Eng/B.Sc (Eng) with 4+ years RELEVANT experience; OR
• M.Eng/M.Sc (Eng) with 3+ years RELEVANT experience; OR
• PhD/D.Eng with 1+ years RELEVANT experience.
• AND
• Must be eligible to register as PrEng/PrEng Tech with ECSA.

• A background in development of systems in radio astronomy, radar, satellite or avionics systems is preferred.
• Physical, hands‑on experience in integration, test and verification of complicated systems which includes RF, digital and mechanical elements.
• Applied Systems Engineering across the multiple lifecycle stages of a system or product, at all levels up to user systems (L5) of the systems hierarchy.
• Model‑Based Systems Engineering and the use of Computer‑aided Systems Engineering Tools (e.g. CORE/GENESYS).
• Application and control of systems engineering processes and procedures.
• Baseline establishment and management.
• Engineering Change control.

• Recognised domain knowledge of systems engineering, technology and/or software, based on theoretical aspects and experience in systems engineering methods, procedures, tools and techniques.
• Integration, test and verification of complex systems.
• Baseline establishment and engineering change control.
• Configuration management and configuration management systems.
• Application of Systems…