Location – Johannesburg or Stellenbosch (Hybrid/Remote)
Job Description
Our client is seeking to employ an Infrastructure Architect to join their team.
As a Senior Infrastructure Architect, you will play a critical role in designing and implementing robust IT infrastructure solutions for their clients. Your expertise will be instrumental in defining the technology roadmap, ensuring scalability, availability, and security of their clients’ infrastructure. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams, including client stakeholders, project managers, engineers, and operations personnel, to deliver high-quality solutions that align with business objectives.
Reports to: PMO Leader, who leads their PMO and Infrastructure Projects teams.
Responsibilities
- Infrastructure Design: Develop and design infrastructure solutions that align with their clients’ strategic goals and objectives. This includes data centre, cloud, security, hardware, software, network, and storage components.
- System Architecture: Define the overall system architecture for complex infrastructure projects, considering factors such as performance, availability, security, scalability, and cost-effectiveness.
- Technology Evaluation: Evaluate emerging technologies, products, and services to identify opportunities for enhancing their clients’ infrastructure and reducing risk. Conduct feasibility evaluations and make recommendations for implementation.
- Infrastructure Planning: Collaborate with stakeholders to identify infrastructure requirements, capacity planning, and resource allocation. Create roadmaps and provide guidance on infrastructure upgrades, enhancements, and migrations.
- Infrastructure Implementation: Perform technical lead during projects to implement data centre architecture, virtualization, storage, network, security, and cloud solutions to meet their clients’ needs.
- Security and Compliance: Ensure that infrastructure solutions meet security and compliance requirements, including data protection, access controls, high-availability, disaster recovery, and business continuity. Implement industry best practices and stay updated with evolving security threats and technologies.
- Technical Documentation: Create and maintain detailed documentation of infrastructure designs, configurations, standards, and procedures. Develop architectural diagrams, technical specifications, and other relevant documentation.
- Collaboration and Leadership: Work closely with cross-functional teams, including Demand, IT operations, project management, infrastructure engineering, and security teams, to provide design, guidance, implementation, and support for infrastructure-related initiatives. Collaborate with vendors and external partners as required. Mentor and coach junior Infrastructure Architects & Infrastructure Engineers, sharing knowledge and promoting professional growth within the team.
- Troubleshooting and Problem Resolution: Assist in the resolution of complex infrastructure-related issues, including root cause analysis and performance optimization. Provide guidance and support to IT operations teams during incident response and problem-solving activities. Most of these activities are covered by their IT operations teams, but occasional escalations to senior Infrastructure Architects in their Projects team is required.
- Industry Trends and Best Practices: Stay abreast of industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in infrastructure architecture and implementation. Continuously enhance your knowledge and skills through research, training, and professional development.
Requirements
- 5+ years of proven hands-on/practical experience in infrastructure architecture, design, and implementation, preferably within a managed service provider environment.
- Strong knowledge of infrastructure components, including servers, storage systems, networking, virtualization, security, and cloud technologies.
- Advanced expertise in architecting, designing, & implementing complex, scalable, and high-availability infrastructure solutions.
- Strong experience with cloud platforms (e.g., Azure, M365, AWS, GCP) and hybrid cloud architectures. Microsoft cloud platform (Azure/M365) experience is currently preferable compared to other cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP, Google Workspace).
- Proficiency in infrastructure design tools, such as Visio, or similar applications.
- Familiarity with IT service management frameworks (e.g., ITIL) and project management methodologies (e.g., waterfall).
- Excellent problem-solving, analytical thinking, and decision-making skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Excellent planning and organizational skills.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with technical and non-technical stakeholders, teamwork, facilitation, and negotiation.
- Ability to understand the long-term (“big picture”) and short-term perspectives of situations and how they relate to achieving targeted outcomes.
- Ability to quickly comprehend the functions and capabilities of existing, new, and emerging technologies that enable new designs/models/capabilities.
Relevant technical certifications:
- Microsoft 365 Enterprise Administrator Expert and/or Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert.
- Other technical certifications (e.g., via Microsoft, Dell, Fortinet, SonicWall, SentinelOne, HPE, Aruba, Veeam, AWS, Google, etc.) will be considered as well.
Advantageous Requirements
- Additional (i.e., 7+ years) proven hands-on/practical experience in infrastructure architecture, design, and implementation, preferably within a managed service provider environment.
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field. Master’s degree is a plus.
- Strong understanding of security principles and best practices, including knowledge of security frameworks such as NIST/CIS.
Note: The above job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required. Responsibilities and qualifications may be subject to change to meet the needs of the organization.
Should you work from home, you are expected to maintain a consistent and reliable internet connection of at least 10mbps, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity for optimal performance and productivity. Additionally, it is essential to create a conducive and professional work environment within your home to facilitate high-quality work output.
Desired Skills:
- Cloud Computing
- Infrastructure
- Infrastructure Design
- ITIL
- Microsoft Azure
- Waterfall Methodologies