Vacant Position – IT Officer – SKA Mid (6 Months Contract)

Contract type: Fixed Term 6 Months Contract
Job Level: Junior
Work Location: Cape Town, Western Cape
Closing Date: 13 April 2025

This is a fixed term position with a duration of 6 months and is based in Cape Town, South Africa.

At the SKAO we are coordinating a global effort to deliver one of the largest science facilities on the planet. The SKAO telescopes will be next-generation instruments that will help to answer key questions in astrophysics, drive technological innovation and support human capital development.

More than a dozen partner countries and over a thousand scientists and engineers around the world are already on board, making the SKA project an international collaboration like no other, and one of the most ambitious science and engineering endeavours of the 21st century.

Headquartered in the UK, with telescope sites in Australia and South Africa, the SKAO will be one observatory operating two telescopes, an endeavour spanning three continents. Multinational by design, in early 2021 the SKAO became an intergovernmental organisation, one of only a select handful of science infrastructures to do so worldwide.

Construction activities for the SKAO’s telescopes in Australia and South Africa started in 2021, along with a ramping up of SKAO staff in both countries. It is expected that the transition from the Construction Phase to the Operations Phase will happen around 2028.

SKAO Operations in South Africa will be conducted in partnership with the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO). SKAO Operations in Australia will be conducted in partnership with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). The Observatory will also partner closely with a global network of SKA Regional Centres through which astronomers will access science data products and a suite of tools and resources to further analyse the SKA telescopes’ data.

For more information on the SKA project visit https://www.skao.int/

The SKA Observatory offers a competitive salary and a generous pension and benefits package. As an employee of an intergovernmental organisation, an appointee who is not a national of the country in which the role is based may be subject to personal Privileges and Immunities.

SKA-Mid is seeking an IT Officer who will be responsible for the support of IT services to SKAO staff Science Operations Centre (SOC) South Africa and beyond. To manage technical assistance and support on the SKAO desktop computing environment including hardware, software and infrastructure while ensuring that computing resources are kept up to date and functional in line with the internal service processes and operational framework.

The Role

Post holder will report to the IT Service Manager and work with the SKA-Mid Senior IT Officer and the SKA-Mid Head of Software & Computing.

Post holder will be a part of the global IT Service team and liaise with team mates in all three host countries.

This is a fixed term position with a duration of 6 months and is based in Cape Town, South Africa.

We welcome applications from candidates of all nationalities, especially those from member countries. However, for this role relocation support will not be available and applicants must be able to comply with the terms of a South Africa based local contract, details of which may be accessed on SKAO’s recruitment portal.

SKAO is committed to providing an inclusive and flexible working environment, meeting the requests of our Colleagues whilst also fulfilling the needs and objectives of the Observatory.

This role requires the post holder to work across different time zones and, in line with SKAO policy, flexible working hours will be supported in agreement with the line manager.

Key Responsibilities, Accountabilities and Duties

• Operating SKAO Helpdesk function efficiently

• Installing, configuring, updating and troubleshooting computer software.

• Ensuring integrated IT Services and Availability

• Enhancing Security and Protection

Mandatory Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• National Diploma (NQF6) in Computer Science/ Information Systems/ Information Technology or equivalent coupled with substantial experience; or

• Certificate training (A+, N+, Cisco, Microsoft) coupled with substantial relevant experience.

• Technical experience thereby able to provide direct IT support when required.

• Experienced in the administration of local area wired and wireless networks.

• Experience with Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Online services like O365.

• Experience in Cloud products such as Dropbox and Atlassian products or similar.

• Experience with Layer 3 configuration (Cisco Meraki or similar)

• Experience with firewall/VPN support (Cisco Meraki or similar)

• Able and willing to work out of normal working hours on occasion to meet service needs.

Desirable Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Knowledge and background with IT Service Management disciplines and Frameworks such as ITIL / Cobit and Change Management and Risk management and IT policies (DRP/Security).

• Experience in Infrastructure design

• Experience in Supply Chain Management

• Experience in ICT Capex and OPEX

Equality Diversity and Inclusion Statement

SKA Observatory recognises that our diversity is a strength. We aim to create a welcoming and inclusive environment where everyone feels they belong, and diverse perspectives and ideas thrive. As such, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion are at the core of SKA Observatory’s agenda.

Our aim is to recruit and retain the most talented individuals, regardless of gender, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, nationality or background.

Women have traditionally been under-represented in the fields of science and engineering; SKA Observatory welcomes and encourages female applicants.

Where applicants with a disability need facilities or adjustments to enable them to participate in the recruitment process, these will be provided.

SKA Observatory welcome all candidates, especially those from member countries.

The “How to Apply” information contained within the SKA Observatory recruitment portal provides more detail regarding our application and selection approach.