Leadership and Management:

• Serve as the IT Service Management (ITSM) subject matter expert (SME) and Process Owner.

• Develop annual divisional budgets in consultation with the Executive Head of IT and manage expenditure against approved budgets.

• Lead and manage a national team of IT Service Desk Analysts and IT Technicians.

• Develop and implement strategies to improve IT service delivery across all campuses.

• Talent acquisition, development and succession / bench strength

• Fostering a divisional culture and climate that is aligned with the departmental and organisational culture and ethos.

• Provide mentorship and professional development opportunities for team members.

Enterprise Service Management Implementation:

• Lead the implementation of a fit-for-purpose ESM system based on Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE.

• Ensure seamless integration of the ESM system with existing IT infrastructure.

• Ensure staff are trained on the new system and ensure its effective use for Case Management and other IT services.

• Serve as a member of RFP specification and evaluation panels and of IT solution design forums to ensure that IT Service Delivery and Support requirements are integrated in solutions being built / acquired.

IT Event Management:

• Oversee the monitoring and management of IT events to ensure minimal disruption to services.

• Develop and implement event management processes and procedures.

Incident Management:

• Ensure timely and effective resolution of IT incidents.

• Develop and maintain incident management protocols and documentation.

Problem Management:

• Identify and manage the root causes of recurring IT issues.

• Implement long-term solutions to prevent future incidents.

IT Change Management:

• Develop and implement change management policies, processes and standard operating procedures.

• Oversee the planning and execution of IT changes to minimize risk and disruption.

IT Vendor Management:

• Manage relationships with IT vendors and service providers.

• Negotiate contracts and Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and manage vendor compliance with service level agreements (SLAs).

• Conduct quarterly SLA and Performance reviews with key / strategic IT vendors.

Customer Service:

• Ensure high levels of customer satisfaction by providing prompt and effective IT support.

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with faculty, staff, and students.

• Implement feedback mechanisms to continuously improve IT services.

Reporting and Documentation:

• Maintain accurate records of IT assets, incidents, and service requests.

• Prepare regular reports on team performance and IT service metrics.

• Document procedures and create user guides for common IT tasks.

Functional and technical competencies

• IT Incident & Problem Management

• IT Helpdesk / Service Desk tools and systems

• End user computing

• Networking

• Server infrastructure (on-site and virtual)

• Microsoft Exchange

• IT Change Management

• Databases – backup and recovery of data

• Familiarity with Microsoft Azure and AWS cloud environments will be advantageous

• Good understanding of information security / cyber security incident management and response

Behavioural competencies

• Action orientation

• Strong leadership and team management skills.

• Collaboration and Teamwork

• Excellent problem-solving and troubleshooting abilities.

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

• Networking and influencing

• Ability to manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent NQF-7 qualification) in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems or a related field.

• ITIL Certification at practitioner level

• Advantageous :

• A Post-Graduate degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems or a related field.

• Lean Six Sigma certification

• Project Management certification

Experience:

• A minimum of 7 years of experience in an IT service management role in an enterprise (large, complex) IT environment, with at least five (5) years in a leadership / management role in IT Service Delivery/ Support Management and/or managing IT Helpdesk / Service Desk teams.

• Advantageous:

• Experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement (CE).

• Experience in a higher education (university / college) environment.