Assistant Director: Senior Technical Data Development, Integration and Maintenance (post level 7) at University of the Free State

Duties and responsibilities:

Leadership and Management

•    Responsible for the management of a team and ensuring that the Division members have sufficient information to perform their duties.
•    Plan and maintain short-term plans and objectives for the Division and ensures that deadlines are adhered to, and quality outputs are delivered.
•    Manage the operational tasks received from university staff and students and external clients using the University’s systems and developed web applications.
•    Control the span over all areas of people, process, technology, data and governance.
•    Identify and communicate possible impacts, risks, and issues.
•    Prioritise work to resolve technical emergencies as they may occur.
•    Responsible for the mentoring of team members through informal channels.

Technical Responsibilities

•    Responsible for technical development and implementation of databases.
•    Consolidate and optimise available database infrastructure.
•    Consolidate and optimise available data warehouse infrastructure.
•    Conceive analytics and business intelligence platform architecture for clients, including internal and third-party clients.
•    Design and implement ETL procedures for intake of data from both internal and outside sources, as well as ensure data is verified, and quality is checked.
•    Design and implement ETL processes and data architecture to ensure the proper functioning of analytics lad, as well as client’s or third-party’s reporting environments and dashboards.
•    Collaborate with business and technology stakeholders in ensuring data warehouse architecture development and utilisation.
•    Carry out monitoring, tuning, and database performance analysis.
•    Perform the design and extension of data marts, metadata, and data models.
•    Ensure that all the data warehouse architecture code are maintained in a version control system.
•    Ensure that all technology solutions are properly architected and specified.
•    Design and implements database structures.
•    Create and maintain the databases and database objects such as tables, tablespaces, synonyms, views, triggers, stored procedures, defaults, domains, and indexes.
•    Test the backup and recovery processes extensively.
•    Recover databases within the service level agreement.
•    Articulate any data loss encountered.
•    Ensure the logging and recoverability of database updates since the last backup.
•    Take frequent backups – full and incremental as needed.
•    Ensure accurate and complete replication of applicable data during the available windows.
•    Design and develop reports and analytics capability.
•    Detect collision to avoid loss of data.
•    Maintain and establishes a work schedule.
•    Analyse, review, and write data applications and programs, based on customer needs and requirements.
•    Conduct analysis of customer needs and developing solutions to software challenges.
•    Assist with querying and extracting data from large databases.
•    Produce data reports from complex data sets.
•    Provide customer training in relation to new data-based software applications.
•    Maintain confidentiality of work-related information and materials.
•    Liaise with the business intelligence manager, and internal customers to design and develop reports and analytics capability.
•    Liaise with the data quality manager to identify and resolve data issues through the configuration of data cleansing and de-duplication software.
•    Identify and resolve data issues through the configuration of data cleansing and de-duplication software.
•    Manage the database aspects of the reporting and analytics platform(s) to ensure that reporting jobs are successfully run, and analytics data aligns with timeliness/completeness requirements.
•    Liaise with database administrators to ensure that the data warehouse is tuned for optimal performance.
•    Liaise with business analysts and project managers to develop and refine reporting and analytics requirements.
•    Develop, Implement, Maintain and Test ESB integrations. This includes the data feeds and output based on the current technology stack.
•    Evaluate code to ensure its validity and operability. 
•    Ensure coding structures to predefined architecture. 
•    Build and maintain reusable code libraries.
•    Code development in pre-defined coding languages that aligns with UFS development needs.
•    Optimise applications in terms of speed, scalability, and operability.
•    Work overtime as and when required.
•    Transform design and user interface mock-ups into functional web applications and systems powered by CMS.
•    Ensures that HTML / CSS is cross-browser and standards compliant and meets accessibility requirements.
•    Integrate web applications and custom systems with existing applications on campus or third-party/open-source platforms.
•    Resolve and or escalate issues in a timely fashion.
•    Integrate data from various back-end services and databases.
•    Determine technical requirements.
•    Evaluate codes to ensure that it is valid, properly structured, meet industry standards and are compatible with browsers, devices, or operating systems.
•    Ensure that all user input is validated before submitting to the back-end.
•    Manage timelines.
•    Inform the supervisor of risks to projects
•    Code testing for sign-off.

Strategic Alignment

•    Participate in the Business Unit management meetings and strategic planning sessions to obtain a clear understanding of business requirements and strategic direction.
•    Ensure that the physical designs for the databases and its data structures align with UFS, IT strategies, UFS architecture frameworks and logical data mode.

Inherent requirements:

•    BSc degree or BTech degree or B.Com Degree in  Information Technology on NQF level 7.
•    A minimum of four (4) years relevant experience.

Competencies
Required competencies: 
   Results Orientated:

•     The ability to stick with tasks, not give up, and overcome obstacles in completing one’s task.
• -   The ability to be reliable, responsible, dependable and to fulfil obligations.

   Strategic thinking

•     The ability to plan work and to follow plans.
•     The ability to be creative and open-minded when addressing work issues.

   Business Acumen:

•     The ability to adhere to rules and strictly follow work regulations.
•    Proficient in using MS Office. 

   Leading:

•     The ability to lead, take charge of situations, and offer opinions and directions to others.
•    The ability to be cooperative with others, display a good-natured attitude, and encourage people to work together.

   Building coalitions:

•    The ability to interact with others and establish personal connections with people.
• -  The ability to make decisions through consultation, collaboration, and working with close supervision.

Assumption of duties:
As soon as possible.

Closing date:
14 May 2023.