ICT Infrastructure Admin (JHB Illovo) at BDO South Africa

Primary Purpose of the Job

• A Microsoft Administrator role focuses on managing and optimizing Microsoft-centric infrastructure environments, with an emphasis on deploying and maintaining workflow automation tools like n8n instances & agents. This position requires expertise in hybrid cloud setups, including on-premises Nutanix clusters and public clouds such as Azure and AWS. The administrator will ensure seamless integration and support for API-driven connections that power interactive Large Language Model (LLM) agents and automated workflows. While workflows are primarily designed by development teams, the administrator acts as a key collaborator, providing infrastructure insights, optimisation and troubleshooting to development and business analyst teams to maintain reliable and scalable environments.

Main Duties of the Role

Key Responsibilities:

• Infrastructure Management: Administer and maintain NUTANIX, Azure, and Dell enterprise servers and BDO applications.
• Virtualisation & Cloud Services: Manage virtualized environments and optimise cloud solutions.
• Deploy and configure n8n agents across diverse environments, including Nutanix hyperconverged infrastructure clusters, Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines or App Services, or AWS EC2 instances or Lambda functions, ensuring high availability, security, and performance optimization.
• Administer and monitor back-end to front-end API connections for LLM agents and workflows, including setup of RESTful APIs, webhooks, authentication mechanisms (e.g., OAuth, API keys), and integration with services like Azure API Management or AWS API Gateway.
• Collaborate with development teams to understand workflow requirements, provide infrastructure recommendations, and assist in troubleshooting deployment issues.
• Creation of workflows limited to ITSM, Infrastructure & Security automation activities.
• Work closely with business analyst & enablement teams to align infrastructure capabilities with business needs, such as scaling resources for LLM-driven interactive agents and ensuring compliance with data privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR or POPIA in South Africa).
• Perform routine maintenance, updates, and patching of Microsoft-based systems (e.g., Windows Server, Active Directory, PowerShell scripting) integrated with cloud platforms, while monitoring for vulnerabilities in n8n and API ecosystems.
• Implement and manage monitoring tools (e.g., Azure Monitor, AWS CloudWatch, or Nutanix Prism) to track system health, API performance, and workflow execution, generating reports for stakeholders.
• Ensure secure data flow between back-end services (e.g., databases, LLM models) and front-end interfaces, including configuration of firewalls, VPNs, and encryption protocols.
• Handle incident response and root cause analysis for infrastructure-related issues affecting LLM agents or workflows, coordinating with infrastructure management & cross-functional teams to minimize downtime and ensure efficient workflow utilisation & optimisation.
• Stay updated on emerging technologies in cloud administration, workflow automation, and AI infrastructure (self-hosted or cloud), recommending improvements to enhance efficiency and scalability.
• Document infrastructure configurations, deployment processes, and support procedures to facilitate knowledge transfer and compliance audits.

Requirements
Qualifications, Experience, Knowledge and Skills

Qualifications & Certifications

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) Core certification for managing Azure resources, VMs, networking, storage, and security; directly relevant for deploying n8n on Azure.
• AWS Certified SysOps Administrator or AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner. AWS EC2, networking, monitoring, and deployment; supports n8n on AWS.
• Nutanix Certified Professional – Multi-cloud Infrastructure (NCP-MCI) or Nutanix Certified Associate (NCA) as a starting point.
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)

Experience

• 3+ years of experience in ICT infrastructure administration with exposure to LLM agent setup & integration.
• Proven experience managing NUTANIX infrastructure (Hyperconverged infrastructure, Prism, Acropolis).
• Hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure administration and cloud services.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft technologies: Windows Server, Active Directory, PowerShell scripting for automation.
• Cloud platform basics: Azure (VMs, App Services, API Management, Monitor) and/or AWS (EC2, Lambda, API Gateway, CloudWatch).
• Nutanix fundamentals: Prism Central/UI, VM management, storage, networking in hyperconverged clusters.
• Containerization & deployment: Docker basics (for n8n self-hosting), optional Kubernetes awareness (for scalable setups on AKS/EKS).
• API & integration: Configuring REST APIs, webhooks, OAuth/API keys; familiarity with tools like Postman for testing back-end to front-end connections.
• Monitoring & troubleshooting: Azure Monitor, AWS CloudWatch, Nutanix Prism for health/performance tracking.
• Security & compliance: Basic IAM, firewalls, encryption, and data privacy practices (e.g., for LLM workflows).
• Soft skills: Ability to collaborate with developers and business analysts, document processes, and troubleshoot infrastructure issues impacting workflows.

Competencies: Knowledge and Skills

Job Skills and Competencies

• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to troubleshoot complex technical issues.
• Excellent communication skills to interact effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Behavioural Competencies

• Highly organised and able to prioritise tasks in a fast-paced environment.
• Willingness to stay up to date with the latest technologies and industry trends.

BDO Core Competencies

• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team-oriented environment.