Senior Engineer Decoder Workflow SI Lead at MultiChoice

Purpose of the Position:

• Provide Technical and Team Leadership for the Systems Integration Team with individual contribution responsibility to Integrate the E2E satellite network operator components. 
• Collaborating with architects to design and deliver STB features and solutions for business requirements.
• Process improvement initiatives for integration of STB and Head End software components
• Training, coaching, mentorship, succession planning, recognition and retention planning

 
Key Performance Objectives

Tasks

Governance and Compliance

• Ensure enforcement of the Company processes and policies with team members
• Adherence to the milestone driven hybrid process & policies applicable to the Decoder Development team.
• Develop, enhance & enforce development processes & policies with team members and 3rd party software component vendors.

 
Operational Delivery

• Individually responsible for delivering on project requirements.
• Formulation of the SI line function strategy
• Asset management & procurement.
• Process improvement initiatives for integration of STB and Head End software/hardware components.
• Training, coaching, mentorship, succession planning, recognition and retention planning.
• Resolution of resource conflicts related to team members and equipment.
• Resolution of SI line function issues and concerns.
• Team budget planning, recons & purchase orders.
• Functional cost and tax related data management and reporting.
• Team building & engagement.
• Team recruitment, selection, performance management and disciplinary actions.
• Assigning team members to project teams.
• Grooming & execution of the SI line function backlog: Identifying, developing and maintaining of tools to automate, improve & support the SI line function.
• Mentorship of team members in CFT and Excellence Forum.
• Integration strategies & dependency mapping for the various work packages of the release.

Accountable for:

• Leaves Planning, approvals and tracking, standby
• Day to day leadership of team members across CFTs
• Coordination of SI line function strategy execution across CFT
• System and sub-system software integration of enterprise-wide set top box and/or Head-end software solutions using internally created and/or off the shelf components.
• Adherence to SI Strategies, Processes and Policies
• Knowledge transfer within the team (Presentations & documentation)
• Creation, enhancement & enforcement of SI processes & policies with team members and 3rd party software component vendors
• Work breakdown structure, estimation and risk identification and mitigation
• Infrastructure requirements planning & tracking
• Unified build tree setup, configuration & delivery
• Defect triage, engineering validation, technical recommendations (incl. approach & focus) & lifecycle management
• Build profiling, benchmarking & reporting
• Work package progress reporting & tracking
• Infrastructure & lab set up
• Component bill of materials and acceptance criteria specification
• Engineering patches & ad-hoc support requests to component vendors
• Enforcement of the Company processes and policies with team members
• Adherence to the milestone driven hybrid project & CFT process & policies

People Management

• Manage a team to ensure effective delivery of business unit objectives.
• Develop a high performing team by embedding formal performance development and informal coaching. Encourage frequent knowledge sharing between team members.
• Interview and recruit new members of the team.
• Approve leave requests for team members and create leave plan to ensure adequate coverage.
• When required, initiate disciplinary processes for team members calling on support from Human Capital when required.
• Resolve grievances raised by team members and escalate only if required.
• Address poor performance of any team member through the formal Performance Improvement programme and ensure that continued poor performance is appropriately dealt with.
• Motivate team members and ensure that their efforts are recognised

Qualifications

• B.Sc (Electronic and/or Computer Engineering) or similar qualification
• A Degree in Business Management or equivalent NQF Level 7 qualification would be preferred.
• Post Graduate Degree advantageous.

 
Experience

• Typically, 8+ years of experience in E2E Satellite Network operator components Integration and Technologies (including STB), working through the Design, Development, Testing, Release cycle and Software delivery.
• Leadership / Management experience
• Experience of Performance Management and driving Team Efficiencies
• Knowledge of Employee Relationship regulations/laws
• Knowledge of Industry-wide best practices of Processes, Integration Techniques and Tools for Embedded Development
• Sufficient knowledge of Project Management
• Sufficient knowledge of Security & Software Compliances regulatory requirements
• Sufficient experience with IT Infrastructure and Networks
• Exposure to Finance, Procurement and Budgeting Systems
• Proficiency of SDLC Tools, e.g. IBM Jazz, Jira, HP Quality Centre
• Strong Knowledge of Mentoring and Leading Technical Teams
• Strong Knowledge of various SDLC methodologies like Agile, Waterfall, Hybrid, DevOps etc.
• Strong Knowledge in Vendor Management for Local and Global Resources.
• Strong Knowledge of Satellite operator E2E network components and security requirements.

 
Preferred Experience of:

• Web technologies (e.g. WS, RESTful, etc.) and scripting languages (e.g. HTML, Javascript, CSS etc.)
• Database Design and Management tools (SQLite, etc.).
• Knowledge in networking technologies

              
Technical Competencies

• DVB (e.g. DVB-S, DVB-S2, DVB-T, DVB-H, DVB-IP), ISDB, MPEG, H.264, H.265, UHD, HDR, File compression techniques and interactive TV knowledge.
• Strong knowledge of STB software components like on-chip/off-chip drivers, Middleware(e.g. OpenTV, MHP and/or Irdeto) technologies, UI framework.
• Understanding of Satellite Tx/Rx including satellite bands UHF/VHF/Ku-band.
• CA systems and sub components.
• Dolby Digital Systems.
• Knowledge of Encoders, Transcoders, Schedulers, Modulators, Scramblers, Key server, EPG etc.
• Understanding of Encryption, Decryption, Multiplexing.
• Understanding of Business Systems like Billing, Subscriptions etc.
• Strong understanding of IP networking and protocols e.g. HTTP, FTP, WS, FTP, UDP, UPnP.
• Video Streaming and Control Protocols (TCP/IP, UDP, RTP, RTMP, Multicast handling, RTSP, DIAL, SSDP, HTTP)
• RF signal distribution systems (including LNB, DiSEqC, Unicable/SATCR switches, etc).
• Exposure to Digital modulation systems such as QPSK, 8PSK, QAM etc.
• Database Management Systems e.g. Oracle, mySQL, SQLite, etc.
• Implementing Solutions with Regulatory, Compliance and Certifications associated with security, network, wireless and RF standards.

Behavioral Competencies

• Leadership
• Accountability
• Teamwork
• Delegation
• Clear Communication
• Perseverance
• Motivating
• Prioritization
• Conflict Resolution
• Decision Making
• Critical Appraisal