Hot Jobs at SARAO - South African Radio Astronomy Observatory

• The Project Planner and Scheduler role is responsible for creating and maintaining integrated (portfolio) project schedules, project (master) schedules, detailed project schedules, ensuring alignment with project goals and timelines, and managing resources efficiently. This role collaborates with project managers and stakeholders to define project scope and deliverables, oversee the development of schedule performance metrics, and conduct risk analyses. The role involves monitoring project progress, preparing status reports, and facilitating communication among teams to address issues. Additionally, they manage project management tools, implement best practices, provide training and advisory services, and support the development of junior planners to ensure successful project delivery.

Key Responsibilities:

Project Planning and Scheduling:

• Develop and maintain detailed project schedules, including resource allocation and activity sequencing.
• Work with project managers and team members to define project scope, WBSs, objectives, and deliverables.
• Ensure schedules align with project goals and timelines.
• Work with program/ portfolio managers to maintain the Enterprise Project Structure (EPS).
• Oversees the development of schedule performance metrics, related processes, and management tools within the organisation, including, but not limited to, critical path analysis and schedule risk assessment.

Coordinating, Monitoring, Controlling and Reporting:

• Monitor project progress and performance against the baseline schedule.
• Prepare regular status reports, including progress updates, schedule variances, and forecast completion dates.
• Conduct schedule risk analysis and recommend corrective actions.
• Facilitate communication between project stakeholders, including program/ portfolio managers, project managers, project teams, clients, and contractors.
• Conduct regular integrated (master) schedule review meetings to discuss project progress and address any issues.

Resource Management:

• Maintain the integrated resources management database.
• Identify and allocate necessary resources to ensure project milestones are met.
• Coordinate with functional/ resource managers to resolve any resource conflicts.
• Track resource utilization and availability to optimize project scheduling and support portfolio project prioritization.

Tools and Systems:

• Maintain project management software (i.e. Primavera P6 EPPM, MS Project).
• Implement and maintain scheduling best practices and standards for planning and scheduling.
• Provide training and support to team members on scheduling tools and techniques.
• Contribute towards the development and/or maintenance of project management framework and processes.
• Conduct regular schedule management and maintenance audits.

Coaching, Lead and Advisory Services:

• Provide planning and scheduling advisory services to senior management, program managers, and functional managers.
• Perform other duties as assigned by PMO Manager.
• Support the developmental plan of junior project planners/ schedulers and graduate trainees.

Key Requirements:
Qualification:

• BTech Degree in Engineering/ Built Environment/ Project Management or related field
• Planning and Scheduling Certification (PMI-SP), Planning & Scheduling Professional (PSP) or equivalent. (Advantageous).

Experience:

• 6+ Years in project planning and scheduling demonstrated experience in multidisciplinary projects
• Experience in planning and scheduling multidisciplinary projects (preferably from EPC, EPCM or Client perspective).
• Planning and scheduling research, science, engineering, and technology development projects
• Extensive knowledge in using project planning tools (Primavera P6 EPPM – Advanced, MS Project)
• Excellent PC skills (MS Office Suite, Google Workspace, Confluence, JIRA)
• Extensive experience in reviewing and approving contractors/consultants’ baseline schedules or programmes in NEC, FIDIC, and/or Bespoke contracts

Knowledge:

• Extensive contractual programme management knowledge (preferably in accordance with NEC4, FIDIC and/or GCC contracts)
• A Project Management Office environment
• Knowledge and experience of project management principles/standards
• Advanced knowledge of various duration estimating techniques
• Project Management theory, principles, standards and best practiceSystem/Product Life-cycle EngineeringCost/Schedule IntegrationSchedule risk assessment
• Public Finance Management Act

Additional Notes:

Skills/Ability/Competencies

• Excellent communication – both verbal and written, in EnglishGood analytical and planning skills
• Efficiency in a high-pressure environment
• Proactive
• Capable of dealing with uncertain environments and reducing uncertainty
• Problem solving
• Primavera P6 (EPPM) and Microsoft project
• Best practice project scheduling
• Project Controls using Earned Value Management (EVM)Willingness to work outside normal hours
• No constraints on ability to travel within South Africa and Internationally

Deadline:11th August,2025

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• The main purpose of this role is to advance the maturity of the SARAO projects and products throughout their lifecycles while applying systems engineering leadership and recognised engineering competence and skills across multiple domains, teams and on multiple projects.

Key Responsibilities:

• Leading and advising the technical team on the execution of the engineering Design, Assembly, Integration and Verification activities.
• Performing Engineering & Contract Management to deliver the SARAO contacts on time and on brief through thorough planning and diligent management.
• Managing technical risks through identifying, categorising, monitoring and implementing mitigation actions.
• Converting stakeholder needs and requirements into physical engineered systems that perform according to expectations through functional & physical architecting, analysis and synthesis.
• Identifying, defining, implementing and verifying Interfaces and their associated ICDs.
• Ensuring the delivered systems meet the stakeholder’s needs by maintaining traceability of requirements throughout the design evolution and managing baselines (DBL, QBL, PBL, OsBL) and the reviews thereof.
• Integrating and delivering systems with verified performance and quality through preparing & overseeing the execution of verification activities according to verification plans (ATPs/QTPs, ATRs/QTRs) and setting to work of the products and products systems.
• To ensure the delivered systems continue to operate and deliver the expected performance through root cause analysis and problem solving and managing the implementation of design modifications to eliminate failure modes.
• To ensure continued improvement in knowledge growth, retention and management by ensuring that project SEMPs, QAPs, ILSPs, technical schedules, WBS & SOWs are implemented and maintained and continuous mentoring & coaching of SE resources.

Key Requirements:
Qualification:

• B.Eng/B.Sc (Eng) (NQF 8) with 13+ years RELEVANT Experience; or
• M.Eng (NQF 9) with 10+ years RELEVANT Experience; or
• PhD/D.Eng (NQF 10) with 7+ years RELEVANT Experience.
• Meets the requirements for registration with ECSA as PrEng

Experience:

• Leading engineering teams, tasks and analysis while employing theoretical and practical knowledge gained on the job.
• Proven experience in physical, hands-on integration, testing and evaluation of complicated systems which include RF, digital,electronic and mechanical elements combined with fixed infrastructure.
• Leading the development and implementation of engineering processes.
• Using advanced interpersonal skills in order to influence change in complex systems behaviour and operational environments.
• Undertaking engineering activities throughout all lifecycle phases of systems under development, with particular focus on the concurrent engineering aspects and the design for supportability aspects.
• Functioning simultaneously across multiple domains, teams and on multiple systems.
• Coaching and mentoring in engineering, particularly systems engineering.

Knowledge:

• Internationally recognised for advanced applied Systems Engineering.
• Assembly, integration, test and verification of complex systems.
• Baseline establishment and management.
• Engineering change control.
• Hi-tech product development.
• Model-based Systems Engineering
• Development of Systems Engineering processes and procedures.
• Configuration management of systems under development, in production and in service.

Additional Notes:

• Candidates with experience in engineering for radio astronomy or space applications are preferred.
• Candidates who also have operational support / field engineering experience will have an advantage.

Deadline:11th August,2025

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• The contracts scheduler is in charge of creating, managing, and updating the project contracts schedule (i.e. programme), as well as progress reporting, highlighting risks or issues, and administering the contractor schedule. The scheduler will also be in charge of creating, maintaining, and optimizing internal project control schedules to ensure efficient resource allocation, on-time task completion, and adherence to key integrated schedule timelines. The scheduler will collaborate closely with project and contract managers to ensure that resources are allocated effectively, contractual timelines are met, contractual changes are assessed and implemented, and potential delays or issues are identified and mitigated.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop, maintain, and update Level 1 – Level 3 integrated project schedules in Primavera P6 Professional.
• Coordinate with the project team to provide schedule inputs and obtain resource loading details for the schedule.
• Create baseline resource-loaded schedules
• Assist Program/ Project Managers and Functional Managers on matters related to planning and scheduling issues.
• Prepare tender schedules in response to tender proposals.
• Prepare and/or evaluate Basis of Schedule (BoS) documents.
• Develop comprehensive contractual schedules based on specific contractual requirements.
• Schedule assessment reports, including claim assessment reports, baseline management & audit reports.
• Oversee schedule progress update, updating material and activity tracking sheets.
• Manage productivity reports, including planned, actual man-hours and earned allocated to activities.
• Daily planning support: oversee the production of short-term schedules.
• Conduct schedule analysis for requested changes and ensure the implementation of all approved change requests.
• Review and approve Contractors-schedules to be integrated into the master project schedule.
• Review schedule performance against baselines on a regular basis.
• Participate in reviewing scope changes such as carrying out schedule impact analysis when required.
• Conduct forensic planning to understand the impact of key events.
• Identify potential risks related to schedules, contracts, and project scope and develop strategies to mitigate them.
• Prepare regular reports on project schedules, including critical path analysis, scenario schedules, schedule trend reports, and executive milestone reports.
• Schedule meetings with all Key Project Stakeholders to obtain accurate information for schedule development.
• Provide the latest forecast dates to Project Controller for cost planning on the project.
• Maintain effective communication with clients (internal & external stakeholders), providing updates on project schedule status and addressing their concerns.
• Stay updated on industry trends, tools, and techniques related to scheduling and seek opportunities to enhance scheduling processes.

Key Requirements:
Qualification:

• BTech Degree in Engineering/ Built Environment/ Project Management or a related field, coupled with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in project scheduling within the engineering and construction field: OR
• National Diploma in Engineering/ Built Environment/ Project Management or a related field, coupled with a minimum of 9 years’ experience in project scheduling within the engineering and construction field.
• Certification in Primavera P6
• Professional certification in scheduling i.e. PMI-SP, PSP or similar (Advantageous)

Experience:

• Experience of working on large multidisciplinary projects as a scheduler or planner within the Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management (EPC or EPCM)
• Must have proficiency in scheduling software: Primavera P6 and Ms Projects

Knowledge:

• Knowledge of project management, planning, risk, and cost control
• Contract Management according to NEC4, FIDIC & GCC (preferred)
• Advanced EXCEL skills including the use of graphs and formulas
• Project Management theory, principles, standards, and best practice
• Project Estimation
• Detailed control schedule
• Procurement and Contract Management
• Public Finance Management Act

Additional Notes:

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Attention to detail and the ability to work under pressure
• Efficiency in a high-pressure environment
• Proactive
• Planning and Resource management
• Problem-solving
• Knowledge of project management principles and methodologies
• Willingness to work outside normal hours
• No constraints on ability to travel within South Africa and Internationally

Deadline:11th August,2025