Jobs at SARAO - South African Radio Astronomy Observatory

• SARAO seeks to appoint a DevOps Engineer, responsible to automates and supports the tools and processes relating to continuous delivery, integration and deployment for software packages, platforms, operating systems and infrastructure in the Compute Infrastructure Department within the Engineering & Technology Development Division.
• SARAO seeks to appoint a DevOps Engineer, responsible to automates and supports the tools and processes relating to continuous delivery, integration and deployment for software packages, platforms, operating systems and infrastructure in the Compute Infrastructure Department within the Engineering & Technology Development Division.

Key Responsibilities:

• Maintain and support the DevOps, logging and monitoring stacks employed on current production and lab systems within the Digital Signal Processing Group and Compute Infrastructure Group
• Design and prototype the DevOps, logging and monitoring stacks for future systems and projects
• Develop and integrate the DevOps, Logging & Monitoring stacks as critical components of infrastructure management.
• Deploy and integrate the compute infrastructure with other subsystems and infrastructure as required
• Manage and maintain the configurations of compute infrastructure systems
• Capturing and maintaining the as-built CI configuration
• Writing technical design and implementation documentation
• Writing technical memos
• Provide operational support of infrastructure
• Occasionally work after hours in the operational support context
• Contribute to the continuous availability improvement of the infrastructure
• Participate in skills development training organized by the organization with the purpose of acquiring new or additional skills, improving current skills, or developments towards domain expertise.

Key Requirements:
Qualification:

• B.Tech/B.Sc (Comp Sci or related field) with 6+ years; OR
• B.Eng/B.Sc Hons (Comp Sci or related field) with 4+ years;

Experience:

• DevOps / System Administrator oriented role, preferably in a high-performance computing environment
• Software developer / engineer role coupled with further education or training in DevOps and system administration

Knowledge:

• Linux system installation, configuration and administration
• Python Programming Language
• Containerisation (e.g., Docker, Podman, LXD, ECS)
• Orchestration (e.g., Kubernetes, Mesos, Nomad)
• Infrastructure-as-code (e.g., Ansible, Puppet, Chef)
• Distributed monitoring and alerting (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, Elastic)
• Distributed logging (e.g., ELK stack)
• Deployment (e.g., MaaS, FAI)
• Virtualisation (e.g., Openstack, proxmox)
• Continuous integration (e.g., Jenkins, Buildbot, Github Actions)
• Distributed Storage (e.g., Ceph, Lustre, MinIO)
• Knowledge of high-performance computing infrastructure
• Knowledge of Ethernet networks

Additional Notes:

• Desire to continuously learn, problem solve and acquire new skills with cutting edge technology
• A clear and methodical approach to problem solving
• A high attention to detail, excellent organisation skills
• Good communication skills, written and verbal
• Ability to effectively transfer knowledge and skills to other team members
• Eagerness to develop a technical specialisation and expertise

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• The main purpose of the job is to provide housekeeping to SARAO. Ensure the offices and other venues is kept in a clean and safe working environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Clean and maintain the entire building (offices, kitchens and toilets area using the necessary equipment)
• Ensure tea and coffee are available to all staff daily as required
• Support caterers during official and internal events/functions to ensure that everything runs smooth
• Ensure the venue preparation/setup for official event/ functions are done timeously
• Ensure venues are clean and prepared according to the required set up for staff training
• Clean bins daily and take it to the off-site area for sorting
• Ensure worksheets are kept up to date
• Assist with replenishment and purchase of general goods / cleaning materials stock
• Assist with stock take for consumables, cleaning materials and other items within the facilities

Key Requirements:
Qualification:

• Grade 10
• Grade 12 (advantageous)
• A valid code B driver’s license (advantageous)

Experience:

• Two (2) years’ experience in housekeeping & assisting catering services in an office environment

Knowledge:

• Knowledge of cleaning, sanitizing products and methods, including sensitive materials
• Cleaning chemicals and its various use
• Cleaning ablution facilities, kitchen and offices
• Health and safety policy and procedures

Additional Notes:

• Understand oral and written instructions
• Prioritise work
• Team work
• Learning and practising cleaning techniques and procedures
• Health and safety awareness
• Flexible in working with caterers
• Time management
• Ability to work with staff at all levels
• To be thorough and pay attention to detail

go to method of application »

• The main purpose of the job is to provide housekeeping to SARAO. Ensure the offices and other venues is kept in a clean and safe working environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Clean and maintain the entire building (offices, kitchens and toilets area using the necessary equipment)
• Ensure tea and coffee are available to all staff daily as required
• Support caterers during official and internal events/functions to ensure that everything runs smooth
• Ensure the venue preparation/setup for official event/ functions are done timeously
• Ensure venues are clean and prepared according to the required set up for staff training
• Clean bins daily and take it to the off-site area for sorting
• Ensure worksheets are kept up to date
• Assist with replenishment and purchase of general goods / cleaning materials stock
• Assist with stock take for consumables, cleaning materials and other items within the facilities

Key Requirements:
Qualification:

• Grade 10
• Grade 12 (advantageous)
• A valid code B driver’s license (advantageous)

Experience:

• Two (2) years’ experience in housekeeping & assisting catering services in an office environment

Knowledge:

• Knowledge of cleaning, sanitizing products and methods, including sensitive materials
• Cleaning chemicals and its various use
• Cleaning ablution facilities, kitchen and offices
• Health and safety policy and procedures

Additional Notes:

• Understand oral and written instructions
• Prioritise work
• Team work
• Learning and practising cleaning techniques and procedures
• Health and safety awareness
• Flexible in working with caterers
• Time management
• Ability to work with staff at all levels
• To be thorough and pay attention to detail

go to method of application »

• The SKA-Mid Storage Engineer supports the design, implementation, management, and optimisation of enterprise storage systems that enable the Telescope technical and operational goals. This role ensures high availability, performance, and reliability of storage platforms to support business applications and data integrity under guidance from senior staff. The SKA-Mid Storage Engineer contributes to the delivery and evolution of systems by deploying, monitoring, upgrading, diagnosing and fault-finding and restoring, applying systems engineering practices, supporting deployments, participating in infrastructure planning, and helping ensure systems remain aligned with SRE requirements.By collaborating across teams, the engineer contributes to building maintainable and scalable systems, supporting both ongoing project development and sustainable steady-state operations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Administer, maintain, and support enterprise storage platforms across on-premises and cloud environments.
• Support enterprise backup, restore, and disaster recovery operations.
• Investigate, troubleshoot and resolve incidents related to storage availability, access, or performance.
• Maintain up-to-date documentation of storage systems, configurations, and procedures
• Support storage-related projects and contribute to system improvements.
• Participate in team collaboration and ongoing professional development to support team effectiveness and individual growth.

Key Requirements:
Qualification:

• National Diploma in Information Technology, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Electronic Engineering, or equivalent qualifications coupled with 7 years’ experience, OR
• BTech/BSc in Information Technology, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Electronic Engineering, or equivalent qualifications coupled with 6 years’ experience, OR
• BENG/MTech in Information Technology, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Electronic Engineering, or equivalent qualifications coupled with 4 years’ experience, OR
• MENG in Information Technology, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Electronic Engineering, or equivalent qualifications coupled with 3 years’ experience, OR
• PHD in Information Technology, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Electronic Engineering, or equivalent qualifications coupled with 1 years’ experience.

Experience:

• Experience withing with SANs and storage systems
• Experience working with storage server installations, monitoring and diagnoses
• Experience with hardware and storage software upgrades and repairs
• Experience working with Operating Systems, IAAS tools
• Experience working in data centres or server rooms/environments
• Basic experience with computer networks
• Basic hands-on experience in infrastructure design and automation, distributed systems, observability, CI/CD, container orchestration (e.g. Kubernetes), DevOps/SRE practices and cloud native technologies.
• Experience working in international teams or initiatives that intersect with data platforms, storage, networking, and systems engineering domains.

Knowledge:

• Strong understanding of systems engineering principles, including performance optimisation, fault tolerance, and resource scheduling within Linux-based environments.
• Hands-on experience monitoring, diagnosing, and repairing (break/fix) various OEM hardware, including HPE, Dell, and Super Micro systems.
• Familiarity with containerised environments (Docker, Podman), orchestration platforms (Kubernetes, Helm), and container runtime architectures (e.g., CRI).
• Knowledge in infrastructure-as-code and CI/CD methodologies, utilising tools such as GitLab CI, Ansible, and Terraform (advantageous).
• Working knowledge of networking fundamentals, including cabling and basic diagnostic procedures.
• Experience in asset management practices, including maintaining asset registers, system and architectural mapping, warranty and service tracking, and related tools/processes.
• Experience working with service levels (SLAs) and an understanding of operational frameworks such as Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), ITIL, and COBIT.
• Knowledge of IT security principles, especially regarding change management, physical and logical access control.
• Awareness and adherence to Health and Safety standards and best practices.

Additional Notes:
Competency – Essential:

• Demonstrated ability to contribute effectively to cross-functional engineering projects and follow through on implementation plans under direction
• Hardware maintenance and support: Basic skills such as changing hardware components, e.g. Hard drives, memory modules, CPU, Motherboard
• Firmware and drivers diagnostics, configuration and updates
• Health and safety, self-care within data centres, assembly workshops and computer labs
• Tools and equipment use and management, e.g. regular cleaning, proper storage, routine maintenance, regular inspection, safe handling and usage, inventory management and asset tracking
• IT Spares Inventory and Tracking: Inventory categorisation, asset tagging and labelling, maintenance of data within the inventory management system, stock management, access control, lifecycle and warranty tracking, disposal and waste management
• Computer Infrastructure Asset Management, including tracking, maintaining, and optimising relevant storage hardware across their lifecycle using applicable tools to ensure availability, compliance, and cost-effectiveness.
• IT Audit and documentation, including rack positions, server diagrams, as well as service and support logs
• Hands-on experience in Linux systems administration, basic automation, and performance tuning, with a willingness to deepen expertise
• Proficiency in Linux command-line usage, service configuration, and troubleshooting; learning kernel and system-level tuning practices
• Ability to manage assigned tasks within an Agile environment, and collaborate effectively with teammates on sprint goals
• Effective troubleshooting skills, with a learning mindset toward root-cause analysis and improving operational resilience

Skills:

• Problem solving and analysis: Skilled in root cause analysis, systems troubleshooting, and performance bottleneck resolution.
• Communication and Collaboration: Clear articulation of technical recommendations, cross-functional stakeholder engagement, feedback integration.
• Planning and delivery: Capable of participate in Agile and Systems Engineering Processes and methodologies.
• Continuous learning: Commitment to staying current with evolving technologies in containerisation, cloud-native systems, observability, and systems automation.
• Commitment to staying current with evolving technologies in computing infrastructure, hardware, components (Storage, memory, Motherboards, Processors, I/O, GPU, HBA, NICs etc.
• Documentation and knowledge sharing: Ability to produce high-quality technical documentation and share knowledge across engineering teams.

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Purpose:

• The SKA-Mid Senior Computer Systems Engineer, will lead the compute and storage systems team for SKA-Mid and will report to the SKA-Mid Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) Manager within SKA-Mid Computing & Software, providing hands-on technical leadership in the design, implementation, and long-term operation and maintenance of secure, reliable, and high-performance computer systems infrastructure for the Telescopes hosted by SARAO.
• While contributing to computing systems enablement, this role also focuses on shaping operational practices, supporting local delivery partnerships, and helping build the team that will manage computing systems operations as the telescopes transition from construction to steady-state operations.
• This role involves guiding infrastructure development, mentoring team members, and ensuring systems align with SRE principles. Responsibilities include deploying and optimising systems, managing faults, contributing to long-term infrastructure planning, and ensuring scalable, maintainable operations.
• The position plays a key role in cross-team collaboration, driving innovation while supporting sustainable and resilient computing environments.

Key Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the global design and implementation of scalable and fault tolerant infrastructure systems that support engineering and operational needs.
• Contribute to the deployment, configuration, and maintenance of distributed storage and database systems
• Analyse system failures, performance issues, and misconfigurations across hardware, software, and network layers.
• Lead and mentor the computer systems engineers and contribute to strategic technical planning.

Key Requirements:
Qualification:

• BTech in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Electronic Engineering or equivalent qualifications coupled with 13 years’ experience, OR
• BENG/MTech in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Electronic Engineering or equivalent qualifications coupled with 9 years’ experience, OR
• MENG in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Electronic Engineering or equivalent qualifications coupled with 7 years’ experience, OR
• PHD in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Electronic Engineering or equivalent qualifications coupled with 5 years’ experience.

Experience:

• 3+ years in a technical leadership or software/system architectural role with direct responsibility for large-/platform-scale distributed systems.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience in infrastructure design and automation, distributed systems, observability, CI/CD, container
• orchestration (e.g. Kubernetes), DevOps/SRE practices and cloud-native technologies.
• Experience leading teams or initiatives that intersect with data platforms, storage, networking, and systems engineering domains

Knowledge:

• In-depth understanding of systems engineering principles, including performance optimisation, fault tolerance, and resource scheduling in Linux-based environments.
• Strong knowledge of containerised environments (Docker, Podman), orchestration platforms (Kubernetes, Helm), and runtime architectures (containerd, CRI).
• Expertise in infrastructure-as-code, continuous integration/deployment (CI/CD), and configuration management tools (e.g., GitLab CI, Ansible, Terraform, ArgoCD).
• Advanced understanding of distributed computing and storage architectures, including Ceph, S3, NFS, and local/clustered file systems.
• Operational and architectural fluency in relational and NoSQL database systems (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB), including replication, backups, and performance tuning.
• Working knowledge of networking fundamentals, security protocols, and systems-level observability (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, ELK/EFK stack).
• Familiarity with the HPC ecosystem (e.g., SLURM, job schedulers) is beneficial for environments supporting scientific or research computing.

Additional Notes:
Competency – Essential:

• Demonstrated technical leadership (3+ years), leading cross-functional efforts across systems, storage, and database infrastructure,
• driving technical decisions from architecture through implementation.
• Systems engineering expertise, with a focus on Linux administration, infrastructure automation, service orchestration, and performance
• optimisation across diverse environments.
• Expertise in distributed systems architecture, including the design and deployment of scalable, resilient services using microservices,
• event-driven, and cloud-native design patterns.
• Containerisation and orchestration fluency, including production-grade usage of Kubernetes, Docker, and Helm for system and
• application-level deployments.
• Infrastructure automation and CI/CD, using tools such as GitLab CI, ArgoCD, FluxCD, Jenkins, or GitHub Actions to streamline and secure
• platform operations.
• Complementary DevOps and SRE practices, blending infrastructure-as-code, configuration management, and release automation (DevOps) with incident response, monitoring, SLIs/SLOs, and system reliability engineering (SRE)
• Linux expertise, including advanced troubleshooting, kernel tuning, systemd orchestration, and optimisation at scale.
• Technical delivery and planning capabilities, including backlog scoping, cross-team collaboration, and Agile sprint execution.
• Database administration skills, with operational experience in administering relational and NoSQL databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB), including high availability, backups, replication, and performance tuning.
• Diagnostic skills, with a root-cause-first approach, and a strong bias for ownership, accountability, and long-term operational stability.