Manager: Network and IPI Operations

Job description

Purpose

The Lead Application Portfolio Manager is accountable for the strategic oversight, governance, and optimization of the organization's application landscape.

This role ensures effective delivery, support, and continuous improvement of business-critical applications, while driving modernization, alignment with business strategy, and adoption of innovative technology practices.

The position combines portfolio management, people leadership, and delivery execution, ensuring applications enable business growth, compliance, and digital transformation.

Education

• Bachelor's degree (3 years - 360 credits) bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, Engineering, Physics, Math, or related work experience

• IT Diploma or Degree

• COBIT and ITIL Managers Certification or equivalent
• Subject Matter Expert qualifications
• ITIL v4 Expert would be advantageous
• Minimum 5 years' experience in IT exposure
• Minimum 3 years' experience in leading or actively participating in large change projects
• Minimum of 3 years' experience in a leadership role
• Knowledge of databases, web services, APIs
• Fundamentals of Cloud Computing'
• Agile ways of work
• Fundamental understanding of DevOps discipline

Experience

• 3-5 years Technical, specialist or analytical skills acquired through tertiary education or the equivalent experience

• ITIL - Governance Framework

• Experience with Information System troubleshooting
• Budget setting and ongoing management
• High level working knowledge of computer networking, software installation and administration; IT Operational experience is advantageous
• Understanding of relational databases, software API's, technical documentation, software licensing
• Familiarity with Project Management principles

Key Performance Area

Holistic management of application.

• Financial management (application budget and costs)
• Vendor management (SLA ; renewals; upgrades)
• Audit compliance
• Risk mitigation/management
• Disaster Recovery
• Application monitoring (reporting; supported hardware and OS; troubleshooting)
• Management of applications on Group Technology Repository
• Oversee the end-to-end software development lifecycle (SDLC) across multiple product lines.
  
  
• Ensure on-time, on-budget delivery of application enhancements, new solutions, and regulatory changes.
  
  
• Manage application rationalization initiatives leveraging AI and automation where relevant.
  
  
• Collaborate with architecture and infrastructure teams to ensure scalability, performance, and security.
  
  

Operational Support

• Develop professional relations with all stakeholder teams, business, and vendors

• Technical support problem resolution related to networks, servers, desktops, database management software, operating systems, and business application software systems

• Co-ordinate system changes as per the change management process

• Manage and implement processes, protocols and procedures, ensuring compliance with zero audit findings

• Monitor the roll-out of new software applications or upgrades to existing applications

• Active involvement in recommendations on whether to upgrade the existing systems or install new ones

• Active involvement in ensuring proper change and governance processes is followed for all requested changes

• Ability to make decisions on backlog items and sprint planning in collaboration with product owner

• Ability to manage a support team and ensure its properly capacitated

• Ability to put together business reports relating to application performance

• Comply with Group IT Policies and Procedures.
  
  This can include standards for quality, data security and compliance (SAS 70)

• Ensure applications meet all regulatory, security, and compliance obligations (e.g., FSCA, POPIA, GDPR).
  
  

• Define and enforce application governance frameworks, lifecycle policies, and maintenance procedures.
  
  

• Drive maintenance weekend planning for large, multi-system environments with minimal downtime from an application perspective.
  
  

• Manage application risks, obsolescence, and vendor dependencies.
  
  

Business Management

• Knowledge sharing (includes Information Management)

• Ability to understand the business value the platform brings; and how to protect those assets

• Ability to translate business requirements to platform roadmap

• A thorough understanding of the business and an ability to assess business requirements

• Ability to analyse structure; flow of work and data

• Partner with business leaders, product managers, and operations to ensure application alignment to business needs.
  
  

• Act as a strategic advisor to executives on technology capabilities, innovation, and efficiency opportunities.
  
  

• Manage vendor and partner relationships, including contract negotiations and service delivery.
  
  

Disaster Recovery

• Ensure that the application has recovery capabilities (replication, active-active, backup-restore or whatever means).
  
  This is demonstrated with detailed Disaster Recovery plans (in the form of Service Recovery Instructions document) which include comprehensive failover steps, teams/skills involved, upstream/downstream dependencies etc.
  
  

• Identify critical components as part of a holistic plan and approach for the Disaster Recovery of the application and its associated sub systems.
  
  

• Actively work towards achieving better DR capability (move from backup-restore to replication, replication to high-availability)

• Ensure that software and operating system on production and DR servers are of same version.
  
  

• Ensure the technical information pertaining to the applications that your team is responsible for, is kept complete and updated on the Group Technology Repository.
  
  This includes architectural diagrams, SOPs, landscape diagrams, ownership information, application tier etc.
  
  

• Actively liaise with DR team to book applications for DR tests based on application tier.
  
  Ensure that test frequency based on the tier is adhered to.
  
  

• Ensure all production servers are backed up and receive reports daily.
  
  
• Ensure failed/missed backup issues are addressed the same day.
  
  

Competencies

• Time Management and ability to work in a High Availability platform and deliver under pressure
• Strategic & Conceptual thinking
• Ability to analyse and make decisions, with an attention to detail and problem solving
• Ability to communicate technical information to a non-technical audience
• Ability to manage senior stakeholders; to be assertive and challenge respectfully
• Ability to balance BAU and Project deliverables on application impact
• Superior Communication skills (written and verbal)
• Strong collaboration skills and a team player, with the ability to work independently

Required Skill Profession

Other General