Senior Network Administrator at NRF/SARAO – Apply Now!

The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), a National Facility of the National Research Foundation (NRF), is calling on experienced and forward-thinking IT professionals to apply for the role of Senior Network Administrator. This is your chance to be part of South Africa’s cutting-edge involvement in global astronomy projects like the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), MeerKAT, and more.

SARAO operates some of the most advanced radio astronomy infrastructure in Africa, and as a Senior Network Administrator, you will be crucial to keeping these world-class systems running seamlessly.

🌐 Role Overview

You’ll support and manage SARAO’s network infrastructure, aligning with global networking security standards, driving performance improvements, and collaborating with top engineering minds. You will also help forecast future network requirements and assist in design and documentation for long-term sustainability.

🔧 Key Responsibilities

• Configure, maintain, and manage networking switches and routers as per security directives.

• Support both physical and virtual servers (Linux/Windows) and environments (Proxmox/KVM).

• Keep system and architectural documentation updated and relevant.

• Monitor network health and respond to break-fix scenarios.

• Manage the inventory of networking equipment and spares.

• Collaborate with the security and helpdesk teams to proactively resolve issues.

• Implement IT best practices, performance monitoring, and network optimization.

🎓 Minimum Qualifications & Experience

Education:

• National Diploma in Engineering/IT with 5+ years experience OR

• BEng / BSc Hons (Computer Science, Engineering, or related) with 3+ years experience

Experience:

• Proficient in network operations, infrastructure support, and service management.

• Hands-on work with helpdesk support systems and issue resolution.

• Experience in virtual environments, namespace management, and network security.

• Understanding and interpretation of complex network designs.

🧠 Essential Skills & Knowledge

• Strong grasp of TCP/IP, Routing, DNS, DHCP, OSI Stack, and VPN technologies.

• Experience with Cisco, HPE, Mellanox, Arista switches/routers.

• Familiar with Linux (Debian/Ubuntu), Windows Server, and virtualized environments (Proxmox, Docker).

• Understanding of firewall configuration, Identity and Access Management (IAM), and Single Sign-On (SSO).

• Ability to work with monitoring tools and open-source networking utilities.

• Familiarity with ITIL frameworks and ICT service operations.

• Strong documentation and network architecture planning capabilities.

• Capacity planning and proactive performance tuning skills.

• Problem-solving and strategic thinking to support future-forward infrastructure.

🌟 Why Join SARAO?

Working at SARAO offers a stimulating environment where science and technology intersect. This role provides an opportunity to:

• Contribute to global scientific discoveries

• Collaborate with top-tier scientists and engineers

• Work with advanced technology infrastructure

• Be part of a national facility with global impact

🔗 Find similar jobs at:

👉 https://careerjunctionza.co.za/jobs/

📝 CV TIPS for Senior Network Administrator Roles

1. Quantify Your Achievements – Include metrics like network uptime improvements, issue resolution times, or successful project deployments.

2. Certifications Matter – Mention Cisco (CCNA/CCNP), CompTIA Network+, Linux+, or other relevant credentials.

3. Highlight Virtualization Experience – Include tools like Proxmox, KVM, or VMware and your level of proficiency.

4. Include Documentation Skills – Emphasize your experience writing or maintaining network architecture documentation.

5. List Monitoring Tools – Tools like Nagios, Zabbix, or Wireshark are valuable—mention them clearly.

6. Demonstrate Problem-Solving – Provide examples of how you proactively solved performance or security issues.

🌐 Company Website: https://www.nrf.ac.za