Role Purpose

The Senior IT Engineer is responsible for providing end‑to‑end technical support across 1st, 2nd, and 3rd level, ensuring reliable, secure, and efficient operation of the firm’s IT infrastructure, platforms, and business‑critical systems including the firewalls.

The primary purpose of the role is to establish a skilled, permanent in‑house technical resource with strong institutional knowledge who can resolve day‑to‑day user issues, manage complex infrastructure incidents, and act as the senior escalation point for technical problems. The role is hands‑on and spans user support, infrastructure platforms including the firewalls, application support, monitoring, and continuous service improvement.

Key Responsibilities

1. End‑User & Technical Support (1st, 2nd & 3rd Level)

• Provide 1st and 2nd level support for end‑user incidents, service requests, and system issues as required.
• Act as the primary 3rd level escalation point for complex or unresolved technical issues.
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues across operating systems, servers, applications, databases, and cloud platforms.
• Support business‑critical systems and applications, including those dependent on SQL databases.

2. Infrastructure & Platform Support

• Administer and support Active Directory, Azure AD / Entra ID, and identity synchronisation.
• Manage and support Microsoft 365 services, including Exchange Online.
• Support and maintain server and virtualisation platforms (Hyper‑V, VMware, or equivalent).
• Monitor platform health, performance, availability, and capacity.

3. SQL & Application Support

• Provide SQL Server support, including:
• Connectivity and access troubleshooting
• Basic query execution and validation
• Data verification and integrity checks
• Support to applications relying on SQL back‑end databases
• Liaise with vendors and application owners to resolve database‑related issues where required.

4. Incident, Problem & Change Support

• Participate in incident and problem management, including root cause analysis and permanent remediation.
• Support infrastructure and application changes, upgrades, and patches.
• Ensure appropriate testing and rollback procedures are followed for technical changes.

5. Monitoring, Reporting & Operational Visibility

• Maintain and utilise monitoring and alerting tools across infrastructure platforms.
• Produce operational reports covering availability, performance, trends, and recurring issues.
• Provide technical input for service improvement initiatives.

6. Documentation & Knowledge Management

• Maintain current technical documentation, diagrams, and configuration records.
• Document standard operating procedures and common troubleshooting steps.
• Contribute to knowledge sharing within the IT team to improve support efficiency.

7. Internal Collaboration

• Work closely with the IT Manager, IT Engineers, Cybersecurity Analyst, and IT Risk & Compliance Manager to support reliable IT service delivery.
• Provide technical guidance and mentoring to junior support staff when required.

8. Network & Firewall Security Support

• Administer and support network security infrastructure, including Fortinet firewalls (FortiGate)
• Perform firewall configuration, policy management, and rule optimisation
• Monitor firewall logs and security alerts, and respond to network and security incidents
• Support VPN configuration and secure remote access
• Ensure firewall configurations align with security best practices and internal policies (e.g., POPIA, ISO 27001)
• Work with cybersecurity and infrastructure teams to strengthen perimeter security and threat detection

Key Skills & Technical Competencies

Essential Technical Skills

• Windows Server & Active Directory
• Azure AD / Entra ID
• Microsoft 365 (Exchange Online and core services)
• Virtualisation platforms (Hyper‑V / VMware)
• SQL Server (support and troubleshooting level)
• Infrastructure and application troubleshooting
• Monitoring and alerting tools
• Technical documentation and diagramming
• Network security fundamentals and firewall administration
• Fortinet FortiGate firewall configuration and support
• VPN technologies and secure connectivity
• Network monitoring and traffic analysis tools

Qualifications & Experience

• Relevant IT qualification (Diploma or Degree in IT, Computer Science, or similar)
• 7+ years’ experience in IT infrastructure and support roles
• Demonstrated experience providing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd level support
• Strong experience supporting business‑critical applications and platforms
• Experience in hybrid (on‑premises and cloud) environments

• Fortinet NSE 4 (Network Security Professional) or higher
• Microsoft certifications (Azure / Microsoft 365)
• ITIL Foundation (advantageous)