Head: IT Operations

Purpose of the Job

• The Head: IT Operations is responsible for leading production technology operations across infrastructure, integration services, database platforms, cloud services, core banking dependencies, payment services, switching services, channel technology, batch processing and operational technology environments. Direct technology operations teams to maintain availability, performance, capacity, monitoring, recovery, continuity, service management and operational control for services that affect customer access to accounts, balances, payments, cards, withdrawals, deposits, grant payments, digital channels and branch services. Manage operational readiness, production support, vendor accountability, privileged access control, major incident command, disaster recovery and audit evidence to protect transaction integrity, customer data and service continuity. Protect savings services and South African Social Security Agency payment services by strengthening operational resilience, security compliance, recovery capability and evidence-based service control.

Job Responsibilities

Technology Operations Leadership

• Lead infrastructure, integration, database, cloud and production technology operations to maintain stable, secure and responsive technology services

• Set operational priorities, standards and escalation procedures to support agreed availability, performance and recovery targets

• Monitor operational performance, service trends, transaction impact and customer impact to identify root causes and reduce repeat failures

• Coordinate restoration of critical technology services to minimise disruption to customers, employees, partners and operations

• Protect payment services by maintaining effective operational support for critical technology platforms

Production Stability and Availability

• Direct production support activities to maintain availability of critical banking platforms and customer facing technology services

• Monitor core banking availability, channel availability, payment service availability, infrastructure stability and major incident frequency to identify service risks

• Coordinate proactive monitoring of transactions, interfaces, batch services, infrastructure and customer impacting services to improve early detection

• Review service desk queues, support queues and escalation routines to confirm that they support high volume retail banking operations

• Maintain operational readiness for new or changed banking platforms to support safe transition into production

Core Platform and Transaction Integrity Operations

• Direct production technology support for core platform dependencies, transaction processing, batch services, interface monitoring, operational control, core banking production support, customer and account servicing, General

• Ledger (GL) related interfaces, End of Day (EOD), Beginning of Day (BOD), postings, interest, fees, reversals and reconciliation dependencies

• Monitor transaction flows, failed interfaces, delayed processing, settlement dependencies and reconciliation impacts to identify service risks

• Coordinate technology response where incidents affect balances, postings, payments, reversals, statements, files or settlement processes

• Apply strict operational controls over production scripts, data fixes, privileged actions and emergency changes to protect transaction integrity

• Treat incidents affecting balances, missing transactions, failed payments, reconciliation breaks and audit gaps as high-priority banking integrity matters

Payments Switching and Channel Operations

• Direct operational support for payment services, switching interfaces, card platforms, automated teller machine services, point of sale services, digital channels and file exchanges

• Monitor clearing, settlement, payment files, authorisations, reversals, exceptions and partner interfaces to identify service and control risks

• Coordinate escalation paths with payment partners, processors, card service providers, network providers and service integrators to support timely restoration

• Support operational readiness for payment, card, digital channel and partner channel changes to protect production stability

• Maintain operational evidence for payment and channel incidents to support audit, regulatory and management review

Infrastructure Cloud and Platform Operations

• Direct infrastructure operations across hosting, networks, servers, storage, workplace technologies, cloud services and related platform environments to maintain service reliability

• Oversee capacity, availability, patching, backup, performance, job scheduling and monitoring activities to support resilient technology operations

• Manage infrastructure and cloud incidents, operational risks and service constraints to protect production stability

• Review ageing technology, cloud utilisation, platform performance and operational dependencies to identify modernisation priorities

• Support infrastructure and cloud changes, upgrades and service transitions to improve operational efficiency and service continuity

Integration Database and Information Platforms Operations

• Lead integration services operations across middleware, interfaces, application programming interfaces, managed file transfer and data exchange platforms to maintain reliable system connectivity

• Direct database operations to maintain secure, available and high performing data services across critical platforms

• Monitor integration performance, database performance, transaction flows and interface exceptions to identify failures and service risks

• Coordinate resolution of integration and database incidents with applications, infrastructure, vendors and business teams to restore end to end service

• Maintain integration and database operating standards, support procedures and service documentation to support controlled operations

Incident Problem Change and Service Management

• Lead major incident command and service restoration activities for critical technology failures to reduce customer, financial and regulatory impact

• Coordinate root cause analysis and permanent corrective actions for recurring infrastructure, integration, database, cloud, payment and channel issues

• Manage operational input into incident, problem, change, release, service request, availability, capacity, configuration management processes, and service-level management disciplines

• Review change impact, operational readiness, evidence requirements and rollback plans before implementation of high risk technology changes

• Chair or participate in major incident reviews, root cause sessions and operational service reviews to improve service discipline

Resilience Continuity and Recovery Management

• Support disaster recovery, continuity planning, failover testing, backup restoration and service recovery exercises for critical technology services

• Confirm that recovery time expectations, recovery point expectations and recovery evidence are understood, tested and maintained for critical banking systems

• Drive resilience improvements across cloud, data centre, network, application, database, integration and third party dependencies

• Maintain runbooks, recovery documentation, incident records, change records and lessons learned to support audit and assurance reviews

• Report recovery gaps, resilience risks and unresolved service continuity issues to governance forums to support informed decision making

• Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO) achievement, backup restore success, failover testing, runbook currency and evidence of recovery testing for critical banking systems

Operational Risk Compliance and Access Control

• Apply information technology service controls, security requirements and compliance obligations to technology operations processes

• Strengthen controls over privileged access, service accounts, audit logs, production data, scrip