KINDLY TAKE NOTE: Applications may only be submitted online through the official UFS vacancy website: https://ufs.hua.hrsmart.com/hr/ats/JobSearch/viewAll.   - Applications submitted through any other platform will not be considered. 

Please ensure that all relevant documentation is attached to your application. INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. 
•    A detailed curriculum vitae and cover letter; 
•    Certified copies (not older than 6 months) of qualifications (please provide the SAQA accreditation in the case of foreign qualifications);
•    A certified copy (not older than 6 months) of your identity document (ID);
•    Proof of registration with a Professional Body (if applicable);
•    A copy of your driver’s license (if applicable).
•    A service record of your current employer / last employer (only applicable to external applicants).

Duties and responsibilities:

People Management    
•    Ensure to  spearhead a team of support agents providing 1st line technical support through telephonic and remote desktop connection sessions.
•    Help service desk agents to resolve support tickets (Incident/Task) by acting as a point of escalation for difficult/advanced technical support issues.
•    Handle all advance support issues when service desk agents have exhausted all possible solutions.
•    Identify and highlight best practices in support and contribute this to a knowledge base system.
•    Participate in client meetings for escalated issues to provide faster resolution.
•    Motivate and assist team members in reaching individual and team goals for quality, productivity and user satisfaction.
•    Ensure team members resolve all assigned support ticket courteously and in a timely manner.
•    Coordinate the service desk team members in their daily duties of attending to clients who come to make inquiries.

•    Create a mode of operations to be adhered to by team members in order to maintain good routine and orderliness.
•    Delegate specific service desk responsibilities to team members to create specialisation and increase service delivery pace.
•    Observe service desk operation techniques to determine how effective they are and implement new techniques if necessary.
•    Review performance reports, service improvements, services quality, and processes.
•    Provide management and performance reports.

Client Relationship Management    
•    Facilitate good customer service culture in team members.
•    Develop a strong working relationship with clients, partnerships and colleagues.
•    Provide a structured, informative and support experience with timely and clear communication.
•    Deliver regular high-quality communications with End users during service interruptions to their systems e.g. outages, reductions, etc.
•    Focus on managing communications across End users and IT supporters to ensure that incidents are dealt with by priority and End-user needs.
•    Evaluate and assess service delivery performance metrics.
•    Monitor and analyse customer needs, feedback and services rendered to determine the levels of service delivery.
•    Manage the performance of services to customers.
•    Ensure that service levels are achieved in line with SLA's and that user expectations are met or exceeded.
•    Build services relationship with customers and conduct service reviews for key customers

Incident Management    
•    Manage the life cycle of all incidents that affect the service provided to End users, allocating Incidents that cannot be resolved by the service desk to second- or third-line support resources and coordinating the response of these resources.
•    Manage support tickets escalation which ultimately results in client satisfaction ratings.
•    Follow-up on all support tickets to ensure team members align themselves with operational SLA's (Service Level Agreements).
•    Maintain a high level of service delivery by monitoring all assigned technical support tickets/request.
•    Monitor logged incoming incidents and requests, to ensure that these are diagnosed and escalated properly.
•    Liaise with the Service Desk Manager/SLA and OPS Manager to escalate major incidents for them to get the required attention.
•    Monitor incident queues to identify potential SLA breaches and contact relevant supporter or expediter within the groups to highlight any key SLAs that may or has breached.
•    Manage critical customers incidents, associated with customer communication, activities and any appropriate escalations.
•    Provide information about incidents analysis and KPls.

Inherent requirements:
•    A Bachelor’s degree or an advanced diploma/BTech degree/postgraduate certificate on NQF Level 7 in Information Technology/Technical Support or a closely related field, or a three-year national diploma on NQF Level 6 in Information Technology/Technical Support or a closely related field.
•    Minimum two (2) years’ relevant working experience related to the duties and responsibilities. 
•    A+/N+ Certification.

Recommendations:
•    Knowledge of:
o     How software and operating systems work.
o    IT services theories and best practices.
•    MCSE/Apple Certified Professional/MCSA/MCP would be advantageous. 
•    Must be a team player and able to work collaboratively with and through others.
•    Acute business acumen and understanding of organizational issues and challenges.
•    Familiarity with project management approaches, tools, and phases of the project lifecycle. 
•    Change management certification or designation desired.
 

Required competencies: 
•    Results Orientated:
-    The ability to be reliable, responsible, dependable and to fulfil obligations. 
-    The ability to stick with tasks, not give up, and overcome obstacles in completing one’s task.
•    Strategic thinking
-    The ability to focus on details, work towards perfection, and approach work in a neat and organised manner. 
-    The ability to carefully analyse information and use logic to address issues and problems at work.
•    Business Acumen:
-    The ability to adhere to rules and strictly follow work regulations.
-    Proficient in using MS Office. 
•    Leading:
-    The ability to be cooperative with others, display a good-natured attitude, and encourage people to work together.
-    The ability to maintain high levels of personal motivation, energy and enthusiasm.
•    Building coalitions:
-    The ability to interact with others and establish personal connections with people.
-    The ability to make decisions through consultation, collaboration, and working with close supervision.

Assumption of duties:
1 June 2023

Closing date:
30 April 2023

Salary:
The annual remuneration package, including benefits is R 408,148.51 – R 513,407.84 per annum, depending on    the budget available for the position, relevant work experience and qualifications.
 

Fringe Benefits:
(Subject to specific conditions): pension scheme, medical aid scheme, group life insurance, housing allowance, leave and sick leave, service bonus and study benefits.

Enquiries:
For enquiries, please feel free to contact me at 051 401 2979 or email at JardineS@ufs.ac.za or Recruit@ufs.ac.za. Additionally, kindly contact 051 401 9810 / 9813 / 9814 for assistance.

General:
The UFS is a designated employer and is committed to the pursuit of excellence, diversity, and redress in achieving its equity targets in accordance with the Employment Equity Plan of the University and its Employment Equity goals and targets. Preference will be given to candidates from the under-represented designated groups, including candidates with disabilities. Our Employment Equity Policy is available at :   https://ufsacza.sharepoint.com/:b:/r/sites/supportservices/hr/EmploymentEquity/EEA13_EE Plan UFS 1 March2022 (003).pdf?csf=1&web=1&e=TjtoXH. 

The University processes personal information in line with its obligations under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and any personal information provided to the University will be treated as confidential and processed in accordance with the rights provided to data subjects under POPIA.

The University reserves the right not to fill the post.  The UFS will only consider applications of candidates who meet all the inherent requirements of the position. Applications that are incomplete will not be considered. Communication will be limited to shortlisted candidates only. Should you not be contacted within six weeks of the closing date for applications, you may assume that your application was unsuccessful.