Senior Systems Analyst and Team Lead: Middleware (Portal and User Collaboration) - Department of Information Technology Services at University of Pretoria/Universiteit van Pretoria

JOB PURPOSE:

The purpose of the job is to:

• Take the lead in planning, design, development and implementation of solutions for addressing business requirements related to the institution’s Enterprise Portal, Intranet and User Collaboration;
• Oversee support on the implemented solutions;
• Oversee monitoring of the implemented solutions;
• Take the lead in the upgrade and maintenance of the implemented Oracle WebCenter Suite (Portal, Spaces, Collaboration and Content Server);
• Take the lead in the establishment and maintenance of a Java development framework suitable for in-house Java development;
• Development and maintenance of in-house developed Java frameworks and software solutions;
• Support the System Administrators in the installation, maintenance and configuration of Oracle WebCenter Suite.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The successful candidate’s responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

Manage UP’s Portal and Collaboration Spaces environments:

• Manage the implementation; configuration; upgrades; evolution and maintenance of Oracle WebCenter Portal and Spaces integrated with Oracle WebCenter Content server, to ensure the University experience full benefit from these implementations;
• Ensure documentation, configuration, monitoring and tuning of the implemented Oracle WebCenter Portal and Spaces architecture, integrated with Oracle WebCenter Content server;
• Investigate feasible cutover/transition strategies to ensure business continuity during upgrades; 
• Gather, analyse and document user requirements related to portal display, user sign on, presentation of information and/or content items using Spaces as a tool for composing such displays and usage of user collaboration tools;
• Assume overall responsibility for the implementation and documentation of a robust, smooth running WebCenter Portal and Spaces infrastructure and solution, being well integrated with Oracle WebCenter Content Server;
• Implement mechanisms and procedures to monitor and maintain the Oracle WebCenter Portal, WebCenter Spaces and WebCenter Content Server environments;
• Implement preventative measurements and/or monitoring mechanisms to alert support personnel of high watermarks;

• Manage UP’s Java development framework infrastructure:
  • Do research on Java Development tools and JDeveloper plugins to establish a composite Java development framework suitable for Java development addressing specified business requirements;
  • Oversee the implementation; evolution and maintenance of a Java development framework suitable for the University of Pretoria’s in-house Java development;
  • Document and maintain the documentation describing the components of the implemented Java development framework;
  • Compile a developer’s guideline for using the University of Pretoria’s Java development framework;
  • Liaise with the University of Pretoria’s internal and external Java development teams in terms of expanding the Java development framework, better documentation and/or development guideline document(s) to ensure high productivity of the Java development team following the laid down Java development strategies and standards;
  • Perform code review of UP’s in-house developed Java software solutions, with objective to ensure adherence to UP’s Java development guidelines, agreed on best practices and strategy, and assist where requested with code review of externally developed Java software application;

• Implement in-house developed Java framework solutions:
  • Analyse business requirements that can be addressed by configurable, in-house developed frameworks which offer centralised functionality to be used by multiple external software application;
  • Design, develop, implement, configure and maintain in-house developed Java frameworks e.g. online credit card payment framework;
  • Analyse business requirements for in-house developed software solutions to serve as add-ons to existing/proposed institutional Identity and Access Management products;
  • Design, develop, implement, configure and maintain in-house developed software solutions that serve as add-ons to existing/proposed institutional Identity and Access Management products;

• Team Lead tasks:
  • Analyse business requirements; investigate potential solution options; design, and document proposed solutions;
  • Define, plan and co-ordinate the tasks related to the designed solution;
  • Define milestones, test plans, and implementation plans;
  • Do research on new technologies, tools and techniques for addressing business requirements related to the display of Portals and Collaboration Spaces (e.g. Wiki’s, Blogs, etc.);
  • Do research on new technologies, tools, trends and techniques for Java Development and Java development frameworks;
  • Provide technical guidance to colleagues, team members and System Administrators;
  • Establish effective communication channels with stakeholders;
  • Facilitate regular meetings with team members and relevant stakeholders to ensure that milestones are met and planned activities are completed successfully and in time;

• User support:
  • Oversee user support related to: User sign on to UP Portal, Usage of Oracle WebCenter Spaces functionalities and display of published information, and related applications;
  • Oversee user support related to Java based in-house developed frameworks and add-ons to Identity and Access Management products;
  • Follow up on trends of reported production problems to identify the root cause of the problem and subsequently rectify the problem, and apply measurements to prevent similar problems in future;
  • Keep users updated on progress made on resolution of production issues;
  • Act pro-actively on alerts to prevent production problems from realising.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• A relevant tertiary Bachelor’s degree or BTech qualification (e.g. B.Sc., B.Comm Informatics, B. Eng.); WITH:
• A minimum of five years’ experience in:
  • Design, development and maintenance of enterprise systems;
  • Business process design and implementation;
  • Trouble-shooting and problem resolution;
  • Working with users and providing user support;
  • Design and implementation of Java web applications;
• A minimum of two years’ experience in:
  • Leading a technical system development team;
  • Implementing Oracle Fusion Middleware products.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES (SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND BEHAVIOURAL ATTRIBUTES):

Knowledge:

• Java, Java ADF, JSF;
• Installation and understanding of Oracle WebCenter Portal/Spaces software;
• Installation and understanding of SOA software;

Technical competencies:

• Usage of Diagnostic and Monitoring software;
• Troubleshooting within an IT software environment;

Behavioural competencies:

Minimum:

• Must be able to:
  • Prioritise, give attention to details, be results-driven;
  • Function optimally under pressure;
  • Maintain a high level of confidentiality;
  • Be available and willing to work after hours for resolving extremely critical production problems or tasks which should only be done after hours in order to reduce potential impact on users;
  • Work proficiency in MS Office (MS Word, MS Excel, MS Visio);
  • Communicate clearly and effectively with all stakeholders;
  • Work under pressure and adhere to strict deadlines;
  • Follow instructions, guidelines, policies and procedures;
  • Identify specific needs and solve problems effectively;
  • Manage time and resources effectively;
  • Manage and control change;
  • Attend to a variety of tasks simultaneously;
  • Maintain a high level of professionalism;
  • Work in multi-disciplinary team environment

Desirable:

• Must have the correct tendency to:
  • Investigate and implement relevant best practices and guidelines;
  • Investigate new technologies and methodologies;
  • Share knowledge with others and assist with development.
• Skills:
  • Leadership;
  • Interpersonal;
  • Negotiation;
  • Communication (written and verbal);
  • Conflict management;
  • Analytical and problem solving;
  • Planning;
  • Presentation.

ADDED ADVANTAGES AND PREFERENCES:

• Relevant industry certification (e.g. MCSE, Oracle, etc);

Courses in the following would be recommended:

• System analysis and design;
• Java development;
• Oracle WebCenter Portal, Spaces and/or Content Server;
• Project Management;
• Team Management;

A minimum of four years’ experience in:

• Implementation of Oracle WebCenter, Oracle Weblogic servers;
• Java web development using JSF, JPA and Spring, Java ADF development, JDeveloper;
• Loading patches and undertaking version upgrades;
• Integrating applications using various system integration technologies;
• Performance testing and tuning of Java applications, Portal and Collaboration software solutions;
• Performance testing and tuning of Oracle Weblogic application servers and software solutions deployed on Oracle Weblogic;
• Working in a tertiary education or similar environment.