Fresh Jobs at Old Mutual South Africa

Job Description

The Head of Engineering is responsible for the development of high-quality designs and solutions and the integration of these at the Enterprise level. This role guides technical design and the development and maintenance of software and other digital applications or services. The role incumbent will lead a team which will be expected to create prototypes, develop user-centred software, and advise on technical specifications. This role requires fundamentals in engineering practices, an analytical and data-driven approach to problem solving, while following the DevOps model so that teams are empowered to own the full development and support the software development life-cycle. The successful incumbent also has a track record of leading Software Engineering teams, driving outcome-based performance.
You will be responsible for managing cross functional agile teams through our full SDLC from estimation to delivery as well as having direct report responsibility for the engineering staff. To be successful, you will need to collaborate with our Product Management, Design, Quality Engineering, Technical Architecture, and Systems organizations on everything from roadmap estimation to project execution and delivery.

Key Result Areas

• Able to roll up their sleeves and play a hands-on role while building a world class team.
• Responsible for the development of high quality designs and solutions and the integration of these at the Enterprise level.
• Set technical standards and SDLC processes.
• Expected to provide guidance and thought leadership for technical design, and the development and maintenance of software and other digital applications or services.
• Provide leadership and direction for team of software engineers who are accountable for creating prototypes, developing user-centred software, advise on technical specifications, and who research new techniques. Provide technical and career mentoring for the engineering organization.
• Provides sizing and scoping for development work required at the enterprise level.
• Operates as a subject matter expert and thought leader across program initiatives. Work with your engineering team and leads to plan and track development of all projects through delivery to production
• Responsible for the software development life cycle, taking the lead on software development projects.
• Apply engineering principles for design, development, maintenance, testing and evaluation of software.
• Ensure that software development tasks are well coordinated.
• Apply knowledge relating to the Architecture of relevant systems.
• Balance trade-offs between design and implementation.
• Client engagement at the Executive level to drive new products/ features and to ensure operational excellence.
• Enable rapid iteration.
• Ensure systems are scalable, fault tolerant and robust. Working in an environment that is forever looking forward to preparing for the future. This is due to the platform being highly available with a large customer base that will continue to grow. Experience in this area is highly sought.
• Assure that security and accessibility continue to be primary goals in construction of any software.
• The solutions are mainly built using AWS cloud infrastructure
• Coordinate estimation of operational costs associated with updated/new functionality with our systems organization.
• Cultivate a culture of testing and automation throughout the engineering organization.
• Collaborate with the product engineering management (Design, Product, QA and IT) team to improve visibility, processes, and communication mechanisms.
• Full stack software development experience and capability
• Experience or comfort working with native mobile apps
• Experience with modern data technologies (Kafka, Kinesis, Snowflake), relational database systems (MySQL) and ability to work with large databases
• Understanding and knowledge of scaling and proven track record of scaling systems
• Experience with caching systems such as memcache and redis are a plus
• Comfort working on the command line
• Experience profiling and optimizing code on all tiers of an application

Requirements: Skills, Qualifications and Experience required

• Matric
• Degree in Computer Science/ Engineering/ Mathematics or related.
• 7 years+ Software Development experience
• A successful track record working as an engineering leader across multiple teams
• Experience leading and contributing to software architecture
• Experience with systems that leverage near real-time data to drive personalized experiences
• Experience working with consumer facing digital products
• Experience with systems which have sophisticated access control/configuration capabilities
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills
• Exceptional critical thinking and analytical skills, with the ability to quickly understand complex systems and data
• Experience balancing managing direct reports and making contributions to the software
• Experience providing project visibility to senior management
• Passion for data driven decision making and continuous process improvement.

Competencies

• Strategic
• Change as a Way of Executing
• Leading with influence
• Collaboration (Diversity & Inclusion)
• Agile Innovation
• Customer First
• Personal Mastery (Lifelong Learning)

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Job Description

• This role is accountable for the end-to-end delivery of Information Technology services from both a strategic and operational perspective. The role is accountable to deliver an integrated technology solution across the technology stack and ecosystem that is aligned to a customer service or business outcome. The incumbent will partner with the Outcome lead and relevant segments to enable their strategies through the best information technology (IT) solutions that meet the business needs by defining a purpose led technology strategy for the relevant outcome.
• The role is accountable to manage the technology stack within the allocated budget and ensure they manage the TCO on an ongoing basis.
• This role is accountable for the alignment of the technology strategy to the relevant group enterprise capabilities and principles. Reporting into the relevant boards and ensuring that the risk profile for the area is within tolerance.

Customer Service Delivery Management

• Manages across customer outcomes and segments to deliver on an integrated end to end customer service through technology.
• Executes technology-led Business outcomes focused with clear impact on business measures and value.
• Manage cross functional technology teams and ensures execution of business strategy through Agile principles and customer market focus (SA/OMAR/Global)
• Delivers segment/market specific IT capabilities and services via current workforce and strategic partners.
• Responsible for driving the PI Planning process for the relevant outcome aligning to the enterprise QBR process and other workstream PI’s to deliver on the agreed set of objectives.
• Ensure that the risks and issue relating to the delivery is managed and escalated where applicable removing obstacles for team to execute efficiently.
• Responsible for strategic planning of IT for segment/customer outcome and alignment with enterprise principles set out by OML IT, COO organisation and OML.
• Participates in broader Old Mutual group forums (Tech and Platform subcomms board, risk governance and audit due diligence to ensure customer journey via markets segments needs are met.
• Managing incidents/outages, risk for a better customer experience and delivery

Business Agile Collaboration

• view on the technology roadmap by providing thought leadership and insights on emerging technology trends and best of class technology solutions that meet OML vision.
• Manages the flow of work in an Agile manner across multifunctional team.
• Drive the teams to execute at pace.
• Drive radical innovation through outcome driven modernisation
• Execute sustainable outcomes that are scalable and aligned to enterprise architecture
• Manage flow of building of strategic skills for now and future
• Provides IT vision, direction, and leadership to segments/markets to drive business strategy.
• Builds and maintains strong relationships with all key collaborators across the organisation.
• Ensures the flow of sustainable talent, tools and workflow models that contribute to the future of work.
• Accountable in delivering technology solutions that meets the business need across the technology value chain.
• Provides technology thought leadership to segments/customer outcome.
• Enables radical transparency making all work within and between teams visible linking all activity to prioritized product.
• Accountable for SAAS, PAAS and Managed services with relevant partners where applicable and ensuring that this forms part of the technology ecosystem and is managed as an end-to-end service.
•  
• Strategy Development and Execution
• Leads IT strategic planning and owns the Segment/Customer Outcome IT strategy & architecture for multiple segments ensuring it is delivered via the portfolio.
• Provide a forward looking view on the technology roadmap by providing thought leadership and insights on emerging technology trends and best of class technology solutions that meet OML vision.
• Defines, prioritizes, and manages program and project initiatives
• Tracks ROI for business initiatives including cost, benefits, and risk.  Ensures that metrics are used to track value delivery.
• Partners with sponsors to ensure that clear business cases exist to support IT investment.

Budget Control

• Accountable for the budgets of segments/customer outcomes that pays OML IT for all projects, services and BAU activities. Accountable for budgets covering all phases of information system projects from initiation through to final implementation and benefit delivery.
• Manages the details on cost, value constantly optimizing IT spend (projects and support services)
• Accountable for the budgets of segments/customer outcomes that pays OML IT for all projects, services and BAU activities. Accountable for budgets covering all phases of information system projects from initiation through to final implementation and benefit delivery.
• Manages the details on cost, value constantly optimizing IT spend (projects and support services)
• Accountable for delivering on Low-Cost Future targets that are set out by the organisation.
• Supports strategic goals of business by providing and demonstrating cost effective business solutions.
• Manages vendors and third-party suppliers cost models by continuously looking for efficiencies.
• Ensuring IP transfer where there are key man dependencies (vendors or internal employees)

Leadership Effectiveness

• Motivated to lead their teams in Agile way of working, displaying our Leadership signature habits that support our culture
• Create and implement a high-performance team aligned to the engineering culture.
• Defines and implements best operating agile model for IT multiple segments/business areas.
• Drive Change Management requirement to drive Agile teams
• Drive thought-leadership around competitor analysis across the industry
• Prepare show cases for board and lead conversation on ‘Think-Tank’ projects
• Build communities of practice and consumption of discipline frameworks and tools
• Defines performance parameters and measurements for deployed Technology in multiple segments/markets.
• Develops Managers of Managers & specialists under supervision.
• Drives a culture of high performance and accountability for outcomes
• Holds first line managers accountable for managerial work, including selection, performance management and talent management.
• Selects potential Manager of Managers to sustain Talent pipeline.  

Technology Thought Leadership

• Advise on processes that enable the flow of work with decision making at the right level, with sufficient focus on controls needed to manage risks, but also capitalize on value add.
• Maintains up-to-date awareness of the current and emerging Technologies to drive business growth. Competitive advantages, strategic Technology partnerships and, where appropriate, makes recommendations for implementation of new/upgraded systems and technologies
• Combines a general knowledge of multiple technology areas with knowledge of the targeted business function to define and document the business requirements
• Maintains knowledge of multiple business functions and initiatives to identify where conflicts/synergies exist between technologies and business functions
• Develops, shares, and leverages best practices across IT

Governance

• In alignment with the OML IT Governance proactively develops principles, disciplines and the procedures required to govern the relationships between the segment/market and OML IT in the provision of IT business services.
• Manages information security and risk, ensuing the mandated OML IT practices are implemented, and escalates risks and issues as required
• Ensure that there are 0 and no repeat audit findings in area of responsibility.

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Job Description

Build high performing, scalable enterprise grade platforms that enable business agility and rapid deployment within an ever changing business environment. This is achieved by embracing system and design thinking to implement platforms leveraging software automation principles and data driven insight.

• Take full accountability for end-to-end platform performance and resulting customer experience across development, test and production instances.
• Build sustainable platforms that satisfy customer requirements and align with the broader technology objectives
• Implement SLA, OLA & quality metrics, best practices, and patterns across the platform
• Lead the resolution of platform service issues by directing efforts to restore service with minimal disruption to the customer and business
• Resolve platform issues, including interdependent services outside the immediate area of responsibility; lead discussions with peers to take action to ensure the sustainable success of the platform
• Align teams to service Improvement & innovation plan requirements and drive effective implementation
• Leverage systems & processes to measure, monitor and manage the performance of the platform ensuring ongoing optimisation.
• Use production performance monitoring and customer data to make technical design and implementation decisions
• Develop innovative methods for measuring customer experience, and use this data to identify and drive platform improvements
• Translate performance data into insights for technical service & solution improvement and enhancement
• Identify new and emerging practices for managing problems within the area and lead the adoption of new practices, across groups or disciplines with the aim of improving analytical capabilities
• Identify & leverage the appropriate internal or external technologies to deliver the platform service, applying the Old Mutual Cloud guardrails
• Own the design of the platform deployment system and associated tools, hardware, processes, role assignments, dependencies, and documentation
• Lead the development and deployment lifecycle for ‘platform / platform components as a service’
• Continually develop initiatives to reduce and optimise operational costs & increase strategic & operational efficiency through solution designs
• Financial & Cost Optimisation, Risk & Governance
• Take full accountability for delivering an optimal Platform Engineering cost model
• Analyse operational cost data, identify cost-savings & efficiencies and drive adoption
• Hold accountability for all risk and open audit items associated with the platform
• Apply & maintain all Group risk (e.g. Architecture, development etc.), governance, compliance & regulatory standards and frameworks
• Update & or develop & maintain all application documentation

People

• Build / contribute to a high performance team environment & culture through self-directed teams by driving performance management & measurement that is aligned with agile working practices
• Actively participate and contribute within the cross functional team.
• Proactively lead the implementation of agile practices, remove barriers to success and ensure seamless delivery in a continuously changing work environment
• Identify and develop learning plans for the platform engineering role
• Coach & mentor other engineers & support engineering teams on technical solutions and problem resolution
• Participate in  peer reviews, testing, problem solving within and across the broader team

Requirements;

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or other highly technical, scientific discipline
• Experience in DevOps practices
• Experience in working with teams in a complex IT environment
• Experience in leveraging and deploying into AWS
• Experience with APM tooling like Dynatrace, NewRelic
• Customer above all else attitude