IT Service Specialist: Disaster Recovery

Business Unit: Discovery Bank

Function: Information Technology

Date: 11 Jan 2025

IT Service Specialist: Disaster Recovery

About Discovery

Discovery’s core purpose is to make people healthier and to enhance and protect their lives. We seek out and invest in exceptional individuals who understand and support our core purpose, and whose own values align with those of Discovery. Our fast-paced and dynamic environment enables smart, self-driven people to be their best. As global thought leaders, Discovery is passionate about innovating, not only to achieve financial success, but to ignite positive and meaningful change within our society.

About Discovery Bank

We're the world's first behavioural bank, designed with our clients in mind. We haven't changed just one thing, we've changed everything. Our main goal is to improve the financial health of our clients by helping change how they work with their money. Through Vitality Money, our clients will learn more about what it means to be financially healthy and get rewarded for managing their money well. If you are a problem solver, always questioning the way things are done, passionate about doing what is right, can change direction quickly when needed and / or love to dazzle your clients, Discovery Bank has a job where you can be yourself and your best in an environment that is safe and nurturing.

Job Purpose

The Service Specialist for IT disaster recovery, capacity and reporting role is to provide assurance for the service continuity and capacity of Discovery Bank’s IT infrastructure. This involves formulating and maintaining the policies procedures and practices for disaster recovery and capacity management and performing the necessary configuration and data collection, analysis, verification, and modelling to ensure continuity and performance of Bank systems in line with applicable policies. The role specifically includes maintenance of disaster recovery plans and scheduling and facilitation of disaster recovery and resilience testing and execution in the event of a declared disaster.

Areas of responsibility may include but are not limited to

Process	IT Disaster Recovery Develop, maintain, and enhance disaster recovery plans. Manage the introduction of new infrastructure and systems in line with recoverability design standards. Schedule and facilitate disaster recovery and component resilience testing. Report test results and track remedial activities. Capacity management Develop, maintain, and enhance the procedures for capacity management of key technologies (storage, network, processor, memory etc.) Manage the routine aggregation of system performance and capacity-related data feeds. Model and forecast capacity demand. Facilitation of tracking of business system and project-related capacity demands. Provide actionable analysis and data to internal support groups. Operational and governance reporting Develop, maintain, and enhance the procedures for the required reporting obligation into mandated governance forums. [and producing the reports] Collate, transform, aggregate and store data from relevant sources to produce history reporting with forecast and trending of key performance metrics. This extends to all key metrics for IT Infrastructure. Leadership and teamwork Work with internal colleagues to ensure they have the appropriate information and knowledge at hand to be successful in what they do. Facilitate and guide activities involving cross-functional teams to achieve outputs and objectives. Provide periodic reports on performance against plan & progress on medium-term initiatives & use to realign operating plan and objectives appropriately. Proactively identify interconnected problems, develop and model alternative solutions as well as contingency plans. Continuously identify areas of improvement that will enhance efficiency.
GOVERNANCE	Ensure the consolidation of the risk profile for the area of accountability, manage critical risks, and provide timely reporting and feedback.
PEOPLE	Communicate strategic context that guide best practice, foster an environment of continuous learning and improved employee engagement levels.
CLIENT	Define and influence relationships made with internal and external stakeholders. Build and maintain relationships with stakeholders to ensure integrated approaches in pursuit of collective goals.

Personal Attributes and Skills

Strong knowledge of IT Infrastructure technologies with specific knowledge of techniques and practices for infrastructure and system resilience, continuity, and recovery.
Strong knowledge and interpretation of IT capacity and performance metrics, collection, and aggregation.
Data analysis and modelling
Knowledge of IT Service Management processes
Ability to engage at all levels of seniority (including Executive Management)
Decisiveness and Influencing Others
Effective Business Communication
Functional Policies and Procedures
Strategic Planning and Reporting.
Ability to carry out assigned tasks independently with little supervision.

Education and Experience

Relevant Tertiary Qualification
At least 8 years’ experience in IT technical management, disaster recovery planning and testing.
Solid experience in compiling of reports and presentation,
Formal certification is disaster recovery / business continuity management would be advantageous.
IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) certification

EMPLOYMENT EQUITY

The Company’s approved Employment Equity Plan and Targets will be considered as part of the recruitment process. As an Equal Opportunities employer, we actively encourage and welcome people with various disabilities to apply.