Senior Specialist: System Development

The South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON) is a research platform funded by the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) and managed by the National Research Foundation (NRF) since 2002. SAEON is mandated to observe and research ecosystems on land, in coastal regions and the oceans to understand how those systems function and might change over time and space when influenced by socio-economic driving forces including climate change. We deliver our data online and offer tools, services and advice for informed environmental policy-making.

Position: Senior Specialist: System Development

Business Unit: South Africa Environmental Observation Network

Location: City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality-CPT, Western Cape

Position Summary

The SAEON uLwazi Node, based in Cape Town, Western Cape, requires the services of an experienced systems engineer to be responsiblefor the design and development of data- and metadata-automation pipelines in support of the management and publication of continuous data streams originating from a variety of land- and marine-based environmental monitoring instrumentation.

Key Responsibilities

Analyse and understand the functioning of existing production and legacy systems.

Conduct research into available tools, technologies and best practices in formulating an approach to system design and development.

Create and maintain system design diagrams (UML, ERD, etc) using online diagramming tools.

Create and maintain system documentation using GitHub and/or the uLwazi wiki.

Develop system features and enhancements.

Create unit tests for services and APIs.

Fix bugs.

Participate in code reviews.

Maintain source code using git and GitHub.

Work with the systems development lead to establish scope and timelines for deliverables.

Keep track of progress and status of tasks using the GitHub project management tool.

Provide progress updates during weekly development team meetings.

Engage with team mates to discuss and evaluate system designs, technology choices, etc.

Give presentations and demonstrations of work, at intervals, for review and feedback by team leads and stakeholders.

Liaise with the infrastructure team to coordinate server provisioning and system deployment.

Configure runtime environments, databases, web servers and proxy servers, as needed, in respect of system deployments.

Apply library updates and security patches to deployed systems.

Monitor production systems operations and performance.

Coaching and mentoring of junior systems developers.

Develop and maintain entity-relational models that support the harvesting,

processing, synchronization and publication of data from a variety of raw data sources.

Create a database(s) to implement the E-R model(s), with support for storing multiple levels of data and metadata.

Ensure that data produced and/or hosted by SAEON is highly available, consistent, secure and recoverable.

Consult with internal and external stakeholders to understand and capture system requirements.

Analyse existing systems as applicable, understand and document their functionality, database structure, and the nature of data holdings.

Develop and document an entity-relational model suitable for long-term preservation, management and access to data.

Implement or upgrade databases and secure APIs supporting both automated and user interaction with the relevant data.

Develop secure web applications providing a user-friendly interfaces to relevant APIs.

Migrate all existing data into new databases, with verifiable data integrity checks.

Coordinate the testing and deployment of new and upgraded systems, and the decommissioning of old systems.

Additional Notes

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Good programming and systems analysis skills.

Good communication and teamwork abilities.

Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.

Willingness to learn new technologies.

Qualification

NQF Level 7 Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or a related field.

An Honours Degree or higher level qualification will be advantageous.

7+ years of experience in systems development

Experience

Experience in system development

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Python

SQL

Docker

Nginx

Linux

GitHub

Relational database design

Object oriented systems

Closing Date: Tuesday, 13 Oct 2026

The NRF website provides more details on the initiatives and activities. Applicants should submit a comprehensive CV by registering and apply online through the NRF Recruitment and Selection Portal. Applications should be accompanied by a letter of motivation indicating the applicant's suitability for the position. The names and contact details of at least three referees should be provided.

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