Position Overview:

The Senior SAS Viya Administrator is a pivotal role responsible for the design, implementation, maintenance, and optimization of SAS Viya solutions within the bank's infrastructure. This individual will work closely with various stakeholders to ensure that SAS Viya platforms meet business requirements efficiently, securely, and with high performance. They will also play a key role in providing technical leadership, guidance, and support to junior administrators and other relevant teams.

The Senior SAS Viya Administrator will play a critical role in ensuring the stability, performance, and security of SAS Viya platforms, enabling the bank to leverage advanced analytics and data-driven insights to drive business growth and innovation.

Key Responsibilities:

1. SAS Viya Platform Management:

- Design, deploy, configure, and maintain SAS Viya environments to meet business needs and performance requirements.

- Monitor system performance, troubleshoot issues, and implement necessary optimizations to ensure optimal performance and reliability.

- Manage user access, security configurations, and permissions within SAS Viya platforms, adhering to Absa Bank's security policies and standards.

- Ensure high availability and disaster recovery capabilities are in place for SAS Viya environments.

2. System Integration and Automation:

- Integrate SAS Viya platforms with other banking systems, applications, and data sources as required.

- Develop and maintain automation scripts and workflows for routine administrative tasks, such as backups, updates, and monitoring.

- Implement best practices for configuration management and version control within SAS Viya environments.

3. Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement:

- Collaborate with business stakeholders, data analysts, and other IT teams to understand requirements and translate them into SAS Viya solutions.

- Provide technical expertise and guidance to project teams and stakeholders on SAS Viya capabilities, limitations, and best practices.

- Participate in cross-functional teams to drive innovation, process improvements, and knowledge sharing related to SAS Viya administration.

4. Performance Optimization and Capacity Planning:

- Analyze system performance metrics and usage patterns to identify opportunities for optimization and capacity planning.

- Recommend and implement improvements to hardware, software configurations, and infrastructure resources to enhance SAS Viya performance and scalability.

- Conduct regular capacity assessments and proactively plan for future expansion or upgrades as needed.

5. Documentation and Training:

- Maintain comprehensive documentation of SAS Viya configurations, procedures, and troubleshooting guides.

- Provide training and knowledge transfer to junior administrators, support staff, and end-users on SAS Viya administration best practices and usage guidelines.

6. Team management and leadership

- The ability to lead and manage a team of SAS admins to achieve team and organisation objectives

Educational requirements:

- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field. Advanced degree or relevant certifications (e.g., SAS Certified Viya Platform Administrator) preferred.

- Proven experience (5+ years) in administering SAS Viya platforms in enterprise environments, preferably within the banking or financial services sector.

- In-depth knowledge of SAS Viya architecture, components, and administration best practices.

- Proficiency in scripting languages (e.g., Python, Shell) for automation and integration tasks.

- Strong understanding of Linux/Unix operating systems and experience with server virtualization technologies (e.g., VMware, Docker).

- The ability to create Terraform scripts as a code tool that lets you build, change, and version cloud and on-prem resources safely and efficiently will be advantageous.

- Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.

- Demonstrated problem-solving skills and ability to troubleshoot complex technical issues in SAS Viya environments.

- Experience and knowledge with cloud computing platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure) and containerization technologies (e.g., Kubernetes,) is a plus.