Platform Lead - SAS administrator

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Job Summary

The Senior SAS Viya Administrator at Absa Bank is a pivotal role responsible for the design, implementation, maintenance, and optimization of SAS 9.4 and SAS Viya solution within the bank's infrastructure. This individual will work closely with various stakeholders to ensure that SAS 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 administrators and other relevant teams.
The Senior SAS administrator will play a critical role in ensuring the stability, performance, and security of SAS platforms, enabling the bank to leverage advanced analytics and data-driven insights to drive business growth and innovation.

Job Description

SAS Viya Platform Management:

• Design, deploy, configure, and maintain SAS environments to meet business needs and performance requirements.
•  Provide ongoing support and troubleshoot issues for SAS system administration
• Perform regular patch upgrades for SAS environments to ensure system stability.
• Automate alerts for system errors or issues to enable quick response.
• Ensure high availability and disaster recovery capabilities are in place for SAS environments by managing disaster recovery processes, ensuring system readiness.
• Optimize system performance through routine monitoring and tuning.
• Maintain up-to-date documentation on administrative processes and system configurations.
• Coordinate with IT teams to ensure the seamless integration of SAS with other systems.
• Ensure compliance with security policies and manage user permissions effectively
• Manage user access, security configurations, and permissions within SAS platforms, adhering to Absa Bank's security policies and standards.
• Installation & Configuration: Set up the SAS software environment, including server configurations and customizations according to business needs.
• User Management: Create and manage user accounts, roles, and permissions to ensure secure access to SAS resources.

System Integration and Automation:

• Integrate SAS 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 environments.

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 capabilities, limitations, and best practices.
• Participate in cross-functional teams to drive innovation, process improvements, and knowledge sharing related to SAS administration.

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.

Documentation and Training:

•  Maintain comprehensive documentation of SAS configurations, procedures, and troubleshooting guides.
•  Provide training and knowledge transfer to junior administrators, support staff, and end-users on SAS administration best practices and usage guidelines.

Team management and leadership

• The ability to lead and manage a team of SAS admins to achieve team and organisation objectives managing performance, development and providing mentorship

Experience and 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 platforms with specific experience in Viya 3.5 and 4 in enterprise environments, preferably within the banking or financial services sector.
• In-depth knowledge of SAS 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 environments.
• Experience and knowledge with cloud computing platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure) and containerization technologies (e.g., Kubernetes,) is a plus.
• Knowledge and experience in the following SAS components will be advantageous:
• SAS Data Integration (ETL) Studio, SAS Management console, SAS OLAP Cube studio, SAS Information map Studio, SAS-Add inn for Microsoft office, SAS Enterprise Guide, SAS Customer Intelligence Studio, Web Report Studio (WRS), SAS Visual Analytics(VA),Dashboard. SAS/Macro, SAS/SQL, Stored Processes

Education

Bachelor's Degree: Information Technology