Senior Spec Core Infrastructure Support

Job Description

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The number 1 Top Employer in South Africa.
Certified by the Top Employer Institute 2026.

Role Purpose/Business Unit:

To provide advanced support and maintenance for our Core Network Cloud Infrastructure. This role requires strong technical proficiency, hands-on troubleshooting, and the ability to ensure the resilience, scalability, and performance of mission-critical telecom and cloud systems.

Your responsibilities will include:

Infrastructure Operations

• Perform advanced support and maintenance of core network cloud infrastructure (compute, storage, virtualization, orchestration).
• Ensure system availability, performance, and compliance with security standards.
• Conduct proactive monitoring, diagnostics, and performance tuning.

Incident & Problem Management

• Serve as the escalation point for complex technical issues.
• Lead root cause analysis and implement corrective/preventive actions.
• Provide clear incident reports and technical updates to stakeholders.

Technical Expertise & Guidance

• Be a subject matter expert (SME) for cloud and network infrastructure technologies.
• Mentor junior engineers and share knowledge through documentation and technical sessions.

Operational Excellence

• Develop and maintain runbooks, SOPs (Standard Operation Procedure), and technical documentation.
• Champion automation, monitoring, and optimization initiatives.

Collaboration

• Work closely with cross-functional teams (engineering, support, security) to align infrastructure with business needs.
• Contribute to strategic projects such as migrations, upgrades, and capacity planning.

The ideal candidate for this role will have:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Telecommunications, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 5+ years of experience in core network/cloud infrastructure support (Essential)
• Minimum 2+ year experience in Core Network Applications (Essential)
• Working knowledge of Telco over cloud stack and core applications (Desirable)
• Understanding of networking protocols (IP/MPLS, BGP, OSPF, SDN)
• A good understanding of virtualization and containerization (VMware, OpenStack, Kubernetes)
• Proven track record in incident management and operational risk mitigation.
• A good knowledge and understanding of NFVi (Essential).

Core competencies, knowledge, and experience:

• Telecommunication Industry and current government telecommunication legislation as well as developments within ETSI/3GPP IETF and ITU-T.
• Telecom industry experience with large-scale cloud infrastructure.
• Relevant GSM Core applications.
• Voice Core, Mobile Convergence, NFVi, Orchestration and SDN.
• Telco over Cloud Infrastructure operating models.
• VIM/Hypervisor Design (KVM OpenStack, VMware etc).
• Business Acumen and Ethics.
• Computer Applications (MS Office).
• Engineering and Quality Standards.
• Knowledge of GSM,GPRS,UMTS, LTE,5GSA principles and protocols
• 3GPP and non 3GPP call flows.

• Communication (Verbal/Written)
• Technical writing and analysis
• Support
• Resilience
• Implement, Support vendor road maps
• Co-ordination
• Implementation.
• Service Orientation.
• Interpersonal.
• Analytical.
• Creativity.
• Problem Solving.
• Negotiation
• Analytical
• Communication
• Decision making
• Interpersonal Communication
• Presentation
• Problem solving mindset
• Time Management

We make an impact by offering:

• Enticing incentive programs and competitive benefit packages
• Retirement funds, risk benefits, and medical aid benefits
• Cell phone and data benefits, advantages fibre connection discounts, and exclusive staff discounts offered in collaboration with partner companies

Closing date for Applications: 20 April 2026.

The base location for this role is Midrand, Vodacom Campus.

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.
Vodacom is committed to an organisational culture that recognises, appreciates, and values diversity & inclusion.