About the Role
The Department of Public Service and Administration is seeking a dedicated and skilled individual for the role of Assistant Director: PERSAL and Vulindlela Operations, based in Pretoria. This pivotal position plays a crucial part in enhancing financial management systems that underpin public service operations. By maintaining and improving crucial systems like PERSAL and Vulindlela, you will contribute to the effective management of payroll and financial operations that directly impact the lives of South Africans.
Working in this role means being at the heart of government service delivery. You will be integral in ensuring that the systems in place are not only operational but also aligned with the latest policies and standards. The impact of your work will ripple through various departments, enhancing service delivery and ensuring that resources are managed efficiently and effectively for the benefit of the community.
About the Department
The Department of Public Service and Administration is committed to fostering a transparent, accountable, and efficient public service. Its mission encompasses improving service delivery across all government sectors, ensuring that the needs of citizens are met with integrity and professionalism. Working here means being part of a dedicated team focused on upholding the values of public service while providing support and guidance to various departments.
What You’ll Do
- Maintain, configure, and enhance PERSAL and Vulindlela financial management systems in line with approved policies and procedures.
- Analyze policy, business, and user requirements to translate them into system specifications and functional requirements.
- Coordinate system design, development, testing, and implementation of new or enhanced functionalities.
- Provide operational support for payroll, leave, and financial management system processes.
- Monitor system availability and ensure readiness for peak periods and processing schedules.
- Support user access management and ensure compliance with security requirements.
- Liaise with various stakeholders to resolve system incidents and service requests.
- Conduct change management activities and coordinate testing for system enhancements.
- Assist with compliance, policy research, and coordination of contractor deliverables.
What You’ll Need
- A Grade 12 certificate and a minimum National Diploma (NQF Level 6) in Information Technology, Information Systems, or Business Analysis.
- A Bachelor’s Degree (NQF Level 7) in a related field is an advantage.
- A qualification in Project Management is beneficial.
- At least 3 years of experience in application or system support or operations.
- Familiarity with transversal financial management systems and public-sector financial frameworks.
- Knowledge of PERSAL operations and end-user support in a multi-stakeholder environment.
Interested applicants must submit their applications via the online link below.
Requirements
A Grade 12 is required coupled with a minimum National Diploma (NQF Level 6) in Information Technology or Information Systems or Business Analysis.A Bachelor’s Degree (NQF Level 7) in any of the above disciplines is added advantage; and A Qualification in Project Management is added advantage.
A minimum of 3 years’ experience obtained in an application or system support or operations environment.
Experience in transversal financial management systems operations and support processes (incident, problem, change and release management).
Experience in Project Management (IT Systems Implementation).
Knowledge and experience of the public-sector financial framework and end-user support in a multi-stakeholder environment.
Knowledge and experience of PERSAL and its operations.
Job Duties
Some key Outputs include: Financial Management Systems Development, Configuration, Maintenance and Enhancement: Maintain, configure and enhance PERSAL, Vulindlela and related transversal financial management systems in line with approved policies, procedures, standards and controls.Analyse policy, business and user requirements and translate approved changes into system specifications, functional requirements and technical implementation actions.
Coordinate system design, development, configuration, testing, quality assurance, implementation and post- implementation support for new or enhanced system functionality.
Support modernisation, patching, upgrades and integration activities by providing functional clarification, operational input and implementation support.
Maintain technical documentation, system rules, control records, standard operating procedures, user guides and knowledge articles to support consistent service delivery.
System Operations, Processing, Availability and Control Management: Provide operational and technical support for payroll, EFT, EDT, SCOA, reporting, leave, salary package structuring and related financial management system processes.
Monitor system availability, peak-period readiness, processing schedules, pay dates, closing dates, disk-space requirements and recovery measures to support business continuity.
Apply approved system controls to prevent irregular, duplicate, unauthorised or non- compliant payments and transactions, including deceased-employee salary controls and exception management.
Support user access management, role and profile maintenance, access reviews and segregation-of-duties controls in line with security requirements.
Monitor and report on service performance, incident trends, request volumes, turnaround times and operational risks to support continuous improvement.
Change, Release, Testing and Modernisation Support: Coordinate change and release activities for enhancements, upgrades, patches, initiatives and new implementations in line with approved governance processes.
Conduct and coordinate technical, functional, user-acceptance and post-implementation testing to confirm that implemented functionality meets approved requirements.
Support feasibility assessments, planning, implementation readiness, defect resolution and stakeholder communication for approved system changes.
Ensure requests are recorded, assessed, approved, prioritised and implemented in a controlled manner to protect system integrity and avoid duplication.
Stakeholder Engagement, Client Support and Problem Resolution: Liaise with departments, internal teams, external institutions, service providers and forums to identify, analyse, prioritise and resolve system incidents, queries and service requests.
Provide third-level support, technical guidance and expert input for escalated PERSAL and financial management system matters.
Prepare and issue system notices, circulars, user messages, implementation communications, audit inputs and stakeholder updates relating to system changes and operations.
Coordinate user forums, stakeholder engagements, intervention strategies and knowledge-sharing activities to strengthen user readiness and service continuity.
Governance, Compliance, Contractor Support and 124 Knowledge Transfer: Support compliance with approved policies, regulations, delegations, standards, audit requirements, service levels and operational controls across system maintenance and support activities.
Assist with policy research, analysis and alignment of system competencies with requirements from DPSA, Office of the Accountant-General, CPO and other relevant stakeholders.
Support contractor deliverables by coordinating work allocation, SCC activities, timesheet and overtime recommendations, SLA monitoring and remedial actions where required.
Facilitate documentation, knowledge transfer and collaboration between officials, consultants and service providers to strengthen internal capability and reduce dependency on external support.
