Lead Sase Wan Engineer (KE) at Absa Bank Limited

The Lead SASE WAN Engineer will be responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining secure, high-performing SASE network solutions, with a strong focus on Zscaler, SD-WAN, and related technologies. This role will collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure end-to-end platform delivery, aligning technical strategies with business goals while adhering to modern infrastructure and security standards. The engineer will lead troubleshooting efforts, maintain operational documentation, and continuously assess security gaps to enhance network resilience. A key part of the role includes mentoring junior engineers and driving automation across the platform engineering lifecycle.

Job Description

• Interface with business applications teams, monitor and troubleshoot the SASE solution to ensure optimal performance and availability.
• Produce and maintain high quality operational documentations for SASE to ensure a well-managed and mature infrastructure.
• Provide implementation support and troubleshooting assistance for SASE related issues.
• Support the future end-to-end SASE Architecture Architect
• Positively contribute to the organisation wide platform & engineering strategy & the achievement of end-end ‘Platforms as a Service’
• Collaborate across the tech value chain (CSO, CTO, etc.) to help the business on the appropriate technical solution (cost to value) & the range of strategic technical choices to be made
• Assess security gaps in current design and processes, maintaining market and vendor awareness of both trends and advancing capabilities in alignment to the transformational program goals.
• Work in collaboration with delivery teams to independently analyse customer requirements & varying business capabilities & leverage analysis to identify & accurately spec / frame ‘the complex business problems we are aiming to solve’ with each solution design or solution evolution
• Leverage expertise in analytical & creative problem solving to synthesise a solution design (build a solution from its components) beyond the analysis of the problem

Accountability: Platform Development & Delivery Management

• Ensure the most optimal design & deployment of technical solutions in the organization (via pipeline – not manually)
• Maintain or enhance SASE Solution systems components and services to ensure that infrastructure is in a vendor/bank -supported and standards-compliant state.
• Leverage the required expert level (own) skill & knowledge in platform engineering. architecture & Infrastructure, design and manage all development & development practices & outputs across feature teams
• Guide & ensure the delivery of quality development (code) based on own experience platform engineering
• Effectively manage the platform delivery pipeline & associated releases for maximum customer impact & minimum business risk
• Coach & Mentor junior engineers on technical competencies to effectively deliver on platform stability.

Person Specification

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to produce high quality technical documentations.
• Strong technical/network hands-on background
• Self-starter, able to work unsupervised in addition to being a strong team player.
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Ability to work and adapt to an increasingly global operating model.
• An understanding of the project lifecycle and Agile Principles with emphasis on validation and live implementation phases.
• Skilled in incident, problem and change management.
• Strong understanding of network protocols
• Experience in engaging in all aspects of the design and implementation of an organization’s hosting environments.