Assistant Manager, IT at RusselSmith Group

Job Summary

• Supports the Divisional Head in coordinating IT operations, infrastructure, security, user support, and compliance.
• This hands-on role combines technical depth with people and process leadership to ensure high service levels, resilient networks, secure systems, and effective IT governance. Maintains a quality-driven culture, values innovation, and is open to technology that improves performance and efficiency.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day IT operations, set service expectations, and act as an escalation point for incidents and requests.
• Provide direction, mentorship, and task coordination for IT personnel to achieve service targets and project milestones.
• Oversee user support, onboarding, and IT training programmes that lift digital literacy and security awareness.
• Plan, configure, and maintain network infrastructure, including switches, access points, routing, VLANs, and site links over fibre and wireless.
• Administer and optimise Microsoft 365 services, identity, and security controls across endpoints and cloud workloads.
• Monitor infrastructure health and capacity, analyse trends, and implement preventive maintenance to minimise downtime.
• Maintain accurate documentation of configurations, changes, diagrams, standards, and operating procedures.
• Strengthen IT security through policy enforcement, patch and vulnerability management, access control, and continuous monitoring.
• Contribute to disaster recovery and business continuity planning, testing, and improvement.
• Ensure adherence to ISO standards and Quality Management Systems, and support internal and external audits.
• Manage software licensing, renewals, vendor relationships, and contracts to ensure value for money and compliance.
• Maintain an accurate IT asset inventory and lifecycle records covering endpoints, networking, servers, and software.
• Coordinate business process automation initiatives with stakeholders, working alongside developers while not building forms yourself.
• Support integrations with cloud platforms such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, and Zoho, and manage hybrid connectivity.
• Define and enforce acceptable use of AI tools across the organisation, covering data security, privacy, confidentiality, and auditability.
• Leverage AI features in Microsoft 365, ITSM and security platforms to improve service delivery, knowledge management, and reporting.
• Coordinate business process automation that may include AI components, working with developers to ensure secure and compliant implementations.
• Oversee secure remote access and ensure reliable remote support for field and distributed users.
• Track and report key service metrics, risks, and improvement actions.
• Unit Reports - Generate the required weekly, monthly, quarterly, bi-annual, and annual reports and presentations.
• Safety and Security - Actively promote and personally observe safety and security procedures and use equipment and materials properly.
• Hazard Identification - Promote risk-based thinking and eliminate identified hazards throughout the organisation.
• Reports - Generate and update required meeting notes for divisional and cross-functional meetings as required.
• Perform other duties as required or as assigned.

Role Criticality & Associated Risks:
Service Reliability and Uptime:

• Prolonged outages and slow recovery due to the weak coordination of incident response and preventive maintenance.
• Capacity shortfalls and performance bottlenecks from a lack of monitoring and trend analysis.

Security and Compliance:

• Increased exposure to cyber threats through inconsistent patching, weak access controls, and poor endpoint hygiene.
• Non-conformities against ISO and QMS requirements, failed audits, and regulatory penalties.

Continuity and Recovery:

• Incomplete disaster recovery plans, untested procedures, and delayed restoration of services after incidents.
• Data loss risks from inadequate backup governance and verification.

Governance and Documentation:

• Uncontrolled changes, configuration drift, and knowledge loss due to poor documentation and change practices.

Vendor and Cost Management:

• Sub-optimal contracts, licence non-compliance, and missed savings opportunities due to weak vendor oversight.

Scalability and Improvement:

• Systems that do not scale with business growth and missed opportunities to digitise and automate critical workflows.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Minimum of eight (8) years of relevant IT experience, including at least two (2) years in a supervisory or management role.
• Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) — mandatory.
• Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert — mandatory.
• Demonstrated ability to configure and manage enterprise networking infrastructure and Wi-Fi.
• Hands-on experience with Microsoft 365 management, endpoint protection, identity, and hybrid environments.
• Practical exposure to cloud platforms such as Azure and AWS.
• Familiarity with ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 and related audit practices.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including policy and technical documentation.
• ITIL Foundation certification is desirable.
• Understanding of business process automation concepts and coordination.
• Awareness of emerging technologies, including modern IT automation and generative AI.
• Ability to evaluate AI vendors and features for risk, compliance, and value, and to document controls aligned to ISO and QMS.
• Familiarity with prompt design, result validation, and safe data minimisation when using AI assistants.

Organisational Relationship

• Reports directly to the Head, Digital Solutions Division. Collaborates with internal stakeholders, external vendors, and audit or compliance bodies as required.

Physical Demands:

• Regular use of the telephone, conferencing tools, and e-mail is essential.
• Sitting for extended periods is common.
• Hearing, vision, and speaking within normal ranges are essential for normal conversations and for preparing or inspecting documents.
• No heavy lifting is expected.
• Exertion of up to 10 lbs. of force occasionally may be required.
• Good manual dexterity is required for common office and network equipment.

Work Environment:

• The job is performed primarily indoors in a traditional office setting, with occasional work in comms rooms and field locations.
• Activities include extended periods of computer work and periods of higher pace during incident response or project cut-overs.
• This is a full-time onsite role from Monday to Friday. Availability outside regular working hours may be required based on operational needs.