Data Migration Specialist Wanted at the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS)

Data Migration Specialist Wanted at the National Student Financial Aid Scheme. The incumbent will be responsible for planning, executing, and managing the process of transferring
data between storage types, formats, or computer systems. Playing a critical role during system
upgrades, consolidation, or transition to new systems, requiring careful planning to ensure data integrity.
Minimize data loss and reduce downtime

Responsibilities

Data Migration/Data Planning

• Develop comprehensive data migration plans, including timelines, resources and tools required for
  successful data migration.
• Analyse the structure, dependencies, and quality of the data to be migrated.
• Together with identified stakeholders, prepare the data for migration by cleaning, de-duplicating and
  ensuring compatibility with the new system/s.
• Design and implement effective migration processes using ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) tools or
  custom scripts.
• Execute the migration according to the approved plan, while ensuring data integrity and accuracy
• Conduct thorough testing of the migrated data to ensure it is accurately transferred and fully
  functional in the new environment.
• Validate the completeness and accuracy of the migration with identified stakeholders.
• Continuously monitor and optimised data migration processes to improve efficiency, reliability and
  performance, ensuring timely and accurate delivery of data to end-users
• Contribute to the development of strategies to improve data migration, analysis and reporting
  processed within across departments/stakeholders.
  

Reporting and Documentation

• Provide clear and concise reports to stakeholders, highlighting key findings and recommendations.
• Maintain detailed documentation of the migration process, including data mappings, transformation
  rules and any issues encountered.
• Report on the progress and outcomes of the migration project/s to stakeholders.
• Responsible for documenting migration processes, configurations and workflows as well as
  generating reports to track performance metrics, KPIs and compliance with SLAs.
• Compile project reports, to ensure all identified stakeholders are aware of timeframes for data
  migration projects.
• Participation in organizational AI efforts
• Project Facilitation & Implementation
• To Plan and implement projects to address identified needs as per the ICT strategy.
• Compile project reports on completion of the project to evaluate return on investment.

Collaboration and Communication

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to understand business requirements and ensure data
  migration solutions align with organizational goals.
• Communicate and collaborate with data analysts, developers, and business stakeholders to
  understand data requirements and ensure alignment with business objectives.
• Communicate findings and insights in a clear and understandable manner to stakeholders at
  various levels.

Continuous Improvement

• Stay abreast of industry trends and best practices in data migration processes and procedures.
• Identify opportunities for process improvements and automation to enhance efficiency.
  Risk and Compliance
• Assess risks involved the migration of data and establish contingency plans.
• Ensure data accuracy and minimize downtime during critical system upgrade periods.
• Identify and resolve issues that arise during the migration process, including discrepancies, loss or
  corruption.
• Provide support after the migration is completed, including data adjustment, user training and
  addressing any data r system issues that emerge.
• Ensure that data migration activities comply with data migration policies, privacy laws and security
  standards.
• Evaluate internal processes for efficiency, problems, and inaccuracies.
• Aligning data migration projects with the correct handling, processing, and cleansing of data
• Support the implementation of identified key controls and established risk mitigation procedures.
• Work closely with IT and other relevant teams to address data migration issues or challenges.
  

Desired Skills and Experience

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Technology or similiar
• 6-8 Years’ experience in the ICT Domain of which at least 4 should be focused on Data.
• Knowledge of programming languages like SQL, Python, Java, or R is valuable for manipulating and
  transforming data, as well as for scripting ETL processes.
• A solid understanding of data management principles, including data governance, data quality, data
  modelling, and data architecture, is essential. This includes knowledge of relational databases, data
  warehouses, data lakes, and ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes.
• Experience with data warehousing concepts and technologies is important for designing,
  implementing, and maintaining data integration solutions. This includes knowledge of dimensional
  modelling, star, and snowflake schemas, and OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) techniques.
• Understanding of data security principles and compliance regulations (such as GDPR, HIPAA, or
  CCPA) is crucial to ensure that data integration processes adhere to legal and regulatory
  requirements.
• Experience with project management methodologies and tools can be beneficial for planning,
  executing, and monitoring data migration projects, ensuring they are completed on time and within
  budget.

Preferred Requirements:

• Postgraduate Qualification in the Information Technology environment.
• Cloud Computing Certifications
• AWS Preferable/Cloud Computing
• Project management Skills
• Knowledge of the higher education sector
• Knowledge of SSSIS
• Knowledge of data management and integration
• In depth knowledge of automation, database querying and stored procedures a must
  

Skill and Competencies:

• Data Analysis
• Business Intelligence
• Data warehousing
• Data modelling
• Analytical skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Problem solving & decision-making skills.
• Attention to detail.
• Report writing skills.
• Time Management.

Remuneration & Benefits

Remuneration Package: R 864 336 – R 1 018 155
Total Cost to Company per annum inclusive of all benefits and company contribution

How to Apply

Interested applicants must complete and submit an Employment Application Form available on the
NSFAS website. The form must be supported by a detailed Curriculum Vitae which includes amongst
other things the vacancy name/position title you are responding to, copies of academic qualifications,
Identity Documents, and names of three contactable referees.

The response must be addressed to the attention of Thokozile Mnikina via the following email address: [email protected].
Please note the following contact details are for inquiries about JOB CONTENT ONLY and NOT for
application purposes.
For Enquiries please contact: Email: [email protected]

Please Note:

• The NSFAS does not consider late applications.
• The NSFAS talent acquisition team only corresponds with Shortlisted Candidates.
• Should you not hear from the NSFAS talent acquisition team within 2 months from the closing date, please consider your application unsuccessful.
• NSFAS is committed to employment equity. Preference will be given to candidates who improve employment equity considerations.
• NSFAS is committed to providing equal opportunities and practicing affirmative action employment.
• It is our intention to promote representativity (race, gender, disability) in the organization through the filling of this position and candidates whose appointment will promote representativity will receive preference.

Closing Date: 17 May 2024