CYBERSECURITY ENGINEER (36-MONTH FIXED-TERM CONTRACT)
CYBERSECURITY ENGINEER (36-MONTH FIXED-TERM CONTRACT)
Closing Date: September 10, 2025
All Inclusive Salary Package: R1 059 105 – R1 247 574 per annum
Benefits: All-inclusive remuneration package of R1 059 105 – R1 247 574 per annum. The successful candidate may structure the total package for a 13th cheque. The employer’s contribution towards Housing, Medical Aid, and Pension is included in the total package.
Contract Type: Contract
Objective: The South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) is a statutory public entity, an oversight body of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Act, No. 67 of 2008. The entity is charged with developing, fostering and maintaining an integrated and transparent national framework for the recognition of learning achievements, ensuring that:
• South African qualifications meet appropriate criteria and are internationally comparable.
• The country’s qualifications are of acceptable quality.
• The quality of education and training is enhanced.
• Access, mobility and progression within education, training and career paths are realised.
SAQA seeks to appoint a Cybersecurity Engineer to assist in designing and implementing security measures to protect SAQA’s systems, networks, and data from cyber threats. Reporting to the Senior Manager: ICT, this position will develop security policies and empower staff on best practices to safeguard SAQA’s technology environment.
• South African qualifications meet appropriate criteria and are internationally comparable.
• The country’s qualifications are of acceptable quality.
• The quality of education and training is enhanced.
• Access, mobility and progression within education, training and career paths are realised.
SAQA seeks to appoint a Cybersecurity Engineer to assist in designing and implementing security measures to protect SAQA’s systems, networks, and data from cyber threats. Reporting to the Senior Manager: ICT, this position will develop security policies and empower staff on best practices to safeguard SAQA’s technology environment.
Requirements are:
Minimum Qualifications
- An appropriate, recognised qualification at NQF Level 7 or equivalent.
- A relevant NQF level 8 qualification will be an advantage.
- CISSP, CSIM, and CASP+ certification will be an advantage.
Minimum Experience
- Eight years’ relevant work experience within a cybersecurity environment.
Knowledge, skills and competencies
- Encryption and Cryptography.
- Incident response and Forensics.
- Risk management.
- Security architecture and design.
- Security frameworks and standards.
- Threat detection and response.
- Vulnerability management.
- Problem solving.
- Stakeholder engagement.
Key performance areas:
Summary of duties
- Design enterprise-wide security frameworks and solutions aligned with organisational goals and compliance requirements.
- Ensure architecture supports scalability, resilience, and adaptability to emerging threats.
- Perform white box penetration testing and vulnerability scans and oversee grey/black box penetration testing and vulnerability scans.
- Design, implement and maintain appropriate solutions.
- Research, evaluate, and recommend emerging security technologies.
- Work with ICT, DevOps, and software development teams to embed security in system designs.
- Support internal and external audits by providing detailed documentation and evidence of security controls.
- Prepare reports on incident responses, vulnerabilities, and system performance.
- Prepare accurate budget forecasts for cybersecurity projects and tools.
- Work with the procurement team to evaluate, negotiate, and manage contracts for security tools and services.
- Assess and plan for the financial scalability of cybersecurity solutions as the organisation grows.
- Establish monitoring processes for system performance and security metrics.
- Conduct risk assessments to identify vulnerabilities and prioritise remediation efforts.
- Establish and maintain security policies, standards, procedures and guidelines.
- Promote cybersecurity awareness and training programs across all units.
- Work closely with business to align cybersecurity goals with the overall business strategy.
SAQA will verify credit and criminal records as well as qualifications.
SAQA reserves the right not to make an appointment to the advertised post and will only communicate with short listed candidates.
