Chief Technical Officer, Civil Engineering, EBE (Cape Town, ZA) chez None

The Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Cape Town is seeking a highly skilled and motivated Chief Technical Officer (CTO)—Data Science and IT. This dynamic role combines teaching support, research facilitation, and technical leadership in the rapidly evolving fields of data science, computing, and digital infrastructure within civil engineering.

The CTO will work closely with academic staff, researchers, and students in the Department of Civil Engineering (0.8 FTE), providing technical expertise in areas such as sensors and sensor networks/IoT, data collection, database management, data analytics, and data visualization as well as support the integration of digital technologies into the civil engineering curriculum. The incumbent will also assist the Faculty Office (0.2 FTE) in the development and maintenance of key software tools, such as the Student Enrolment Advising Tool (SEAT).

This position will be based within the Department of Civil Engineering, and the CTO will collaborate with various internal and external stakeholders, including but not limited to the Department of Computer Science, the Department of Statistical Sciences, ICTS, and the UCT High Performance Computing (HPC) cluster.

Requirements for the Job

Teaching Support:

• Support the Department in developing and implementing the digital design learning line in the new Civil Engineering curriculum.
• Provide technical services for courses or projects involving augmented and virtual reality, big data, programming, computing, and/or database design.
• Assist course convenors and facilitate teaching laboratories of computer science and data science related courses in the Civil Engineering undergraduate and postgraduate curriculums.

Research Support:

• Provide technical assistance in digital data collection, database management, elementary data mining, programming and debugging, statistical analysis (e.g., for AI and machine learning), and data visualization.
• Assist researchers in using programming languages such as Python, SQL, R, or equivalent, and in accessing the UCT High Performance Computing (HPC) cluster.
• Support digital requirements across research groups and laboratories.
• Set up and manage departmental and Faculty data repositories.

Management, Leadership, and Service:

• Assist in the procurement, installation, and maintenance of hardware and software.
• Participate in relevant departmental and faculty administrative tasks and committees in alignment with the Department's collective responsibility model.
• Manage low-to-medium – cost IT resources and assist staff with data and IT related funding applications.
• Compile and present reports on IT development, data usage trends and enhancement proposals to relevant Departmental and Faculty committee meetings.

Faculty Office Support:

• Maintain, support, and continuously enhance the faculty-specific registration support tool, SEAT, ensuring meets the evolving needs of the faculty’s academic administration.
• Provide operational support for SEAT throughout the entire registration cycle, ensuring optimal system performance and user assistance during peak periods.
• Collaborate with academic and administrative stakeholders to identify and implement improvements to enrolment and advising tools, such as SEAT.

Requirements for the Job:

Education:

• A relevant undergraduate degree (e.g., Computer Science, Data Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechatronics or similar field).

Experience:

• Minimum two years’ experience in programming, data science, computing, database management
• Experience with programming languages (Python, SQL, or equivalent).
• Familiarity with IoT, sensor networks, and digital data collection technologies.
• Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to debug and develop basic code.

The following would be advantageous:

• A postgraduate qualification (master’s or PhD) in a relevant field.
• Experience working with big data, AI and/or augmented virtual reality.
• Experience working in the field of Civil Engineering
• Experience working in a university or research environment.
• Familiarity working with High Performance Computing (HPC) systems.
• Knowledge of Linux operating systems and experience working with cloud services.

Key Competencies

• Technical Expertise: Understanding of data science, computing, and digital infrastructure in engineering applications.
• Communication Skills: Written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders.
• Problem-Solving: Ability to independently troubleshoot and resolve technical challenges and provide creative solutions.
• Project Management: Organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks, timelines and priorities.

The annual cost of employment, including benefits, is between R639 581 and R752 447.

To apply, please visit the UCT Internal Careers site (for internal applicants) and the UCT Careers site (for external applicants) to create a profile and submit your application. 

Please complete/attach the following to your profile before submitting your application:

• A letter of motivation
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Three referee names, which must include their title and name, position details, relationship to you, their e-mail address, and telephone number

Shortlisted candidates will be required to undergo assessments, and references may be requested by UCT at any stage of the selection process.

Any inquiries for this position are to be addressed to Mr. Ian Petersen at [email protected] or 021 650 2163.

Closing Date:   05 September 2025                  

Website: www.civil.uct.ac.za