Principal IT Engineer - Hybrid Cloud & Security Role in Cape Town
Parvana · Cape Town, Western Cape · Hybrid
Overview
A purpose driven travel group with a global shared services hub in Cape Town needs a Principal IT Engineer to lead enterprise infrastructure, cloud and cybersecurity. You will guide distributed engineering teams, set architecture standards and keep systems secure across Azure, Microsoft 365 and hybrid environments. Hybrid work, generous benefits and a genuine commitment to work life balance make this a rare senior opportunity with real impact.
About the role
Our client is a highly successful, purpose driven group connecting world class hospitality with large scale environmental impact across Africa's iconic wilderness areas. They are looking for a Principal IT Engineer to join their collaborative Cape Town based shared services hub on a hybrid basis.
In this senior role you will establish and maintain enterprise infrastructure architecture, standards and growth roadmaps. You will review complex designs, manage technical debt and provide senior technical direction. You will lead, mentor and develop globally distributed engineering teams while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and ethical behaviour.
You will oversee the integration of new business sites into standardised Group environments, act as senior technical lead during major infrastructure and cybersecurity incidents and manage architecture oversight across Azure, Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Active Directory and hybrid Microsoft environments. You will define enterprise network and firewall standards, lead technical security architecture and collaborate with MDR and SOC providers to strengthen detection and response.
Application note: The listing asks candidates to visit the Parvana careers website for a more comprehensive list of opportunities. No specific documents or email instructions are provided in the raw data.
Requirements
- 10 years in enterprise infrastructure, networking, cloud or cybersecurity, including 5 years in senior leadership or architecture
- Proven track record leading geographically distributed technical teams across multiple locations
- Strong architectural experience with Azure, Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Active Directory and Windows Server
- Expertise in enterprise networking, secure remote access, segmentation and firewall platforms such as Fortinet
- Background in EDR/XDR, security monitoring, vulnerability management and cybersecurity incident response
- Capabilities in technical documentation, architecture design, infrastructure automation and scripting languages such as PowerShell
- Deep knowledge of Conditional Access, multi factor authentication and privileged access management
- Familiarity with routing, switching, VLANs, SD WAN, ZTNA, MDR/SOC and SIEM concepts
- Experience with Windows Server, immutable backups, disaster recovery, ransomware recovery and RMM standards
- Grounded in Zero Trust, least privilege, defense in depth, CIS Controls, NIST Cybersecurity Framework and ISO 27001 principles
Responsibilities
- Establish and maintain enterprise infrastructure architecture, standards and growth roadmaps
- Review complex designs, manage technical debt and provide senior technical direction and escalation
- Lead, mentor and develop globally distributed engineering teams while fostering a collaborative culture
- Oversee the integration of new business sites into standardised Group environments and practices
- Act as senior technical lead during major infrastructure and cybersecurity incidents, directing containment, investigation and recovery
- Manage architecture oversight across Azure, Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Active Directory and hybrid Microsoft environments
- Define enterprise network and firewall standards, including segmentation, VPN, SD WAN and ZTNA
- Lead technical security architecture across EDR/XDR, identity security, privileged access and ransomware resilience
- Collaborate with MDR and SOC providers to enhance detection coverage, logging and incident response capabilities
- Prioritise and remediate vulnerabilities, security risks and penetration test findings using Zero Trust and defense in depth principles
- Provide architecture oversight for enterprise backup platforms, disaster recovery and regular restore testing
- Set technical vulnerability, patch management and endpoint/RMM standards while guiding remediation of end of life infrastructure
Job details
- Organisation
- Parvana
- Location
- Cape Town, Western Cape
- Job type
- Full time
- Work arrangement
- Hybrid
- Experience level
- Executive (10+ years)
- Category
- IT & Software Development
- Application Method
- Apply online
Success Guide
This is a senior role, so your application should highlight more than just technical skills. Show how you have led distributed teams, set architecture standards and handled major security incidents. When preparing for an interview, be ready to talk through real examples of disaster recovery, Zero Trust implementation and how you have managed technical debt in a hybrid Microsoft environment.
Parvana is a recruitment agency, so the client's name is not disclosed in the listing. This is common for senior roles. It means you can expect the recruiter to screen you first and then share details about the company. The role offers an unusually strong work life balance and a genuine social purpose, so let your motivation for mission driven work come through.
Make sure your CV clearly states your years of experience in enterprise infrastructure and leadership, as the 10 year total and 5 year senior requirement will be a key filter.
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