Information Technology (IT) Specialist

Project Background:

The USAID Uganda Feed the Future Water and Food Systems for Resilient Communities Activity (FTF WFSRCA) is a five year activity (2023-2028) that aims to inclusively and equitably improve food and water security in the Kyoga Basin in northeastern Uganda, specifically three watersheds – Lokok, Awoja, and Lokere, by empowering individuals and communities to mitigate and adapt to shocks and stressors in order to improve livelihoods, maintain nutrition and health wellbeing, address drivers of conflict, and reduce reliance on humanitarian assistance. This area is home to nomadic pastoralists whose livelihoods are at risk due to violent cattle raiding and the effects of climate change (drought and flooding). This part of Uganda also suffers from fragmented markets, chronic underinvestment in public services, and a lack of private sector investment. This Activity is aligned with the Water and Development II (WADI II) scope to access critical technical services in support of the U.S. Government’s Global Water Strategy, Global Food Security and Strategy Refresh, Agency Climate Strategy, and the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience; and is a cornerstone of the USAID Uganda (2022) Country Development Cooperation Strategy Development Objective (DO) 2, Resilient Growth Enhanced. The activity aims therefore aims to achieve results under the following development objectives:

1. Improve water supply and integrated water resource management.
2. Increase equitable access to sanitation and hygiene services for households and schools.
3. Improved agriculture-based livelihoods.
4. Increased consumption of nutritious foods among women and children.
5. Expanded access to financial resources for women, men, youth, indigenous people, and marginalized groups.
6. Improve local capacity to manage shocks and stressors.

FtF WFSRCA will enhance market systems, strengthen relevant institutions, expand access to climate-resilient services, and—in two of the most vulnerable of the 20 districts covered by the activity—employ “graduation” approaches to assist the ultra-poor. These initiatives will incorporate conflict sensitivity, local leadership, climate change adaptation, and approaches inclusive of women, youth, the elderly, persons with disabilities, and indigenous groups.

Role’s Purpose:

The IT Specialist is responsible for the IT needs of the Project´s office, including system installations, maintenance, and technical support. S/he is responsible for ensuring that standards set by the DAI home office are followed and project solutions are the most efficient and cost effective. S/he will ensure that proper back up, anti-virus and disaster recovery procedures are identified and followed and that end users have access to shared files, printers, and email. S/he will collaborate with external vendors and service providers to procure and maintain IT equipment and services as needed.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Establish office IT local area networks and ensure secure IT systems (cabling, switches and NIC configuration, TCP/IP, NAT, TCIP/IP printing, windows network and domain services on TCP/IP)
• WAN connectivity and maintenance (manage and maintain internet connection, services, software, and device configuration)
• Assess local availability of IT equipment.
• Procure and provide staff with appropriate IT and communications equipment (cell phones, laptops, etc.)
• Configure staff laptops for Phase 1 procurement and work with home office (OIMT) to configure additional laptops received in the field.
• Check systems to optimize performance and initiate recovery action after system failures.
• Troubleshoots hardware and software issues, provides timely technical support to project staff, and makes suggestions for network hardware and software system improvements.
• Management and supervision of support provided by local companies (ISP or other providers or IT services)
• Maintain inventory of IT and communication equipment.
• Provides onboarding and orientation support to new staff members, ensuring they are familiar with IT policies, procedures, and resources, and also offers IT support assistance to project staff.
• Uphold DAI ethics and values in all aspects of the job.
• Foster a culture of digital security and data protection among project staff through regular awareness campaigns and training sessions.
• Ensure smooth functioning of video conferencing and other communication systems for virtual meetings and collaboration.
• Maintain a good knowledge and understanding of all policies and procedures set forth in the activity’s Field Operations Policy Manual and DAI Operations Manual.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in IT or another relevant field.
• 7+ years of experience in developing and managing IT solutions, preferably for a donor-funded development project.
• PC and Server support experience
• Knowledge of Windows Server & Windows Client operating systems
• Knowledge of Hyper-V visualization platform
• Knowledge of Windows network services: AD. DNS, DHCP, WSUS, Print and file sharing
• Experience with IBM Notes Client configuration
• Experience with Outlook client or O365 services
• Knowledge of backup and restore services
• Physical and logical LAN and WAN infrastructure principles
• Communication equipment and VPN services
• Prior experience working in Uganda.
• Professional proficiency in English is required, and proficiency in local languages is preferred.

Skills

• Ability to respond effectively to time sensitive demands & inquiries.
• Demonstrated strong problem-solving skills and exceptional customer relations (both internally & externally).
• Excellent organizational skills with a proactive approach and willingness to take initiative. Ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks effectively.
• Excellent communication and personnel management skills and ability to relate to people at all levels of an organization and of different multi-cultural backgrounds.
• Extremely well-organized and self-directed individual with sound technical skills, and analytical ability.

Reporting

The IT Specialist will report to the Director of Finance and Operations.