Description

Officer - Information Technology & Systems

ICRISAT is seeking applications for the position of Officer - Information Technology & Systems. The IT Officer has the overall responsibility to initiate, design, implement and monitor IT solutions for the ICRISAT regional research program operations in West and Central Africa and ensure users get the maximum benefit from them.

ICRISAT is a non-profit, non-political organization that conducts agricultural research for development in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa with a wide array of partners throughout the world. Covering 6.5 million square kilometers of land in 55 countries, the semi- arid or dryland tropics has over 2 billion people and 644 million of these are the poorest of the poor. ICRISAT and its partners help empower these disadvantaged populations to overcome poverty, hunger and a degraded environment through better agricultural production systems.

ICRISAT is headquartered at Patancheru near Hyderabad, India, with two regional hubs and eight country offices in sub-Saharan Africa. ICRISAT envisions a prosperous, food-secure and resilient dryland tropics. Its mission is to reduce poverty, hunger, malnutrition and environmental degradation in the dryland tropics. ICRISAT conducts research on its mandate crops of chickpea, pigeonpea, groundnut, sorghum, pearl millet and finger millet in the arid and semi-arid tropics. The Institute focuses its work on the drylands and in protecting the environment. Tropical dryland areas are usually seen as resource-poor and perennially beset by shocks such as drought, thereby trapping dryland communities in poverty and hunger and making them dependent on external aid. Please visit – www.icrisat.org

Roles and Responsibilities

The Officer - Information Technology & Systems will perform the following tasks under the direction of the ICRISAT’s Head Regional Information for West and Central Africa:

Evaluates organization outcomes to recommends information technology strategies, policies, and procedures.

Executes technological strategic solutions including for server management, data base management, assistance to users of IT equipment, records keeping, purchase of new IT equipment, Installation and configuration of new IT equipment.

Reviews and verifies processes based on a refined understanding of technology strategies, policies, and procedures by evaluating program and project outcomes.

Directs technological research by studying organization goals, strategies, practices, and user projects.

Conducts system audits of technologies implemented to verifies application results.

Carries operations for a safe and secure IT network environment.

Implement disaster recovery and back-up procedures and information security and control structures to preserve assets.

Manages information technology unit staff.

Engage with the IT staff of WCA offices and guide for IT services.

Engage with WCA office staff and provide IT services where local IT staff are not recruited.

Coordinate with HQ IT team for the IT services to provide locally.

Engage with HQ IT team to implement HQ technological initiation across the WCA offices.

Engages staff, obtains feedback on IT networks operations to achieve objectives of provided services.

Organizes IT trainings and sensitization programs to capacitated collaborators to adopt new policies.

Relays information and requirements to staff explaining rules and processes of IT solutions.

Plans, monitors, and appraises information technology staff performance.

Coaches, counsels, and disciplines IT unit staff and all users of IT services.

Develops personal growth opportunities for IT unit staff and regional research program staff through professional and technical educational workshops.

Establishes delivery timeframes through sequence and prioritize deliverables to ensure timely delivery of IT services.

Creates effective and consistent timeframes to support provision of services with program and project’s needs.

At least a Master’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field

Five or more years working in IT work operations

Experience leading and managing IT projects and rolling out IT infrastructures across various organisations

Excellent working knowledge of computer systems, security, network and systems administration, databases along with a strong experience of data storage systems and record keeping

Firm grasp on IT infrastructure and operations best practices development and deployment

Excellent management skills and strong ability to prioritize in decision-making and execution

Strong adaptability to bringing solutions to changes and developments into IT area.

The initial contract will be for 2 years with a possibility of renewal based on satisfactory performance, need for the position and availability of funds.

Establishes IT services performance metrics which support sustained delivery in line with staff needs and broader divisional and corporate functions.

Trains IT unit staff to take on new challenges, pursue new ideas, and embrace change to enhance regional research program delivery.

Delivers processes consistently according to established quality standards.

Provides research relevant to IT service and product development to enhance digital solutions applications to office work and to extensions services.

Sustains quality through adaptation to changing operational demands and client feedback.

Requirements

How to apply:

Applicants should apply on or before 20 April 2023 on Icrisat.mli@icrisat.org, with a letter of motivation, latest curriculum vitae and the names and contact information of three references that are knowledgeable about your professional qualifications and work experience. All applications will be acknowledged; however only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

ICRISAT is an equal opportunity employer