The Population Council Job Vacancy in Zambia: IT Officer

DAI works at the cutting edge of international development, combining technical excellence, professional project management, and exceptional customer service to solve our clients’ most complex problems. Since 1970, DAI has worked in 150 developing and transition countries, providing comprehensive development solutions in areas including crisis mitigation and stability operations, democratic governance and public sector management, agriculture and agribusiness, private sector development and financial services, economics and trade, HIV/AIDS, avian influenza control, water and natural resources management, and energy and climate change. Clients include international development agencies, international lending institutions, private corporations and philanthropies, and host-country governments.

Project Background:

The Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Program is a cross-ministry and multi-donor program to reduce stunting in Zambia. The National Food and Nutrition Commission (NFNC) implements SUN as part of the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) 1,000 Most Critical Days Program.  SUN 2.0, the second phase of the program, has three major components: (1) Pooled Multi-Donor SUN Fund, (2) SUN Technical Assistance (SUN TA), and (3) SUN Learning and Evaluation. Working in parallel with the SUN Fund, the USAID/Zambia SUN TA program will provide support and direct technical assistance to sub-national local government officials in target districts to plan, implement, coordinate, and monitor integrated nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific activities to significantly reduce the rate of stunting among Zambian children under two.

USAID has identified two main objectives that address stunting, including (1) Adequate Quantity and Quality of Dietary Intake among Target Groups; and (2) Adequate Health Conditions for Biological Utilization of Nutrients. SUN TA interventions will increase access and availability of safe, diverse, nutritious food; adoption of better child feeding habits and household hygiene practices; and access to improved health, water and sanitation services. The project will prioritize sustainability by improving intra-household joint decision making and building capacity of local government and their stakeholders to ensure coordination, accountability, and learning, following the Scaling Up Nutrition model.

Location: Lusaka, Zambia, with frequent in-country travel to provincial program offices

Objective:

The IT Officer is responsible for oversight of all project IT needs including system installations, system maintenance, and Help Desk support.  The IT Officer will ensure that DAI established standards set by the DAI Office of Information Management and Technology (OIMT) are followed and that project IT solutions are efficient and cost-effective.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Complete local network maintenance and installation (cabling, switches and NIC configuration TCP/IP, NAT, TCP/IP printing, windows network and domain services on TCP/IP)
• Ensure WAN connectivity and maintenance (internet connection and services, and devices configuration and maintenance)
• Conduct server and server application maintenance and installation (Hardware integration, Windows 2008 server installation and maintenance, LAN and WAN connectivity, Lotus Domino and messaging system, FTP services, antivirus installation and maintenance)
• Complete client computer hardware and application installation, configuration, and maintenance (Laptops, Desktops, MS Windows XP Pro or Windows 7 Pro, MS Office Suite, Lotus Notes and other mail clients)
• Serve as in-house Help Desk for user support and troubleshooting
• Manage and supervise any IT contractors or IT personnel
• Regularly communicate with the Home Office OIMT IT Operations team regarding the network, system hardware, and software changes/issues/updates and user registration, updates, and termination
• Assist in procurement and evaluation of all technical equipment (including phones, copiers, etc.)
• Administer IP PBX extensions
• Maintain IP PBX hardware and Phones
• Communicate with OIMT IT Operations team regarding implementation of special features on the system
• Assist local office managers in properly inventorying IT equipment
• Advise project staff in the procurement process.

Reporting and Supervision:

The IT Officer directly reports to the Director of Finance and Administration and coordinates closely with the DAI Office of Information Management and Technology (OIMT).

Qualifications:

• 6+ years of experience in the field of information technology
• Bachelor’s degree required; IT certifications a plus
• Experience with administration and maintenance of computers, servers, and software, in addition to HelpDesk troubleshooting in an office environment
• Excellent communication and organizational skills, as well as a customer-service attitude
• Fluency in English is required.