Officer, IT Operations at KwaraLEARN (Government of Kwara State)

KwaraLEARN (Leading Education Achievement and Reform Now) is a core new education programme by the Government of Kwara State to deliver dramatic improvements in learning outcomes in public schools for all children across Kwara State. KwaraLEARN will transform all government primary schools across the state into powerful public schools using an innovative technology and data-driven platform, coupled with high-quality learning materials, effective training and ongoing coaching for teachers and school leaders, and technology-enabled support teams to create 360-degree support for learning outcomes.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Officer, IT Operations

Location: Kwara

Background

• KwaraLEARN (Leading Education Achievement and Reform Now) is a core new education programme by the Government of Kwara State to deliver dramatic improvements in learning outcomes in public schools for all children across Kwara State.
• KwaraLEARN will transform all government primary schools across the state into powerful public schools using innovative technology and a data-driven platform, coupled with high-quality learning materials, effective training and ongoing coaching for teachers and school leaders, and technology-enabled support teams to create 360-degree support for learning outcomes.
• Working for the technical implementing partner for the programme, you will work towards preparing Kwara and its youth for a bright future with a strong educational foundation. Being part of this transformative programme will be a challenging but fulfilling experience. You will have the opportunity to impact young lives and help build the future of Kwara and Nigeria.
• The programme is one of the most exciting and ambitious education programmes not only in Nigeria but also across Africa. Quality education has the power to transform the opportunities for Kwara's youth and the State. In joining us, you will join a group of dynamic and passionate Nigerians taking concrete action to help ensure a better future for the children of Kwara.

Technology:

• Technology plays a critical role in enabling us to provide transformative education at a massive scale in highly resource-constrained environments.
• This is one of the key elements that gives us the ability to deliver radically impactful programmes, creating brighter futures for a generation of children across the world each day.
• Technology spans several key functions, including Product Management, Business Intelligence, Software Development, and IT Operations.

IT Operations:

• IT Operations is responsible for last mile delivery of technology, ensuring that everyone, from school staff to executives, have the functioning technology they need to excel at their jobs. Our portfolio involves both proprietary and off the shelf applications that need to run in challenging environments (inconsistent power, unreliable network connectivity, users who are not digital natives) and at significant scale (thousands of schools - and growing).
• IT Operations also oversees the technical infrastructure that powers and connects all of our global support offices.
• Within the Technology Group, IT Operations also holds the distinction of being the only department with a dedicated presence in each of our operating territories, meaning that is also the key conduit and primary advocate for all aspects of Technology, ensuring the work done by the other Technology departments delivers on its potential.

About the Role

• The Officer, IT Operations role combines the provision of front-line support and superior customer service to our schools and support teams with the responsibility for one of our key functional areas in IT Operations, including asset management, problem management, and support office support.
• The Officer role rotates between these functional areas, bringing fresh energy and insights to each area, while gaining experience over the different aspects required to ensure our Tech investments deliver on our ambitious mission. It will involve rolling up your sleeves to get the day to day done with ensuring overall delivery excellence for your assigned area.
• The role reports to the Manager, IT Operations, who has broad oversight over the programme, and involves mentoring and developing Associates.

What You Will Do
Ensure delivery against one of our key functional areas for IT Operations:

• Teacher Tablets: ensuring high availability of teacher tablets, including proper assignment, monitoring, and troubleshooting.
• Smartphones and Tablets - ensuring high availability of school leaders and field staff devices, including proper assignment, monitoring and management (mobile device management), and procurement.
• Problem Management - ensuring that all Tech issues ("incidents") are properly tracked and regularly analysed to identify our key "problems" (recurring incidents) - and to work on sustainable solutions
• Support Office Support: ensuring the support office is high-functioning - working IT Assets (laptops, printers, etc.), network, firewall, PBX, etc.
• Provide first point of IT support contact for all staff, covering all hardware, software, and associated peripherals.
• Proactively troubleshoot using reports and data analytic tools provided - and also contribute back to their evolution and improvement.
• Deploy IT assets and associated peripherals, including new installations and redeployment of existing equipment.
• Manage service desk tickets, planning and prioritising systematically to minimise backlog and ensure operational efficiency.
• Visit schools to understand pain points and receive feedback.
• Expedite the repair of hardware faults and software configuration problems, notifying or forwarding to the relevant suppliers in a timely manner.
• Supervise, train, and mentor junior staff members in all of the above.
• Provide technical assistance to project teams and undertake technical project roles when required.
• Demonstrate commitment to and promotion of a culture of service excellence and continual improvement within the IT Department.

What you should Have

• A Degree from a recognised university with top marks in a relevant discipline
• Suitable IT/industry work experience
• Experience working within a fast-paced environment
• Excellent technical knowledge of IT hardware, including laptops, mobile devices (esp. Android), and peripherals
• Software and hardware troubleshooting ability
• Experience working and training on a variety of IT subjects and applications
• Analytical capability - ability to analyse data sets and be data driven. Advanced analytical capabilities, such as SQL, a plus.
• Strong writing and oral communication skills
• Research skills, including ability to identify and propose solutions to issues/crisis

You’re Also

• A detailed doer – You have a track record of getting things done. You’re organized and responsive. You take ownership of every idea you touch and execute it to a fine level of detail, setting targets, engaging others, and doing whatever it takes to get the job done. You can multi-task dozens of such projects at once and never lose sight of the details. Likely, you have some experience in a start-up or other rapid-growth company.
• A networking mastermind – You excel at meeting new people and turning them into advocates. You communicate in a clear, conscientious, and effective way in both written and oral speech. You can influence strangers in the course of a single conversation. Allies and colleagues will go to bat for your ideas. You have an existing network from prior experience in the country, preferably in the regulatory, education, or business sectors.
• A creative problem-solver – Growing any business from scratch comes with massive and constant challenges. On top of that, KwaraLEARN works in often fragile, sometimes volatile low-resource communities and with complex government systems. You need to be flexible and ready to get everything done effectively, quickly, and affordably with the materials at hand.
• A relentless advocate –The children we serve and teachers we empower never leave your mind. You know them, get them, have shared a meal with them (or would be happy to in the future). You would never shrink back from shaking a parent’s hand or picking up a crying child, no matter what the person was wearing or looked like. Every decision you make considers their benefit, experience,
• and value.
• A malleable learner –You believe you can always do better. You welcome constructive criticism and provide it freely to others. You know you only get better tomorrow when others point out where you’ve missed things or failed today.
• A data-driven decision-maker – When making decisions, you don’t rely on your intuition alone. You collect data, analyze it and make decisions with clear justifications.
• A curious investigator – You ask why a lot. You don’t just take what you see and accept it. You wonder why it is that way, and are aware that human choices and actions create the world we see – and it could be different. You wonder, and see the world as wonderful even when you want to change a part of it that is unjust.

Application Closing Date
30th September, 2022.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note: When the link opens, scroll to the Job Title and Apply.