Associate, IT Operations at Edo State Basic Education Sector Transformation (EdoBEST)

The Edo State Government launched the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (EdoBEST) programme in 2018, to revolutionize basic education across the state. The programme is designed to deliver on the Governor’s core belief that “once you get basic education right, everything else falls in place”. EdoBEST recognizes that a strong educational foundation will launch its children into a future of success and takes this responsibility seriously. The programme uses a holistic approach that centers on scientifically-based learning materials, a data-driven model and continuous capacity building. Through EdoBEST, teachers are equipped to leverage technology, motivate pupils and employ scientifically-based learning materials; teaching methods and classroom techniques. EdoBEST head teachers are coached to support their teachers, connect with their communities and take full ownership of all aspects of their schools. While education managers are trained to leverage technology and data-driven approaches to support school staff and effectively fulfill their roles.

EdoBEST is on track to serve hundreds of thousands of children across all government primary and junior secondary schools in the state, improving their learning outcomes and their life opportunities. Critically, the program is also investing in the professional development of government teachers, school leaders and education managers; providing capacity building for thousands of civil servants. Working hand in hand with the state government to entrench quality education and the structures that enable it is dynamic and urgent work. We need team members that are deeply passionate, thrive in ever-changing environments and enjoy digging into challenges. We are truly a team of trailblazers working to ensure that the children of Edo State have the opportunity to maximize their potential. We need those that are committed to this transformative programme, and inspired by its ambition, to join us!

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Associate, IT Operations

Location: Benin, Edo
Employment Type: Full-time

Operations Group

• The Operations Team is responsible for the execution, and management of the entire sequence of processes required to service the activities of each school, and to provide that support at scale in the most cost efficient and effective way possible.
• It is the nerve center of the work that is done in any region, and is the interface that brings all school-level support functions together through it’s different departments – Customer Care, Revenue Assurance, Facilities and Supplies, Instructional Oversight, Quality Assurance, IT Operations, and Supply Chain.
• The Operations Leadership is responsible for providing overall leadership to the team, through the supervision of all routine tasks, coordination between all teams, oversight of all systems, processes, and data capturing, and ensuring that the work done by the team is done in the most efficient and cost effective way possible to enable us to better service our parents and government partners, provide a better experience for our employees, and a stable platform on which we continue to scale our work.

IT Operations:

• IT Operations is responsible for last mile delivery of technology, ensuring that everyone from school staff to executives, all have the functioning technology they need to excel at their jobs. It also oversees the technical infrastructure that supports and connects all of our global offices, as well as the back-office systems that power our customer care centers, finance teams, warehouses, and more.
• 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 at our, ensuring the work done by the other technology departments delivers on its potential.

About the Role

• The Associate, Information Technology role will ensure the provision of superior customer service throughout the business, through the maintenance, enhancement and efficient operation of IT functions. Additionally, the role will include responsibility for ensuring the security and integrity of IT operations and systems, as well as the line management of IT officers. The flexibility to work outside normal business hours is integral to this role, as is the ability to work under broad direction and minimal supervision.

What You Will Do

• Provide first point of IT Support contact for all staff, covering all PC hardware, software, smartphones and tablets, as well as any associated peripherals.
• Deploy computers and associated peripherals including new installations and redeployment of existing equipment.
• Install and configure operating systems and software to agreed standards under the direction of the IT Manager and other immediate supervisors.
• Maintain existing equipment to standards determined by the IT Manager, by performing upgrades, new installations and carrying out routine procedures.
• Assist in the compilation and maintenance of an accurate inventory of hardware and software, and ensure that records are kept up-to-date within the service desk system.
• Troubleshoot technical issues to resolution and/or escalate to colleagues, suppliers or partner organizations as required.
• Log all incidents and service requests in the designated service desk system, where necessary login on behalf of the staff.
• Manage service desk tickets, planning and prioritizing systematically to minimize backlog and ensure operational efficiency.
• Ensure system and data security is maintained at a high standard, ensuring the integrity of the company’s network is not compromised.
• Expedite the repair of hardware faults and software configuration problems, notifying or forwarding to the relevant suppliers in a timely manner.
• Work with colleagues to monitor performance of company’s systems, ensuring that issues are appropriately escalated and resolved.
• 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.
• Maintain and develop excellent working relationships with key suppliers, conducting dealings in a professional and appropriate manner.
• Provide at all times a professional, courteous and rapid response to individual users.

What You Should Have

• A Degree from a recognized university with top marks in Computer Science or a related discipline
• 1-3 years relevant IT/industry work experience
• Excellent technical knowledge of PC/Mac hardware
• Working technical knowledge of current protocols, operating systems and standards
• Software and hardware troubleshooting
• Windows desktop (7/8) experience
• Microsoft Office 2010/2013 support
• Active Directory administration
• TCP/IP
• Experience working and training on a variety of IT subjects and applications
• Excellent Writing and oral communication skills
• Good research skills, including ability to identify and propose solutions to issues/crisis
• Knowledge of Android technologies, Smart Phones, LAN and Wi-Fi configurations
• Experience working within a fast-paced environment
• Relevant Microsoft certification

Desirable:

• Experience with admin of Microsoft systems such as Exchange, Navision, IIS, or SharePoint.
• Routers, switches and firewall experience

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 creative problem-solver – Growing any business from scratch comes with massive and constant challenges. On top of that, we work 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, you 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 the world we see is created by human choices and actions – 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
16th October, 2022.