Associate, 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: Associate, IT Operations

Location: Kwara, Nigeria

Bacground

• 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. A 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 Group:

• Technology plays a critical role enabling us to provide transformative education at 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. Working with us, passionate technologists have a chance to directly change the world. No kidding.

IT Operations Department:

• 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 centres, 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.

Responsibilities
What you will do:

• Provide first line technical support to school staff, assisting them to diagnose and resolve hardware and software problems remotely and in person
• Visit operational sites to assist school staff by deploying academy technology, including both new installations and redeployment of existing equipment
• Provide technical support for teaching accessories including smartphones, teacher tablets, power banks, and any other assets that may be made available
• Ensure the efficiency and reliability of Internet service and computer environment in the support office
• Install and configure operating systems and software to agreed standards under the direction of the IT Manager
• Maintain existing equipment to standards determined by the IT Manager, by performing upgrades, new installations, and carrying out routine procedures
• Maintain a high degree of customer service support for all support queries and adhere to all service management principles and policies
• Maintain a record of any software or hardware problems detected, escalate when appropriate
• Use data provided by reports to detect and even anticipate problems in the field so as to drive resolution before the issue is even reported
• Fix teaching technology hardware issues like broken charging ports, depleted batteries, screens etc.

Requirements
What you should have:

• Bachelor’s Degree in IT, or related Information Technology field of study
• Minimum three years of work experience in the ICT environment
• Ability to use tools like soldering irons to fix hardware issues
• Experience in troubleshooting hardware and performing tasks like changing batteries, screens, motherboards, and other working equipment in order to fix broken devices like tablets and smartphones
• Working technical knowledge of current protocols, operating systems and standards
• Excellent technical knowledge of PC hardware
• Software and hardware troubleshooting
• Basic experience with routers, switches, and firewalls
• Experience with Microsoft suite applications and exposure to basic troubleshooting
• Understanding of TCP/IP and Local Area Networks
• Excellent writing and oral communication skills
• Good research skills, including the ability to identify and propose solutions to issues/crisis
• Knowledge of Android operating system and smartphones
• Vendor neutral industry certification such as: Cisco CCNA, CompTIA Network+, A+, or MCTIP certification.

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, 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
30th September, 2022.