ICT Officer Service Delivery – 2 Positions at United States International University - USIU Africa

Job Summary:

The ideal candidate should have a Bachelor’s Degree in IT, Computer Science, or a related field with 1-2 years of experience in an ICT support or system administration role. A strong technical background and a commitment to service excellence are desired to provide the necessary support required to ensure the availability, security, and efficiency of the university’s ICT infrastructure.

This position will report to the ICT Manager, and the primary emphasis will be on technical support, infrastructure monitoring, and security compliance.

Job Purpose:

The selected candidate will have a responsibility to provide first-level technical support and administrative assistance to ensure the availability, security, and efficiency of the university’s ICT infrastructure. The role supports the CIO’s strategic goal of 99.5% infrastructure availability and 90% user satisfaction.

Key Responsibilities/Tasks/Duties:

Service Desk & User Support

• To serve as the first point of contact for ICT support requests (walk-in, phone, email, ticketing system).
• To resolve Level 1 incidents (password resets, software installation, connectivity issues) within agreed SLAs (target: 95% of high-priority tickets resolved within 4 hours).
• To conduct user onboarding/offboarding (creating accounts, disabling access) to ensure audit compliance.
• To assist academic and administrative staff in navigating the new ERP system (Finance/Staff/Student modules) and security protocols.

Infrastructure Monitoring & Resilience

• To monitor core ICT infrastructure (network, power, data center) dashboards to ensure 99.5% availability during peak academic periods.
• To perform daily health checks on servers, printers, PCs, and AV equipment in classrooms and boardrooms.
• To escalate critical infrastructure alerts to senior engineers within 30 minutes of detection to support business continuity.
• To assist in the maintenance of backup systems and disaster recovery logs.

Security & Compliance Support

• To monitor Security Operations Center (SOC) alerts for suspicious activity and escalate potential security incidents per the incident response plan.
• To ensure all staff PCs and servers have updated antivirus definitions and security patches.
• To support the implementation of data protection controls (encryption, access logging) to comply with research funding regulations and the Kenya Data Protection Act.
• To enforce the physical security of ICT assets (locking cabinets, cable locks) in labs and offices.

Asset & Inventory Management

• To maintain an up-to-date ICT Asset Registry, ensuring 100% of equipment (laptops, projectors, switches) is tagged and accounted for.
• To assist in the annual ICT renewal cycle by identifying end-of-life equipment for replacement planning.
• To track software licenses (e.g., Zoom, Microsoft 365) to ensure compliance and optimal utilization.

Innovation & Teaching Support

• To provide technical setup support for innovation hub activities, hackathons, and student startup demos (high-speed internet, cloud access).
• To assist in preparing training venues and AV equipment for faculty development sessions on ERP and security protocols.
• To support the digitization of procurement processes by troubleshooting user issues on the paperless requisition-to-payment system.

Documentation & Reporting

To maintain accurate logs of all support tickets, incidents, and resolutions for audit trail purposes.

• To contribute data to the semesterly “ICT Resource Utilization Report” (bandwidth usage, system access).
• To document standard operating procedures (SOPs) for common technical issues to build the knowledge base.

Key Relationships

Key Internal Stakeholders

• ICT Manager and Senior Engineers;
• Chief Information Officer (CIO);
• Academic and Administrative Staff (Faculty, Finance, HR, Registrar’s Office);
• Students;
• Innovation Hub Coordinator.

Knowledge: Skills and Experience Required for the Role

• Minimum 1–2 years of experience in an ICT support or system administration role.
• Minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Information Technology, or equivalent from a recognized institution.
• Proficiency in Windows 10/11 & Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
• Basic understanding of Networking (TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, VLANs).
• Familiarity with Ticketing Systems (e.g., Jira, ServiceDesk, Zendesk).
• Basic knowledge of ERP systems (e.g., Dynamics, SAP, Oracle) is an added advantage.
• Understanding of Cybersecurity basics (Firewalls, Antivirus, Phishing detection).

Competencies required for this role

• Ability to work unsupervised, prioritize effectively, and handle multiple deadlines.
• Excellent problem-solving and troubleshooting skills.
• Strong customer service orientation with excellent communication skills.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with the appropriate discretion and ethics.
• Detail-Oriented approach needed to maintain accurate records and logs.
• Planning and organizational skills.
• Learning and researching.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a team.