Senior ICT Officer – Network and Infrastructure at Amref Kenya

Job Description

MAIN PURPOSE

The Senior ICT Officer – Network and Infrastructure will be responsible for developing, managing, and supporting corporate network and ICT infrastructure to ensure the delivery of high-quality, innovative, and cost-effective solutions on a robust platform. The role will support corporate business operations at the Headquarters while serving as a key technical contact for all country offices across Africa, Europe, and North America.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

ICT Technical Focal Point

• Provide ICT technical support across all countries of operation in collaboration with cross-functional ICT teams.
• Contribute to ICT needs assessment and the budgeting process to align with organizational objectives.
• Participate in the development, implementation, and enforcement of ICT policies and procedures.
• Support the execution of the organization’s strategy.
• Prepare and maintain regular ICT management reports.
• Provide advanced ICT support and handle escalated issues from ICT teams across the organization.
• Play a key role in vendor and service provider management, ensuring system uptime, service quality, and value for investment.

Network and Infrastructure Administration Management

Servers and Storage

• Design, implement, manage, and maintain physical and virtual servers across data centers, ensuring optimal system performance.
• Administer computing resources, including storage provisioning using Network Attached Storage (NAS), in line with industry best practices.
• Install, configure, and upgrade multiple operating systems (Windows and Unix) across the organization.

Networks and Security

• Support the design, installation, configuration, management, and security of active/passive network devices, including Cisco switches, routers, and firewalls.
• Manage multiple internet service providers (ISPs) with load balancing techniques such as SD-WAN, and routing protocols including BGP, OSPF, and static routing.
• Oversee identity and access management (IAM), including user rights and permissions across on-premise and cloud infrastructure, ensuring compliance with organizational policies.
• Maintain and harden Office 365 Exchange, email gateways, and routing across multiple tenants.

Cloud and Collaboration Platforms

• Configure, secure, and support on-premise hosted solutions on both private and public cloud platforms.
• Manage secure online collaboration tools, including Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, and email services, to ensure reliable communication and productivity.
• Administer and maintain telephony systems, including call managers and VoIP integrations.

Business Continuity and Documentation

• Ensure successful and regular backups to safeguard all critical systems and configurations.
• Lead the disaster recovery, testing, and restoring process with documentation.
• Develop and maintain systems documentation and end-user guidelines.

Asset Management

• Participate in the definition, design, evaluation, and testing of new solutions and systems through proof-of-concepts (PoC) and implementation.
• Oversee ICT asset and inventory management, including software, hardware, licenses, and subscriptions.

System and Information Security

• Monitor and review system alerts and incidents from the Security Operations Center (SOC) and security logs generated by network devices and applications, ensuring timely mitigation.
• Manage hosting and secure publishing of web applications on Windows and Unix web servers using next-generation firewalls and Web Application Firewalls (WAF) for both internal and external access.
• Plan and implement system upgrades, updates, patches, hotfixes, preventive maintenance, and migrations with minimal service disruption.
• Develop and maintain security standards, access management practices, and compliance controls in line with policies, user requirements, and evolving technologies.
• Administer corporate-wide antivirus solutions across servers and endpoint clients to ensure robust protection.

Technical Support

• Conduct scheduled and ad-hoc ICT support visits to country programmes, providing both on-site and remote technical assistance.
• Guide users through systematic troubleshooting, offering timely and practical solutions to ICT issues.
• Stay abreast of emerging ICT trends to leverage technology for enhanced efficiency, innovation, and security.
• Support, train and mentor ICT subordinate staff on ICT best practices and security compliance.
• Support and build the capacity of end users and technical staff across countries.
• Support statutory audits and compliance.

Other Tasks

• Advisory roles to Country Programmes ICT Officers and partners.
• Advisory on procurement of technical equipment and related duties.
• Any other duty assigned.

Qualifications

Education and Knowledge

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field
• Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer or Server Windows Certification (MCP)
• Networking certification in CISCO Certified Network Associate Professional (CCNP), preferably in switching and routing
• Firewall certification
• Virtual systems certification in VMware Certified Professional (VCP)
• Knowledge and experience in Online Exchange and Office 365 suite
• Excellent technical knowledge of computer applications and systems

Experience

• Minimum of seven (7) years’ progressive experience in ICT infrastructure and network administration
• Experience in systems administration and management
• Experience in LAN and WAN management
• Experience in hardware and software integration and maintenance
• Experience in ERP support and database administration is an added advantage
• Exposure to diverse-multicultural environment

Skills and Competencies

• Strong influencing, facilitation, and teamwork abilities
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across diverse teams
• Critical and creative thinking, with strong analytical and logical diagnostic skills for problem-solving and sound judgment
• Proactive, flexible, and adaptable in dynamic environments
• High standards of confidentiality, ethics, integrity, and reliability
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively under pressure and meet deadlines