ILRI Vacancy: ICT Customer Services Technician

Vacancy Number: A/009/2014
Division/Unit: Corporate Services/ICT
Duration: Fixed term for one year which will be nonrenewable

General:  The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) works at the crossroads of livestock and poverty, bringing high-quality livestock science, communications and capacity building to bear on poverty reduction and sustainable development. ILRI has campuses in Kenya (headquarters) and Ethiopia, with other offices located in Africa (Botswana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda) as well as Asia (China, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka).

The position: ILRI is recruiting an ICT Customer Services Technician position to represent the primary customer interface for ICT customer service, help desk and technical support functions on the Addis Ababa campus. The position is central to ensuring the efficient use of ICT equipment, applications and other resources on the campuses through the resolution of problems and passing-on of their knowledge and experience.

Main Duties:

• Diagnoses and resolves service requests from the Ethiopia campus that have been assigned to the technician as soon as possible but definitely within the time frame set by the priority level. Keep the helpdesk status up-to-date and communicates regularly with the requester to keep them informed of the status. Close the call as soon as the problem has been resolved to the satisfaction of the customer. Escalate any problems that cannot be resolved to the ICT Customer Services Officer.
• In the absence of the Help Desk Administrator, manages the help desk functions. This includes logging all ICT service requests, assigning the correct priority level, category, type and the appropriate ICT staff or service provider to carry out the request.
• Uses the Help Desk reports to identify commonly recurring requests for assistance and provide advice on how these can be prevented or minimised, through training, user awareness or changes in configuration.
• Configuration and roll-out of new equipment and applications to computers on the network.
• Carries out research into more effective ways of using and configuring applications that can then be rolled out across the campuses or posted to the intranet and communicated to staff for their use
• Provides “tips of the week” that will help staff work more efficiently or provides them with options when working with commonly used applications.
• Keeps the inventory of equipment up-to-date following the written procedures.  This is used in the recharges of ICT services, for the maintenance and service contract, warranty claims and in the replacement plan for identifying the need for new equipment.
• Assists in the training of students attached to the ICT Department.
• Under the guidance of the ICT Customer Services manager, participates as required in ICT customer services projects that are implemented by the ICT Customer Services team

Education:

• First Degree in Computer Science or equivalent or a Higher Diploma with additional 2 years relevant work experience

Experience:     

• A minimum of 2 years’ experience in an ICT support or helpdesk environment.

Training:    

• Certification as a Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST) or Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) will be an advantage

Short Courses in:   Computer Applications and Customer service training

Skills:  

• Communication, report writing, computer skills etc
• Good communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to pass on information clearly to users and to grasp difficulties perceived by users.
• Strong customer service orientation that establishes a good working relationship with customers, with the attitude of wanting to assist people and pass-on their knowledge and experience to others.
• Organized, dynamic self-starter who sees the position as an early step in their career development.
• Good logical diagnostic skills and ability to exercise good judgment in the resolution of problems.
• Ability to multi-task in dealing with several different problems at a time.
• Advanced proficiency in the core applications used at the Centre.
• Ability to meet deadlines, monitor and follow-up on pending matters under minimum supervision.
• Ability to work under high pressure to tight deadlines.
• Ability to communicate fluently in English.

Duty Station:  Addis Ababa

Job level
•    This position is job Grade 2B.

Monthly Base Salary:    Birr 8,954 (Negotiable, depending on experience, skill and salary history of the candidate)

Terms of appointment:  This is Nationally Recruited Staff (NRS) position based at ILRI’s Addis Ababa campus.  Initial appointment is fixed term for one year which will be nonrenewable. The ILRI remuneration package for nationally recruited staff in Ethiopia includes very competitive salary and benefits such as life and medical insurance, offshore pension plan, etc.
The ILRI campus is set in a secure, attractive campus on the outskirts of Addis Ababa.  Dining and sports facilities are located on site.

Applications

Applicants should send a cover letter and CV (3 pages maximum) explaining their interest in the position, relevant documents and testimonials and the names and addresses (telephone and email) of three referees who are knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience to the Human Resources Office, ILRI, P.O.Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Telephone: (251-11)-617-20-00; Fax (251-11) 646 46-45 or 617 20-01 name and reference number of the position for which the application is made A/009/2014 should be clearly marked on the envelopes if mailed or fax applications.  Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Closing date:    February 22, 2014.