ICT Officer

United States International University–Africa (USIU-Africa) is a private university based in Nairobi, Kenya, committed to providing quality, affordable education through world-class service delivery platforms. Founded in 1969, it focuses on education and training.

The ICT Officer role at USIU-Africa focuses on delivering first-level technical support and administrative assistance to ensure the university's ICT infrastructure remains available, secure, and efficient. This position is crucial for achieving the CIO's strategic goals of 99.5% infrastructure availability and 90% user satisfaction. The primary emphasis of the role will be on technical support, infrastructure monitoring, and ensuring security compliance across the university's systems.

1. Serve as the initial point of contact for all ICT support requests, including walk-ins, phone calls, emails, and ticketing system submissions.
2. Resolve Level 1 incidents, such as password resets, software installations, and connectivity issues, aiming to meet agreed Service Level Agreements (SLAs), with a target of 95% of high-priority tickets resolved within four hours.
3. Manage user onboarding and offboarding processes, including account creation and access disabling, to ensure audit compliance.
4. Provide assistance to academic and administrative staff in navigating the new ERP system (Finance, Staff, and Student modules) and understanding security protocols.
5. Monitor core ICT infrastructure dashboards, covering network, power, and data center, to maintain 99.5% availability during peak academic periods.
6. Conduct daily health checks on servers, printers, personal computers, and audio-visual equipment in classrooms and boardrooms.
7. Escalate critical infrastructure alerts to senior engineers within 30 minutes of detection to support business continuity.
8. Assist in maintaining backup systems and disaster recovery logs.
9. Monitor Security Operations Center (SOC) alerts for suspicious activities and escalate potential security incidents according to the established incident response plan.
10. Ensure all staff PCs and servers have updated antivirus definitions and security patches.
11. Support the implementation of data protection controls, such as encryption and access logging, to comply with research funding regulations and the Kenya Data Protection Act.
12. Enforce the physical security of ICT assets, including locking cabinets and cable locks, in labs and offices.
13. Maintain an accurate and up-to-date ICT Asset Registry, ensuring all equipment like laptops, projectors, and switches are tagged and accounted for.
14. Assist in the annual ICT renewal cycle by identifying end-of-life equipment for replacement planning.
15. Track software licenses for applications like Zoom and Microsoft 365 to ensure compliance and optimal utilization.
16. Provide technical setup support for innovation hub activities, hackathons, and student startup demonstrations, including high-speed internet and cloud access.
17. Assist in preparing training venues and AV equipment for faculty development sessions on ERP and security protocols.
18. Support the digitization of procurement processes by troubleshooting user issues on the paperless requisition-to-payment system.
19. Maintain accurate logs of all support tickets, incidents, and resolutions for audit trail purposes.
20. Contribute data to the semesterly “ICT Resource Utilization Report,” covering aspects like bandwidth usage and system access.
21. Document standard operating procedures (SOPs) for common technical issues to build the knowledge base.

1. Minimum of 1–2 years of experience in an ICT support or system administration role.
2. Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Information Technology, or an equivalent field from a recognized institution.
3. Proficiency in Windows 10/11 and Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
4. Basic understanding of Networking concepts including TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, and VLANs.
5. Familiarity with Ticketing Systems such as Jira, ServiceDesk, or Zendesk.
6. Basic knowledge of ERP systems like Dynamics, SAP, or Oracle is an added advantage.
7. Understanding of Cybersecurity basics, including Firewalls, Antivirus, and Phishing detection.
8. Ability to work unsupervised, prioritize tasks effectively, and manage multiple deadlines.
9. Excellent problem-solving and troubleshooting skills.
10. Strong customer service orientation combined with excellent communication skills.
11. Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with appropriate discretion and ethics.
12. Detail-oriented approach for maintaining accurate records and logs.
13. Strong planning and organizational skills.
14. A proactive approach to learning and researching new technologies.