Introduction:

Church World Service (CWS) is a not-for-profit, faith-based organization transforming communities

around the globe through just and sustainable solutions to hunger, poverty, displacement and disaster.

CWS does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, gender identity,

genetic information, age, disability or veteran status in employment or in the provision of services.

Primary Purpose:

This position is primarily responsible for overseeing, evaluating, directing and planning all Information

Technology Operations for CWS Africa. The Regional IT Director will:

• Be accountable for ensuring that the CWS Africa Information System meets all the compliance and security requirements and has established risk management frameworks.
• Oversee all the technical operations and IT service delivery.
• Lead, develop and mentor the IT workforce.
• Continuously improve business processes through automation and providing IT advisory.

The position requires flexibility, innovation, initiative, effective communication and interpersonal skills

and confidence in dealing with diverse types of systems and people.

Key relationships

Internal

• Regional Representative Africa
• RSC Africa Deputy Directors
• CWS Africa Senior Management Team
• RSC Africa Compliance Team
• Finance Director
• Procurement Director
• Human Resources Director
• Country Office IT Leads

External

• CWS HQ IT Director
• CWS HQ Cybersecurity Team
• PRM RPC IT Team
• DOS Office of IT (OIT)
• IT Service Providers

Working Environment

• Office environment with periodic travel to the field and other country offices as may be required

Core Job Responsibilities:

Leadership and Management (25%)

• IT Human Resources Management:
  • Supervises, directs, and mentors the Software Development Manager, IT Support Supervisor, Senior Systems Administrator, and Senior Information Security Manager and provides functional leadership (dotted supervision) to all the other IT Leads in the other country offices in Africa.
  • Ensures sufficient staffing within the department.
  • Ensures development, and retention of well trained, highly skilled, and motivated IT staff.
  • Evaluates training needs, recommends, and approves training for the entire IT team to ensure that they can execute their specialized duties effectively.
  • Establishes and communicates clear expectations to staff to foster a predictable and consistent positive work environment.
• IT Strategic Planning:
  • Leads in developing and reviewing of the IT strategic plan that aligns technology with the CWS Africa business goals and details the comprehensive technology-enabled business management processes the organization uses to guide its operations.
  • Facilitates appropriate resource allocation to ensure the success of the strategic plan.
  • Conducts strategic situational analysis and benchmarking against best practices and what other peers are doing to assess appropriateness of CWS Africa’s Information Technology standards.
  • Participates in the development and alignment of the broader CWS Africa strategy.
• Advisory and Consultancy:
  • Provides technical input and recommendations to CWS Africa Senior Management where necessary or when required to, (solicited and unsolicited advice).
  • Provides regular reporting on the status of the Information System performance and security posture to the CWS Africa Senior Management.

Compliance and Information Security/IT Risk Management (30%)

• Achieves and maintains thorough knowledge and adherence to established CWS Africa, CWS, DOS/PRM and USCIS policies and procedures regarding information systems management for CWS Africa.
• Oversees compliance with all IT requirements – including developing, reviewing, and approving written policies, procedures, processes (workflows), and SOPs regarding the CWS Africa information system in Africa.
• Coordinates and reviews required IT security and risk assessments/audits.
• Oversees the adoption and adaptation of a comprehensive enterprise information security and IT risk management program to ensure that the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of information that is owned, controlled, or processed by the organization.
• The CWS Africa Information System should be secured according to the organizational defined policies, Integrity and Compliance Guide (ICG), Federal IT security requirements and the National Institute of Standards Technology (NIST) moderate impact controls among other information systems local and global legal e.g., Data Protection Laws and best practice requirements.
• Assess the appropriateness of CWS Africa’s IT Enterprise Risk Management framework.
• Develops, reviews, approves and oversees effective disaster recovery policies and standards to align with enterprise business continuity management program goals.
• Coordinates the development of implementation plans and procedures to ensure that business-critical services are recovered in the event of a security event and provides direction, support, and in-house consulting in these areas.
• Works with the Information Security Team to develop, maintain and publish up-to-date information security policies, standards, and guidelines; oversee the approval, training, and dissemination of security policies and practices.
• Manages security incidents and events to protect corporate IT assets, including intellectual property, regulated data and the company's reputation. 

Technical Operations Oversight and Support (25%)

• Automation oversight and Software design support- Works with the Software Development team on continuous improvement of business processes through off the shelf (cloud or on premise) and internally developed (bespoke) software.
• Networks and Systems performance monitoring- Works with the relevant SMEs in these fields to ensure optimal systems performance and networks reliability, especially the Wide Area Network (WAN) setup across Africa to support office and field work in remote areas.
• Customer Service Management- Works with the IT Support Supervisor on customer service management to achieve high levels of IT service delivery, support and achieve high client satisfaction levels.
• Evaluates the operations of IT systems in Africa and provides recommendations, to ensure that the organization maintains a reliable, secure, scalable IT Systems/Infrastructure and keeps up-to date with technological changes.

• Consults with IT security staff to ensure that security is factored into the evaluation, selection, installation and configuration of hardware, applications, and software.
• Standardization and Configuration Management- reviews and approves all systems configuration changes, updates, and releases, this includes review and approve the implementation of new or updated hardware or software and analyse its impact on the existing environment.
• Oversees the IT operations to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of business systems and data.
• Project and Task Management – handles multiple project responsibilities simultaneously, prioritizes work and resolves escalated technical, operational or management requests and emergencies as they may occur and works with the IT Management team on critical IT projects management and provides reports to CWS Africa Senior Management.

Administration (10%)

• CWS Africa IT Budget control – prepares and manages the annual IT budget as per the Cooperative Agreement and approves all IT purchase requests.
• Works closely with the IT team to identify, recommend, develop, implement, and support cost-effective technology solutions for all aspects of the organization and make proposals for the CWS Africa senior management for approvals.
• Regional IT systems and operations monitoring.

Representation/Engagement (5%)

• Liaises with PRM/RPC and IT staff at the CWS headquarters (as necessary) on various IT matters, especially on ensuring compliance with the adopted frameworks as required and on cross-cutting projects management.
• Liaises with external agencies, such as regulatory authorities and other bodies as necessary, to ensure that the organization maintains a strong security posture.

Additional roles and responsibilities (5%)

• Performs any other duties that may be assigned for the benefit of the CWS Africa programs.

Experience:

• A minimum of ten (10) years’ professional paid work experience in Information Technology or related field.
• Proven experience in Information Systems management, Enterprise IT Risk management and dynamic IT workforce management particularly within the context of international NGOs or similar organizations.
• Knowledge and ability to manage enterprise networks, preferably windows-based networks preferred.
• Previous working experience with USG funded projects is an added advantage.
• A minimum of five (5) years of direct supervisory experience.

Skills:

• Strong organizational and management skills, with particular attention to detail.
• Computer literacy, with a strong emphasis on Microsoft Excel and Outlook.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and analytical skills.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to effectively liaise with diverse stakeholders and deliver training sessions.
• Strong analytical abilities and attention to detail, essential for conducting forensic audits and investigations.
• Proven experience in IT service management and highly skilled IT personnel leadership.
• Strong knowledge and working experience in Information Technology Governance and Management.
• Strong knowledge and working experience in Information Systems Security Framework and Enterprise IT Risk management.
• Strong knowledge in networking administration and security (LAN, WAN and VPN), especially with Cisco managed devices (firewalls, routers, and switches).
• Strong knowledge and experience in systems administration (Microsoft 365 administration, windows servers, etc.).
• Knowledge of software development languages and software design is a plus.

Education & Certifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in IT or Computer Science or related field is required
• Master’s degree in a relevant field is preferred
• Other advanced professional training in IT related field is required

Abilities:

• Work and make decisions independently and contribute to overall operations of CWS Africa.
• Exercise good judgement and seek guidance as appropriate when confronted with unanticipated problems. 
• Maintain a high-performance standard with attention to detail, completing tasks within set timeframes.
• Actively participate in the implementation of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) and other CWS Africa programs.
• Ability to work independently, prioritize tasks, and manage multiple projects concurrently and contribute to overall operations of CWS Africa.
• Analyze and solve complex problems and make sound decisions.
• Maintain a high-performance standard with attention to detail.
• Maintain the confidentiality and integrity of official records.
• Discuss technical information with users of diverse technical levels and discern their needs.
• Ability to create and communicate technical reports effectively at any level.
• Initiate, facilitate, oversee, and negotiate IT projects.
• Communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
• Deal effectively and courteously with many associates, outside agencies, applicants, and members of the public.
• Conduct oneself in a professional and courteous manner to represent the best interests of CWS Africa.
• Take initiative in the development and completion of projects.
• Lead others and address issues as they arise.
• Manage a large and diverse workload under pressure with competing priorities.
• Analyze and solve complex problems.
• Work well as a team in a multi-cultural environment while maintaining a high level of motivation;
• Effectively manage CWS Africa’s resources; be a good steward.

Important Requirements:

• Strong English communication skills, both written and oral.
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment required.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and willingness to support CWS’ Platform on Racial Justice as a CWS employee required.
• Remain alert and responsive to any child safeguarding and PSEAH (Prevention of Sexual,Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment) risks, acquire relevant knowledge and skills which will enable you to promote strong safeguarding PSEAH practices, understand the child safeguarding and PSEAH Policies and procedures, and conduct yourself in a manner consistent with the Child Safeguarding and PSEAH Policies.

• The candidate should be of good health, willing and able to travel extensively in often difficult conditions and have a high degree of flexibility. Must have proof of Yellow Fever vaccination before traveling for CWS Africa.
• This position always requires the use of a laptop, competence in Microsoft Office 365 packages is required.
• This position may require travel in sub-Saharan Africa on short notice and under sometimes difficult conditions to meet the demands of a dynamic operational program.
• Background check which includes references, and an educational and criminal check is required before the start of employment.
• A valid passport and the ability to maintain a valid passport throughout the entire appointment is required, which includes having enough passport pages for travel.
• Physical: This position requires bending, squatting, crawling, climbing, kneeling, sitting, standing, walking, pushing/pulling, handling objects (manual dexterity), reaching above shoulder level, using fine finger movements and lifting/carrying heavy loads.
• Environmental: Incumbents in this position will/may be exposed to excessive noise, marked changes in temperature and/or humidity, dust and infectious diseases, harsh weather climates, long work hours, bumpy roads, extended travel, excessive sun exposure, and non-ventilated spaces.
• This position is full Time position.
• All employees should be prepared to work from the CWS office within their location of hire. Remote work arrangements may vary depending on location and the governing regulations based on prevailing context.