IT Specialist

At Dakar Academy, qualified staff members invest their time and talents to meet the educational needs of families in West Africa. We are looking for an experienced IT Specialist to provide technology support and maintain a school computer system. Our ideal candidate will have a bachelor’s degree in computer science or management information systems, with a minimum of four years experience in system or network administration.

Established in 1961 as Dakar’s first international school and a Christian educational institution, Dakar Academy’s vision is to produce well-rounded students, prepared for higher-level studies, whose Christian worldview permeates all aspects of their lives. To that end, we strive to care for each child’s academic, emotional, physical, and spiritual needs.

Objectives of this Role

• Refresh and maintain the school’s technology plan

• Oversee the operation and maintenance of all school technology

• Develop annual and long-range technology budget

• Evaluate new hardware and software for purchasing

• Support educational technology in classrooms

• Train staff in the use of new software and equipment

• Serve as network administrator

Daily and Monthly Responsibilities

• Gauge whether the goals in the technology plan are being achieved and make necessary changes in operation to reach the goals.

• Seek input from teachers and administration regarding use of technology.

• Maintain school servers, hardware and software inventory (including preventative maintenance and repairs).

• Oversee support cue, verifying that support requests are handled in a timely and efficient manner. Establish priorities with technology team.

• Assist faculty and staff in dealing with minor technical issues.

• Follow DA’s budget and purchasing processes. Track expenses to ensure technology department is operating within its budget.

• Maintain an accurate inventory of all hardware that belongs to DA.

• Verify school is abiding by software license agreements.

• Oversee the cycling of hardware to ensure old hardware is replaced by new hardware based on the replacement cycle defined in the technology plan.

• Research available products that could be used at DA. Develop and follow procedures for evaluating and testing new products.

• Work with teachers to develop learning activities involving the use of technology to further attain educational goals.

Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in computer science or management information systems

• Four years of experience in system or network administration

• Cisco network certification (or equivalent)

• Linux/Unix system administration certification or experience

• Networking, internet and email concepts, including security

• Experience with the repair and maintenance of computers

• Manages time and tasks efficiently

• Communicates clearly

• Maintains high ethical standards and confidentiality

Requirements

Preferred qualifications:

• Knowledge of budgeting

• Awareness of current market trends for software applications

• Administrative experience