IT Engineer – American India Foundation

Deadline for applications 28th November’ 2022

The American India Foundation is committed to improving the lives of India’s underprivileged, with a special focus on women, children, and youth. AIF does this through high impact interventions in education, health, and livelihoods, because poverty is multidimensional. AIF’s unique value proposition is its broad engagement between communities, civil society, and expertise, thereby building a lasting bridge between the United States and India. With offices in New York and California, twelve chapters across the U.S., and India operations headquartered in Delhi NCR, AIF has impacted 12.9 million lives across 35 states and Union Territories of India. Learn more at www.AIF.org.

Digital Equalizer is AIF’s flagship education program. Since its inception in 2004, the Program has empowered 5.4 million children with interactive STEM experiences, trained 182,025 teachers in STEM pedagogy, and transformed 24,471 schools across 35 states and union territories of the country. DE Program utilizes technology to bridge the educational and digital divide in India by transforming under-resourced government schools into dynamic places to teach and learn through collaborative, project-based learning and building 21st century skills amongst students, especially girls. Visit www.aif.org to learn more about AIF’s work.

Program: Digital Equalizer (DE)

Location: Amreli, Gujarat

Reporting Relationship: Project Manager

Nature of Employment: Consultancy

Number of Positions: One

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The AIF STEM-based Digital Equalizer program uses technology to bridge India’s digital divide and transform under-resourced schools into dynamic places to teach and learn through collaborative, project-based learning. The program works to impart teachers’ training and sensitize HMs to increase the student’s learning outcomes with a focus on STEM subjects.

The DEEP Shala project is designed to improve the learning and educational outcomes of underprivileged students of 80 Government schools across Amreli, Gujarat. It will cater to 2,400 students (per year) and 240 teachers, who will be given tablet devices with a small particular Wi-Fi server providing local connectivity. Individual activity logs about students’ use/access to the course material from the class/home will be recorded

The fulcrum of impact for the schooling ecosystem is enabling teachers to teach better through access to engaging teaching-learning materials (TLMs) and adequate knowledge to leverage techno[1]pedagogy and other creative teaching methods in the classroom to make the overall experience more exciting and engaging for the students. The teacher is the key to a transformative classroom experience for the child, and everything else, including impact, flows from that

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES The IT engineer will be responsible for providing technical support and maintenance/service of infrastructure at assigned locations across Gujarat. S/he will be deployed in the DE office, Amreli and will be responsible for overall IT management and meeting requirements at the office/school level.

The responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Manage server and network issues at the school/office level;
• Testing, configuring, and troubleshooting hardware, software, and networking systems to meet the needs at the school level;
• Adequate knowledge of Java/Asp.net and ability to work as a developer;
• Train staff and manage overall IT requirements of the program;
• Digital device/tablet and application management;
• Coordinating with the service provider and other digital resource providers;
• Installation and update of content on a time-to-time basis;
• Maintaining a record of digital devices, tracking their use, and making a report to update the line manager;
• Take required/suggested actions based on device usage tracking;
• Take appropriate steps to improve device usage; ➢ Regular visits to the school to ensure effective implementation of the technical devices, gauge challenges, and solve issues appropriately;
• S/He will be responsible for providing technical support for training on techno-pedagogy and STEM methodology to master trainers and pre-service/in-service teachers;
• S/he will be responsible for capacity-building initiatives for the team on IT;
• Identify and support in designing ICT-based educational interventions;
• Develop IT user manual/ material whenever required;
• Assisting Project lead in various operations and administration work, if needed; &
• Any other work as assigned by the Project lead/the regional manager.

Qualifications and Experience: BE/ B. Tech in computer or IT/MSc IT/MCA with one year of experience in the relevant sector (IT management).

Skills and Competencies:

• High-level problem-solving and logical thinking capabilities;
• High-level troubleshooting skills to solve hardware and networking-related issues;
• Good knowledge of various operating systems and program management;
• IT resource and information management skills;
• Good program knowledge and conversant with emerging technologies in the development sector;
• Skills in focusing on program quality and a positive approach to resolving challenges
•  Good data analysis skills with program planning and design, monitoring, and evaluation frameworks and techniques;
• Strong in people management with a practical performance management approach and commitment;
• High level of networking and representation skills;
• Good analytical and numeracy skills;
• Good interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal;
• Ability to be adaptable and flexible to change; &
• Ability to travel extensively.

Other: Salary shall be commensurate with experience. Initially, the contract shall be issued till 31st March 2023, renewable based on performance.

Position Availability: Immediately

Application Process: To apply for this position, send your CV and cover letter describing how you meet the specifications for this role and what you bring to it to degujarat.careers@aif.org with the subject line “IT Engineer” Amreli.

Deadline for applications 28th November’ 2022

Only applications of short-listed candidates will be acknowledged