Job Title: Information
Systems Officer / Programmer
Location: Kisumu
Reporting To: Information Systems Manager
Start Date: Immediately
About Dispensers for Safe Water
Each year,
over 1.8 million children under the age of five die from diarrhea, a leading
cause of which is unsafe drinking water.
Dispensers
for Safe Water (DSW) is an entrepreneurial team tasked with scaling the
Chlorine Dispenser System (CDS) – a proven innovation that dramatically expands
access to water treatment at an extremely low cost. DSW currently serves more
than 640,000 people in Kenya and 100,000 people in Uganda, and plans to reach 5
million people in the next 3 years.
About the Position
The
Information Systems Officer /Programmer will be responsible for developing and
maintaining key applications and information systems which drive DSW operations
and expansion.
IS Officer
Position requires the strong web and mobile programming experience and database
admin.
The IS
Officer will be based in Kisumu, the DSW Headquarters in Kenya, and reports to
the Information Systems Manager.
About Innovations for Poverty Action
The DSW
initiative began and was incubated within IPA - a rapidly growing, global
organization with operations in over 40 countries.
IPA designs
innovative, cutting-edge approaches to solving development problems, rigorously
evaluates these programs, and works to scale up programs with proven
impact.
As the
program grows, DSW is establishing a new organization, which will provide a
platform for the long-term scale and sustainability of CDS operations.
Goals and Responsibilities
Programming
- The IS Officer will develop, update and maintain several web and mobile applications which will allow DSW to effectively serve millions of people – for example:
- Web applications (PHP) e.g. Issue Tracker, Chlorine Delivery Manager, Inventory Manager used by our Operations team in six field offices in Kenya and Uganda
- Custom Android application for use by almost 100 field staff in remote areas.
- Mobile/electronic surveying systems (Open Data Kit)
- Real-time online dashboards, reports and program scorecards
- Mapping and spatial data management tools
This area of
responsibility includes:
- Gather user requirements and translate into technical specifications for new projects
- Develop web and mobile systems using PHP, HTML/CSS and Android/Java
- Analyze existing systems to address issues of scalability, data storage, bandwidth etc
- Carry out extensive testing, piloting, training and iterative development
Support Data
Collection and Reporting
- The IS Officer will support data management activities (surveys, cleaning, analytics, reporting) from 5 regional offices in Kenya and other DSW country programs. This area of responsibility includes:
- Maintain the data server and ensure implementation of new surveys as they are created
- Carry out data cleaning and implement data management protocols with regional office coordinators
- Participate in field staff training and respond to support issues on the ground
Identify New
Opportunities and Advise Management
- Work with program and country management teams to identify opportunities for creating or improving information systems
- Research and apply emerging tech solutions and best-practices to DSW operations
- Create plans for information system development in collaboration with managers and other key staff members
Qualifications, Experience and
Skills
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology/Systems or related field
- A minimum of 3 years work experience in software development and/or programming
- Excellent web development skills (PHP and HTML/CSS) with portfolio of past projects.
- Mobile development experience (Android) or excellent knowledge of Java programming language
- Database development/administration experience in any major RDMBS (PostgreSQL preferred)
- Familiar with design patterns, object oriented concepts, and software development methodologies.
- Proven leadership capacity with strong interpersonal skills to work effectively with a team that is geographically dispersed
- Self-starter, capable of working remotely and independently
- Strong critical thinking and communication skills a must
Note: Please specifically illustrate the
above desired qualifications in your cover letter by giving examples from your
experience.
In addition, this
position requires a candidate to:
- Be inspired by DSW’s mission of bringing safe water to millions of people
- Have a strong commitment to evidence-based practice and policy in the development field
- Be enthusiastic to develop personally and professionally as part of a growing global team
- Have an entrepreneurial spirit – DSW is a dynamic program, with many opportunities for growth and leadership
To Apply
Please
follow the application instructions below.
Any applications or CVs submitted outside this process will not be
considered. Note, only short-listed
candidates will be contacted for an interview.
Applicants
will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Send a CV
and a cover letter and a description/portfolio of past work projects (including
links and samples where relevant) to jmarindi@poverty-action.org
In the subject line: Copy exactly the following position
line: DSW Information Systems
Officer/Programmer
In the
email body: Put your full name, first (given) name followed by last (family)
name
Attachments: Please attach your CV, cover
letter, and portfolio
Please do
not include any text besides the position line(s) in the body of the e-mail.
Adding
extra text will interfere with the processing of your application.
Only
short-listed candidates will be contacted by email for an interview.
Applicants
are encouraged to apply early, as applications will be reviewed on a rolling
basis and a decision may be made before the deadline.