IT Specialist

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Description

Description: The Simba Group, a partner of VAS Global Services, is seeking an IT Specialist to support Visa Application Centre operations in Kenya. The IT Specialist provides on-site IT support at the visa application centre, ensuring smooth day-to-day operation of end-user systems, peripherals, and centre-facing equipment. Working under the direction of the central IT team at VAS Headquarters, the role acts as the local on-ground resource for the centrally managed infrastructure - FortiGate networking with SD-WAN, biometric devices, access-control systems, and CCTV - and ensures incidents are diagnosed, escalated, and resolved within defined SLAs while maintaining compliance with VAS security and data-protection standards.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

1. Provide Level-1 on-site IT support to visa centre staff under direction of the central IT team at VAS Headquarters, covering end-user hardware, software, peripherals, and basic network connectivity issues.
2. Act as on-site remote-hands for the central IT team to power-cycle, re-cable, swap, relocate, and label FortiGate firewalls, SD-WAN edge devices, switches, biometric capture units, passport scanners, access-control panels, CCTV cameras, and NVRs as instructed.
3. Execute scripted or runbook-based local tasks (cabling checks, link tests, status-LED reporting, equipment photographs, physical inspections) to support central troubleshooting; make no independent changes to firewall, SD-WAN, or network configuration.
4. Monitor the visa-processing systems, appointment portal, biometric workflow, internet and SD-WAN links at the centre, and report performance or outage issues to the central IT team through the approved ticketing channel within defined SLAs.
5. Maintain the local IT asset inventory at the centre (tagging, location, serial numbers, condition, movement) and synchronise updates to the central asset register on the agreed cadence.
6. Apply approved end-user device patches, antivirus checks, and Windows/Office updates pushed by the central team, and confirm completion through the agreed reporting mechanism.
7. Support new-joiner onboarding at the centre - handover of pre-configured devices and peripherals, induction on IT acceptable-use, and basic user orientation - once accounts and devices are provisioned centrally.
8. Provide first-line assistance for end-user issues with VPN, email, Microsoft 365, biometric capture, and visa-processing applications, and escalate unresolved incidents to the central IT team with complete diagnostic information.
9. Coordinate with the central IT team for any change, upgrade, or third-party visit at the centre, and act as the on-site point of contact for ISP technicians, spare-parts couriers, and authorised vendor engineers.
10. Comply with VAS information-security, data-protection, and acceptable-use policies, and immediately report any incident, suspected breach, unauthorised access, or tampering with biometric, CCTV, or access-control equipment to the central IT team.
11. Maintain accurate local records - ticket logs, change diaries, equipment movement, visitor IT-access logs, and configuration photographs - and submit them to the central IT team on the agreed cadence.
12. Provide on-the-ground support during mission, government, regulator, and internal audits, hardware refreshes, and new technology rollouts driven by the central IT team.

Requirements

Education:

1. Minimum: Bachelor's degree in IT, Computer Science, or related field

Experience:

1. 2 to 4 years of experience in on-site IT support, helpdesk, or desktop engineering, preferably in a multi-site, branch-office, or public-facing service-centre environment
2. Hands-on familiarity with Windows 10/11, Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Teams, OneDrive), and common end-user business applications
3. Working knowledge of LAN/WLAN cabling, switches, Wi-Fi access points, basic network troubleshooting, and end-user VPN clients; exposure to FortiGate firewalls and SD-WAN concepts is preferred
4. Practical experience with peripheral and field equipment - printers, scanners, biometric capture devices (fingerprint, iris, facial), passport readers, CCTV/NVR systems, and access-control readers - at the support, swap, and replacement level
5. Ability to follow written instructions, runbooks, and remote guidance from a central IT team accurately, and to document work, observations, and outcomes clearly
6. Strong communication and customer-service skills, with the ability to handle non-technical end users and external visitors in a high-traffic, public-facing centre
7. Ability to work under pressure during peak appointment hours and during audit, inspection, or system-rollout windows
8. Willingness to work shifts, weekends, and extended hours per centre operating schedule, and to remain reachable on call for centre-impacting incidents

Behavioural Competencies:

1. Entrepreneurship
2. Quality & Service Orientation
3. Teamwork & Collaboration
4. Diversity Sensitivity
5. Personal and Professional Development
6. Delivering Results
7. Communication

Functional Competencies:

1. End-User Support & Helpdesk Operations
2. Site Infrastructure Awareness (FortiGate / SD-WAN / Biometric / CCTV / Access Control)
3. IT Asset & Inventory Management
4. SOP Adherence & Operational Discipline

Others/Extra Details

Additional Requirements:

1. Hands-on exposure to biometric equipment (fingerprint, iris, facial), passport readers, CCTV/NVR systems, access-control readers, and visa-processing applications
2. Awareness of ITIL service-management practices (incident, request, change) and ability to follow them under central direction
3. Familiarity with enterprise ticketing tools (Jira, Freshdesk, ServiceNow, or similar), including detailed ticket logging and SLA-driven follow-through

KPIs:

1. Call-handling time and response time
2. Customer Satisfaction / feedback scores
3. Turnaround time (TAT)
4. Adherence to SOPs and SLAs
5. Number of escalations / resolution rate