IT Specialist

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Description

The Simba Group, a partner of VAS Global Services, is seeking an IT Specialist to support Visa Application Centre operations in Uganda. 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

Key Interactions:

External: 1. Vendor 2. Missions 3. Tourism Department

Internal: 1. VAC Operations Manager 2. Departments within VAS Services

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