Recruitments at The Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation
What is the role of the Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation?
“We – the designers, scientists, artists, and civic leaders – are the problem-solvers who will transform Sierra Leone into a prosperous innovation nation.”
The vision of the Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) is — To use science, technology and innovation to support the Government of Sierra Leone to deliver on its national development plan effectively and efficiently; and to help transform Sierra Leone into an innovation and entrepreneurship hub.
DSTI facilitates and supports a vibrant national innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem for the public and private sectors of Sierra Leone through:
· active technical research and development activities with government and other partners
· development of innovative solutions that enhance government service delivery and citizen engagement
· policy innovation in support of the vision of government relating to science, technology and innovation
· building a pipeline of talented technologists and innovators.
DSTI sits in the Office of the President and executes its functions through the Office of the Chief Minister. The Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) serves as an Advisor to the Chief Minister and President of Sierra Leone.
We believe that Sierra Leone is best served by a diversity of different perspectives, so we eagerly welcome people of all regions, faiths, tribes, gender identities, ages, abilities, and skills to apply for open positions.
VACANCIES
1. JOB TITLE: PROJECT SUPPORT OFFICER
Job Type: Contract
Start Date: July 2021
Duty station: Freetown, Sierra Leone
Job Reference: DSTI-0080621
Closing Date: 23/06/2021
RESPONSIBILITIES
● Support Project Manager in the project planning process to deliver Project Designs and Work Plans of highest quality.
● Provide substantive inputs to assist the Project Manager in the preparation of project completion reports and ensure compliance with contractual obligations.
● Track expenditure and take relevant action when required to revise budgets (realignment and amendment).
● Managing information flows, change controls, risk registers and issue management; document and feedback lessons learned and best practices.
● Establish and monitor an internal control system for all administrative actions and maintain financial documents for audit and review processes.
● Supervise and review submissions for Contracts, Purchase orders, Waivers, and related documents prior to final approval.
● Alert the Project Manager of any financial shortfalls and over-expenditures.
● Assist the Project Manager in monitoring of the project quality indicators and undertaking monthly quality assurance tasks on behalf of the Project Manager.
● Assign activities to Project Assistants and supervise schedule management to ensure work efficiency and quality
● Organize all project and stakeholder meetings as and when necessary and maintain records of these meetings.
● Ensure conformity of project disbursement requests with procedures, work plans, and availability of resources for expenditure.
● Working with the communications team to develop content for projects adverts.
● Perform other duties as assigned by the Project Manager.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
● A Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field is desired.
● A Master’s degree will be an asset.
● Excellent computer skills, including experience with Microsoft Office Suite
● Effective interpersonal, management, and negotiation skills
● Experience preparing and interpreting flowcharts, schedules, and step-by-step action plans.
● Experience working in a project management environment, using a range of project management tools (e.g., Basecamp or Trello)
● High attention to detail
● Ability to analyze and present information
● Effective time-management and organizational skills.
Applications
To apply, please Email your Cover Letter and CV to recruitment@dsti.gov.sl
2. JOB TITLE: PROJECT ASSISTANT
Job Type: Contract
Start Date: July 2021
Duty station: Freetown, Sierra Leone
Job Reference: DSTI-0090621
Closing Date: 23/06/2021
Responsibilities
● Perform in an efficient and effective manner tasks assigned to them by the Project Support Officer
● Work collaboratively with the project support officer and team to maximize productivity.
● Collaborate with the whole project team, contributing to the entire project lifecycle.
● Organize and monitor schedules and see that deadlines are met;
● Coordinate efforts within the team and external stakeholders and partners
● Provide weekly update of assigned activities to the Project Support Officer
● Support the project Support Officer to discern resource requirements.
● Complete any necessary administrative tasks, such as research and email.
● Any other tasks assigned to them by Project Support Officer and/or Project Manager.
QUALIFICATION AND EXPERIENCE
● Associate or bachelor’s degree in a relevant field is an asset.
● Additional certifications that exemplify a desire for continued education preferred
● Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills
● Keen attention to detail and an aptitude for problem-solving
● Able to proactively address potential issues.
● Excellent computer skills, including experience with Microsoft Office Suite
● Collaborative working style and team-player attitude.
● Able to work independently with little supervision.
● Highly motivated with a strong work ethic
● Ability to prepare and interpret flowcharts, schedules, and step-by-step action plans.
● Experience with project management tools (e.g. Basecamp or Trello)
● Outstanding organizational skills and ability to prioritize tasks.
● Able to thrive in a high-volume, deadline-driven work environment.
Applications
To apply, please Email your Cover Letter and CV to recruitment@dsti.gov.sl
3. JOB TITLE: DIGITAL PUBLIC GOODS AND TECHNICAL SPECIALIST
Job Type: Contract
Start Date: July 2021
Duty station: Freetown, Sierra Leone
Job Reference: DSTI-00100621
Closing Date: 23/06/2021
RESPONSIBILITIES
• Provide product development/programming support to digital public goods such as, OpenG2P, GoSL USSD Services Platform, UTM, IGIS and other DPGs as the need arises
• Coordinate the engagement and technical cooperation with the UNICEF Office of Innovation.
• Ensure any solutions developed are prepared to meet the DPG Standard and are included in the DPG Registry.
• Provide technical assistance to each solution as outlined in the description of the assignment below.
• Provide open source community management support to digital public goods projects to strengthen local capacity & talent (40%)
• Identify key open-source community organizations, academia and/or private sector to be engaged in each of the projects
• Advocate for the adoption of open-source best practices in the development and maintenance of these projects’ software repositories
• Develop and deploy clear and structured documentation for all project repositories
• Develop, deploy and manage an issue and pull request templates for each of the projects and position these projects overall to welcome external contributions
• Regularly review and incorporate community contributions
• Support the development of Sierra Leone’s nascent tech ecosystem through training, hackathons and other activities in a bid to develop skilled technologists who could contribute to the open-source community and produce DPGs
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
• A bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering or equivalent.
• A minimum of 4 years of experience developing and managing open-source technology projects will be an asset.
• Solid experience in programming languages including JavaScript, Python, and GoLang.
• Previous experience developing projects in the open and the ability to demonstrate an active Github or Gitlab profile.
• Familiarity with different frameworks such as Node/Express & Python/ Django.
• Experience in system design and architecture.
• Selecting and deploying appropriate CI & CD tools
• Implementing various development, testing, automation tools and IT infrastructure
• Current understanding of security best practices
• Experience with incident management and root cause analysis
• Experience with distributed system
• Experience with orchestration and containerisation of services
ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE.
• Familiarity with Sierra Leone’s developer community organizations/landscape.
• Ability to work with a diverse team in a rapidly-changing work environment and adapt to unforeseen changes.
• Experience working in the social impact space.
Applications
To apply, please Email your Cover Letter, CV, and a sample of writing (preferably presentation deck) to recruitment@dsti.gov.sl
4. JOB TITLE: IT SUPPORT OFFICER
Job Type: Contract
Start Date: July 2021
Duty station: Freetown, Sierra Leone
Job Reference: DSTI-00110621
Closing Date: 23/06/2021
RESPONSIBILITIES
• Installing and configuring computer hardware, software, systems, networks, network
equipment, printers, servers and scanners
• Monitoring and maintaining computer systems and networks.
• Responding in a timely manner to service issues and requests
• Providing technical support across the company (this may be in person or remotely)
• Setting up accounts for new users
• Repairing and replacing equipment as necessary
• Testing new technology
• Possibly training junior staff
• Any other responsibility assigned by your supervisor.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
• Associate degree in Computer Science or Information Technology/Systems or Management Information Systems (MIS) or 1 -3 years equivalent in working experience.
• Experience working with Windows 10, ubiquiti networks, Cisco WebEx, Mac OS, Linux, Microsoft Office 365, Android and IOS.
• An excellent problem solver with strong analytical skills
• The candidate will be a highly motivated, self-starting.
• Experience working in a fast paced and rapidly changing environment.
• Ability to successfully work in a team environment.
• Willingness to learn new technologies.
• Perform tasks within predefined guidelines and procedures as assigned by manager or project team.
APPLICATIONS
To apply, please Email your Cover Letter and CV to recruitment@dsti.gov.sl
