Deputy Director of ICT and Innovation

Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) is the government parastatal whose responsibility is to assure the quality of agricultural inputs and produce to prevent adverse impact on the economy, the environment and human health. Vision: Healthy plants, safe trade and sustainable aggro-environment for a prosperous Kenya. Mission: To provide a science based regulatory service by assuring plant health, quality of agricultural inputs and produce for food security, globally competitive agriculture and sustainable development. Core values Customer focus Professionalism and Integrity Teamwork Results oriented Innovation and Creativity Corporate social sustainability Strategic Objectives To protect plants from pests, weeds and invasive species. To facilitate review and strengthening of the policy, legal and regulatory framework, so that it is in tandem with both local and international agricultural sector emerging issues. To contribute towards improved levels of agricultural productivity. To support compliance to market requirements. To build adequate technical and infrastructural capacity to facilitate efficient and effective delivery of the KEPHIS mandate. To mobilize adequate financial resources and ensure optimal allocation and utilization to enable full implementation of planned programmers and activities. To enhance synergies through information and resource sharing with stakeholders and partners. To enhance the visibility and corporate image of KEPHIS

KPH/DDICT&I/1/24

Job Specification

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide leadership in all aspects of ICT strategy, management and operations;
• Lead on the development and delivery of the Corporation’s ICT Function by ensuring continuous alignment of ICT with the Corporation’s and the Government of Kenya’s strategic initiatives;
• Provide leadership and advise the Management on ICT Developments and Policy Issues and their impact on the Service operations and strategy;
• The development and delivery of ICT strategies and policy arrangements to ensure resources invested in ICT provide improvements to services and value for money;
• Accountable for the delivery, continuity, information security, risk management and effective support of Service Offices ICT infrastructure and systems;
• Project Management of all significant/major ICT projects;
• Provide team leadership by managing staff of direct reports in functional areas such as Systems Development and Operations; Infrastructure development and support; Systems Security; and ICT Business Operations Support;
• Manage relationships with Role Players and Stakeholders in the ICT industry both internal and external to the Service, including ICT vendors and service providers; other government agencies; and ICT Support donors;
• Manage the introduction, implementation and support of appropriate ICT initiatives in line with the Corporation’s ICT strategy;
• Oversee the development, deployment and maintenance of the appropriate ICT Infrastructure and Connectivity solutions for Service offices;
• Coordinate the deployment and maintenance of Personal Productivity Tools such as desktop computers, laptops, mobile devices and software based productivity tools such as email, and Office Applications (Word, Excel, and Power Point), among others;
• Oversee the development, deployment and maintenance of appropriate Business Applications that support Service’s business processes i.e. Export Certification, Import Regulation, Finance, Laboratory, Seed Certification, Quality Management, among others;
• Ensure that appropriate security systems are in place to secure the Service Network, Systems and Data from internal and external security threats;
• Coordinate development and implementation of Systems Disaster Recovery Plans for ensuring high systems availability and business continuity;
• Establish appropriate operational procedures, tools and resources for effective and timely delivery of technical support to Service users;
• Coordinate documentation and Implementation of ISMS in the service and ensure implementation of QMS in the department;
• Approve ICT department work plans and budgets;
• Oversee performance of staff in the department;
• Mentoring and coaching of ICT departmental staff.

Person Specification

For appointment to this grade a candidate must have:

• At least ten (10) years’ experience in ICT in the public or private sector, five (5) of which must be in a management position;
• Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university in Computer Science, Information Science, Information Communication Technology or any other relevant, related and equivalent qualifications;
• Master’s degree from a recognized university in Computer Science, Information Technology, Information Communication Technology or any other relevant, related and equivalent qualifications;
• Management course lasting not less than four (4) weeks;
• Professional qualification and membership in a professional body in good standing where applicable;
• Certificate in computer applications from a recognized institution; and
• Meet the provision of Chapter Six of the Constitution of Kenya.

Skills

• Proficiency in computer applications;
• Communication skills;
• Interpersonal skills;
• Report writing skills;
• Negotiation skills;
• Problem solving skills.

Competencies

• Ability to work under pressure;
• Ability to work independently and in a team;
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize work;
• Demonstrated ability to implement Quality Management Systems.

Method of Application