Director of ICT

About Imagine Worldwide
All children have immense potential, but hundreds of millions don't have access to the learning they need. Imagine Worldwide's mission is to empower millions of children across Sub-Saharan Africa with the literacy and numeracy skills they need to reach their full potential. We provide an innovative education technology solution and implementation model to the global literacy/numeracy learning crisis using the onebillion application and various toolkits and systems to support implementation . Nine Randomized Control Trials (RCTs) across multiple countries and settings have shown dramatic learning gains, increased school attendance, and gender parity, all for less than $7 per child per year.

Imagine Worldwide partners with governments, organizations, and communities to provide child-directed, tablet-based learning that is accessible, effective, and affordable. We are a California-based (United States) nonprofit organization operating across seven Sub-Saharan African countries. Learn more on our website.

About The Role
The Director of ICT Services will play an instrumental role in carrying out Imagine's mission to design, test and scale tablet-based learning solutions that enable children to become literate and numerate. The Director of ICT Services will join a highly committed and collaborative team that is working together to empower every child, everywhere to achieve their full potential. They will report to the Head of Technology and work directly with local Directors of Technical Services to train, advise, support, and implement the ICT infrastructure and related operational processes in our operating countries.

This role serves as the bridge between hardware vendors, country implementation teams, and Imagine's global tech team, ensuring smooth hardware and system operations and proactively resolving issues across all countries of operation. The Director will play a critical role in troubleshooting and facilitating upgrades to classroom infrastructure such as routers, tablets, and accessories.

Over the next six years, Imagine's goal is to serve more than 10 million children in at least four countries, ultimately achieving three times the typical level of literacy and numeracy outcomes of national education systems in Africa (60% fluency by the age of 10, as opposed to 20%). This all while delivering the program at $3 per child per year. Being an efficient organization enabled by technology is key to achieving this goal. The position offers an international, flexible, learning environment to enhance individual career development and growth.

Key Responsibilities

The Director of ICT Services will be responsible for the strategic leadership and end-to-end management of our ICT operations globally. This role requires a strong blend of technical expertise and leadership skills to define, deploy, and manage our network and telecommunications infrastructure and IT services, and serve as the critical link between regional ICT teams and our central operations. The Director of ICT Services is required to deliver on our vision of: connectivity for more schools - even in remote areas; reliable data collection and transmission for visibility, monitoring and program improvements; adoption of industry standards for system administration and software updates, data privacy and cybersecurity; implementation of ICT SOPs and policies; and lastly training and coaching digital-literacy skills amongst all team members for maximum agility and productivity. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

Network Infrastructure Procurement and Management:

• Own and drive our strategic plan for regional network infrastructure, ensuring secure, scalable, and cost-efficient connectivity for thousands of schools across our scale countries, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Tanzania;
• Own and maintain key relationships with Mobile Network Operations and related IT service suppliers, as required, including budgets, cost analysis and vendor negotiation;
• Establish and manage enterprise-grade private APNs to manage network traffic to reliable services, limit traffic to designated services, maintain tight controls for reverse billing to contain data costs, and perform audits and cost reconciliations with operator bills;

Identify and pursue opportunities for subsidized data costs to support our programs.
Cross-Region IT Services Management:

• Develop, maintain, and enforce best practices and tech Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) across global and country teams to support program deployment and ongoing operations;
• Provide strategic oversight and hands-on support to country IT teams, ensuring that local initiatives and practices are in line with organisational standards;
• Provide oversight, support, and maintenance guidance for all 'tech in the classroom' in collaboration with country teams and Supply Chain teams, to maximize the smooth running of tablet learning sessions;
• Implement and manage a robust helpdesk ticketing system to track issues in the field that affect any of the 'tech in the classroom', for easy monitoring, escalation, and rapid resolution;
• Engage with country teams and field staff to articulate, document, and resolve support issues as they arise, and escalate to technology and supply chain teams as required;
• Serve as the primary technical liaison with hardware suppliers (e.g., GL.iNet, Juma) to address ongoing issues with routers, tablets, headphones, and related classroom devices;
• Work closely with country teams to diagnose root causes of hardware failures and implement consistent device standards (e.g., tablet serial number protocols, RFID tagging).
• Oversee firmware and software updates on router management platforms (e.g., GoodCloud), escalating issues where required.
• Develop and conduct training programmes aimed at building the capacity and advanced technical skills of local teams;
• Coordinate and communicate across functional teams to manage system upgrades, technology integrations, and new service deployments.

Risk, Data, and Security Management:

• Devise and implement cybersecurity strategies and disaster recovery plans to mitigate risks and safeguard assets;
• Maintain and administer robust data governance policies and procedures crucial for ensuring data quality, privacy, security, and compliance;
• Regularly review and update IT policies to remain compliant with industry standards and legal regulations;
• Act as the Data Protection or Data Compliance Officer for the organisation, as required by any regulations;
• Manage the sharing of program data with 3rd parties, upholding terms
• Manage data breaches in collaboration with the Head of Technology, including reporting and communications.

Internal IT Support:

• Manage the IT support and infrastructure for the geographically distributed team using cloud services only (~60 pers), both the global team as well as country teams in Malawi, Tanzania, Sierra Leone (max of 15 people each);
• Ensure seamless operation of internal communication and collaboration systems (e.g. Google Suite, Asana, Slack), setting up and managing integrations and automations to maximize efficiencies;
• Onboard, train and coach all Imagine team members on the utilization of digital tools for work, enabling optimal productivity and agility across the organisation;
• Coordinate access management, request fulfilment, and problem resolution, ensuring minimal disruption to business operations.

Requirements
Minimum Qualifications

A Bachelor's degree or higher in Information Technology, Networking, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field is preferred.

A minimum of 8–10 years of progressive experience in IT management or technical leadership roles, with a proven track record in managing global IT operations and infrastructure. Preferred candidates will have experience in IoT-based environments, telecommunications, or EdTech organizations managing physical device deployments at scale in low-connectivity settings. Background in network administration, hardware systems integration, or technical vendor management is a strong plus.

Ideal Candidate Profile

Technical Skills:

• Extensive experience in designing and managing large-scale IT infrastructure, including network systems, and cloud-based platforms.
• Proficiency in IT governance frameworks, cybersecurity best practices, and disaster recovery practices.

Operational & Strategic Management:

• Proven experience in establishing and implementing IT policies, processes, and standards that support organisational scalability and operational excellence.
• Ability to translate complex technical knowledge into actionable strategies and operational plans, tailored for diverse audiences.

Leadership & Communication:

• Demonstrated ability to lead geographically dispersed IT teams and manage complex projects across multiple countries.
• Strong interpersonal skills to effectively liaise with executive leadership, regional IT teams, and external technology partners.

Qualities

• Passion for Imagine's mission and vision
• Demonstrated commitment to equity in educational access and outcomes
• Passion for project management
• Demonstrated ability to think independently and solve problems
• Collaborative team player; clear and proactive communicator
• Flexible, adaptable, and able to work in a fast-paced, changing environment

Compensation & Benefits
Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience.

Location

The role is fully remote. The Director of ICT Services must be based on the African continent with a preference for the countries that Imagine is already operating in. Frequent travel to implementation sites is expected to ensure direct engagement with classroom environments and field technical teams.

* * *

Imagine Worldwide is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.