Afghanistan: Network Engineer
Country: Afghanistan
Closing date: 16 Sep 2013
Average salary up to US$120,000.00/annum plus allowances based on relevant qualifications and work experiences1. Organizational ContextMinistry of Foreign Affairs is the key ministry and a significant player in the sector of foreign policy and international relations. The ministry was first conceptualized some 86 years back during the Amani Era. The mandate of MOFA is to establish and maintain effective foreign relations with all countries of the world; and to advance the national interests of Afghanistan through the development and implementation of comprehensive foreign affairs policies. The Civilian Technical Assistance Program (CTAP) is an Afghan government program that aims to create stronger government institutions with more effective structures, efficient processes and skilled personnel. It assists Afghan government organizations to implement capacity development and performance improvement programs by providing them with skilled international technical experts and capacity development advisors. On behalf of The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, CTAP is now seeking to fill the position of Network Engineer to work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ ICT Directorate. This position is open to international passport holders only: Afghan expatriates and nationals of regional countries are especially encouraged to apply.
- Position2.1 Nature and Scope of AssignmentThis assignment involves supporting a government-led planning and delivery institutional development program within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Under the supervision of ICT Director the successful candidate will assist with administrating, analyzing, designing, installing, configuring, maintaining, upgrading and repairing of network infrastructure and application components. Provide direction, information, and recommendations regarding network configurations and installations. The successful candidate will be expected to work through and with his/her Afghan national counterparts, and to progressively transfer knowledge, expertise and skills to them. This position does not involve any type of management or line responsibilities under any circumstance.
2.2 Duties and Responsibilities:
Working with the Director of ICT and the team of the ICT Directorate as counterparts, with assistance from the CTAP Capacity Development team and other relevant staff and advisors, the Network Engineer will:
Assist and train relevant national counterparts in analyzing the existing IT infrastructure and the services the ICT Directorate provide to the ministry.Assist and train ICT Directorate staff in identifying the functional gaps and formulating plans to improve the function of the directorate or department.Mentor and train ICT national team in formulating ICT policies, procedures and how to research and decide on the best approaches of a flexible and future-proofing network design and solutions to meet the present and future needs of MoFA.
Key duties of the System Analyst include but are not limited to the following:
• Train and assist ICT team to achieve thorough understanding of internet technologies, protocols, and configurations (DNS, Security, IP Routing, HTTP, VPN, Email Routing, SPAM, etc.);• Assist and train ICT Network team in configuring and setup of Cisco Firewalls, VPN Concentrators and Security appliances for access to vital business applications;• Assist and train ICT Network Team in the design, setup and configuration of complex switching environments;• Assist and train ICT Network Team in the design, setup and configure complex wireless networking that supports open or secured access and the ability to support voice and video applications;• Coach the ICT Team to establish a knowledge base that serves as technical resource for the deployment and support of Network Operating Systems and applications (i.e., Windows 2000/2003/2008, 2012, Linux/Unix, VMware/Virtualization Technologies/Microsoft Hyper-V, MS Exchange, Active Directory, etc.), as well as insure proper maintenance of management tools, server documentation, and disaster recovery procedures. • Assist in the design of multi-server environments including IP address schemes, DNS, WINS, Ether-Channel (Bonding), etc.;• Assist and train ICT Team in configuring and installing client and server network software for upgrading and maintaining network and telecommunication systems;• Train the ICT Team on the best approaches to maintaining multi-site network operations and software applications, operating systems and regular maintenance with both private and public facilities;• Assist and train relevant national counterparts in managing assigned projects and program components to deliver services in accordance with established objectives;• Assist ICT directorate in responding to inquiries from staff, administrators, service providers, site personnel and outside vendors and etc. to provide technical assistance and support;• Assist and train ICT related staff in supervising the administration of systems and servers related network to ensure availability of services to authorized users;• Assist relevant counterparts in troubleshooting malfunctions of network hardware and software applications, telephones and security systems to resolve operational issues and restore services;• Assist ICT directorate in identifying options for potential solutions and assessing them for both technical and business suitability;• Assist the ICT directorate to identify organizational structure gaps;• Assess the business process design within the ICT directorate;• Carry out feasibility studies of solutions and make recommendations;• Examine current IT infrastructure and identify gaps;• Assist the staff to Keep up to date with technical and industry developments;
2.3 Deliverables:The deliverables of the System Analyst are:
• ICT Policies developed;• Components of the network configured;• Training program for Networking staff conducted;• Current ICT infrastructure analyzed and comprehensive suggestions recommended;• ICT solution analyzed ;• Functional analysis for further development of ICT Directorate formatted;• ICT directorate staff fully trained on aforementioned areas;
2.4 Skills, Experience and Qualifications:
The successful candidate should have the following skills, experience and qualifications:• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Telecommunications, or any closely related field; PhD is preferred • Industrial Certifications related to ICT domain are a strong plus (ITIL, PMP, MCTS, MCSE, CCNA…).Fundamental aptitude of network Switching & Routing technologies;• Background in Network Security preferred;• Understanding of the network interactions between routers, switches, firewalls, load-balancers and the virtualization of servers;• Experience in deployment and support of Network Operating Systems and applications (i.e., Windows 2000/2003/2008 Linux/Unix, VMware/Virtualization Technologies, SAN Technologies, MS Exchange, Active Directory, etc.);• Minimum of 5 years experience in a related position and other analytical positions; • Able to produce reports and other standards documents, in English, up to a professional standard• Previous experience in under-developed, insecure or post-conflict environments a plus• Fluency in Dari and/or Pashto is a strong plus
Afghan expatriates and nationals of countries in Afghanistan’s region are preferred for this position. Women are especially encouraged to apply.
How to apply:
Application should be completed online via www.ctapafghanistan.orgOnly short listed candidates whose background and experiences corresponds to the above criteria will be contacted for further consideration. CTAP is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Females are highly encouraged to apply for CTAP’s positions.
