Director of Information Technology - East Africa

Raising The Village is an international development organisation and a registered charity on a mission to end ultra-poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa. Raising The Village (RTV) is a fast-growing organisation on an accelerated growth path. Their team in East Africa and North America works together to lift communities out of ultra-poverty in last-mile villages. They operate at the intersection of direct implementation and advanced data analytics to inform progress, decision making, and impact.

To date, they have supported more than one million people through their innovative holistic approach. They have achieved this tremendous growth with the support of their incredible partners from all around the globe who believe in their model and impact.

Find out more about their programs and impact at https://raisingthevillage.org/

About the role

• Serve as the senior regional IT authority for East Africa with direct oversight of the Uganda based IT team.
• Balance strategic planning and governance with practical execution: oversee infrastructure, service delivery, enterprise systems, cybersecurity, and digital enablement to support programs and operations.
• Act as the bridge between field realities and global strategy through strong collaboration with the Canada Head Office.

This role represents a pivotal leadership opportunity at a critical growth stage for RTV. As the organisation scales across multiple East African markets, the Director of IT will have the mandate to elevate and professionalise the technology function, shifting from reactive operations to a forward-looking, scalable, and secure IT strategy.

Reporting directly to the CFO and working closely with executive leadership, the Director will serve as a trusted advisor on technology investment, risk management, and systems optimisation. The role offers meaningful executive exposure and the opportunity to shape a regional IT capability that underpins impact delivery for more than one million people across last-mile communities.

For an IT leader motivated by both technical excellence and mission-driven work, this position provides the rare opportunity to influence organisational direction, build regional capacity, and leave a lasting structural legacy within a fast-growing, performance-oriented organisation.

Key dimensions of the role

1) Strategy & Governance

• Develop a three-year regional IT roadmap aligned to organisational strategy, funding cycles, and program growth.
• Localise global IT policies (acceptable use, access control, data protection, backup) and monitor adherence.
• Maintain an IT risk register covering cybersecurity, data privacy, vendor risk, and business continuity; report quarterly to leadership.
• Define and track service-level objectives (SLOs) and key performance indicators (KPIs) for regional IT.

2) Service Delivery & Operations

• Own the IT service desk function and escalation paths; ensure timely resolution of incidents and service requests.
• Standardise endpoint builds and patching cadence across offices; maintain asset inventory and lifecycle.
• Optimise connectivity in low-bandwidth locations (link resilience, QoS, offline-first tools, caching).
• Implement backup and restore routines with periodic recovery tests for critical systems.

3) Infrastructure & Cloud

• Oversee networks, servers, and cloud tenants (e.g., Microsoft 365/ Azure or Google Workspace) per global architecture.
• Harden configurations (MFA, conditional access, device compliance) and maintain documented runbooks.
• Plan and execute upgrades, migrations, and office moves with minimal downtime.

4) Cybersecurity & Data Protection

• Implement layered security controls: endpoint protection, email security, identity and access management, encryption at rest/in transit.
• Run phishing simulations and security awareness training; track completion and risk reduction.
• Lead incident response across the region, including triage, containment, eradication, recovery, and after-action reviews.
• Ensure compliance with donor and legal requirements for data retention, privacy, and cross-border data transfers.

5) Enterprise Systems & Data

• Partner with Finance/HR to administer ERP, HRIS, payroll, and procurement systems; drive role-based access and audit trails.
• Support program and beneficiary information systems (e.g., M&E platforms, mobile data collection) with attention to consent and safeguarding.
• Ensure integrations (APIs/ETL) are reliable, documented, and secure; coordinate major changes with Canada Head Office.
• Promote data quality, metadata standards, and basic analytics for operational reporting.

6) Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery

• Maintain and test country-level and regional BCDR plans covering cyber, power, connectivity, and physical risks.
• Ensure critical systems meet recovery time objectives (RTO) and recovery point objectives (RPO).

7) People Leadership & Capacity Building (Uganda Team)

• Recruit, mentor, and performance-manage Uganda-based IT staff; build a customer-centric culture.
• Deliver training for staff on collaboration tools, security hygiene, and safe data practices.
• Develop succession plans and contractor/roster backstops for surge and leave coverage.

8) Vendor, Procurement & Asset Management

• Lead RFPs and vendor evaluations within procurement policy; negotiate SLAs and warranties.
• Track warranty/AMC renewals, license usage, and optimise costs; propose buy vs. lease decisions.
• Ensure disposals follow data sanitisation procedures and environmental standards.

9) Donor, Audit & Compliance

• Prepare IT documentation for internal/external audits; close findings within agreed timelines.
• Embed donor compliance (e.g., data protection, asset tagging, segregation of duties) into IT processes.
• Support proposal budgeting for technology components and write concise IT compliance narratives.

10) Stakeholder Engagement & Canada Head Office Coordination

• Serve as primary regional IT point of contact; provide monthly performance dashboards and risk updates.
• Align regional execution with global roadmaps and security baselines; escalate architecture exceptions with justification.
• Partner with Programs, Operations, HR, and Finance to translate requirements into pragmatic tech solutions.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Service: ≥ 98.5% office network uptime; ≥ 95% tickets resolved within SLA.
• Continuity: Successful restore tests each quarter.
• People: Training completion ≥ 95%; individual development plans in place for all IT staff.

Skills and experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field.
• 8–10+ years of progressive IT experience with combined strategic and hands-on responsibilities.
• Proven leadership of in-country teams as well as remote teams and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Technical depth across networks, identity, endpoint management, cybersecurity, and enterprise applications.
• Experience coordinating with an international head office across time zones.
• Excellent verbal and written communication in English.

Nice to have:

• Master’s degree or relevant certifications (ITIL, CISSP/CISM, PMP, cloud certifications).
• Experience with ERP/HRIS, M&E platforms, and mobile data collection tools.

Core Competencies & Behaviors

• Strategic planning with operational pragmatism
• Customer service orientation and stakeholder management
• Risk management and sound judgment under pressure
• Clear communication to technical and non-technical audiences
• Cross-cultural leadership and team development
• High ethical standards, safeguarding, and data stewardship

Don’t meet every single requirement? Research shows that individuals from underrepresented groups are less likely to apply for roles unless they meet every listed qualification. At Millar Cameron, we are committed to supporting our clients in building diverse and inclusive teams. If you’re enthusiastic about this role but don’t meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply - you could be exactly what our client is looking for, either for this position or another.

Please note that due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are only able to respond to candidates who are shortlisted for the next stage of the process. We sincerely appreciate your interest and the time taken to apply.

Since 2007 Millar Cameron has specialised in sourcing leadership and keyperson talent across a number of industries, including agribusiness, international development, industrial, consumer, financial and professional services, private equity, and technology, media and telecommunications. Our mission and purpose is to positively contribute to the development of Africa, and other emerging markets, through the provision of people.