Consultant for Safe and Secure School Connectivity Project

INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION

ITU is the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technologies, with the mission to connect the world. To achieve this, ITU manages the radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits at the international level, works to improve communication infrastructure in the developing world, and establishes global standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communication systems.

Consultant for Safe and Secure School Connectivity Project

Vacancy notice no: 1652
Sector: BDT
Department: DDR
Country of contract: Remote
Duty station: Home Based

Position number: [[positionNumber]]
Grade: [[PositionGrade]]
Type of contract: Consultant
Duration of contract: 35 days (from 1 August 2024 to 30 September 2024)
Recruitment open to: External
Application deadline (Midnight Geneva Time): 18 June 2024

ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT

The Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) is responsible for the organization and coordination of the work of the Telecommunication Development Sector of the Union. BDT deals mainly with development policies, strategies, programming, projects, as well as technical cooperation activities to enable and foster universal access to affordable, high-quality and secure telecommunications/ICTs and Foster equitable and inclusive use of telecommunications/ICTs to empower people and societies for sustainable development. To effectively and efficiently serve the needs of Member States, BDT is organized into four functional areas:

• Operations Coordination Department (Office of the Deputy to the Director)
• Projects, Partnerships & Digital Skills Department (PPS)
• Digital Networks & Environment Department (DNE)
• Digital Knowledge Society Department (DKS)

The Office of the Deputy to the Director and Operations Coordination Department are responsible for ensuring operation readiness and providing support for the functioning of the regional offices and headquarters in Geneva, especially the implementation of projects and programmes. Functional areas, such as meetings, fellowship and IT support reports to this Department. The unit for special attention in all aspects related to LDCs, LLDCs and SIDs is the responsibility of this Department. The Deputy to the Director is responsible for assisting and advising the Director in the direction and management of the Bureau including on all questions related to personnel, financial and operational planning process. The Department is responsible for leading the operational planning and implementation support, within the framework of the Action Plan. The Department is also responsible for coordinating conferences and events, editorial works and documentation control, monitoring the implementation of decisions emanating from ITU and BDT governing bodies, including TDAG, Council, Conferences and Assemblies of the other Sectors on matters of relevance to BDT. The Department is responsible for coordination of the Bureaus cooperation with other Sectors and General Secretariat.

The purpose of the consultancy is to conduct fieldwork and needs assessment for safe and secure school connectivity in the State of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh in India. The Consultant will be responsible for the project design and implementation based on the initial needs assessment. The project is supported by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), India and the State Government of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
The International Telecommunication Union’s Area Office and Innovation Centre for South Asia have been working on a project “Safe and Secure School Connectivity.” This project aims to expand school connectivity and access to Internet in a safe and secure manner among the selected developing countries in Asia and the Pacific.
Project Goals:

• Connect schools to Internet, particularly those in the remote and hard to reach areas, including increasing access to affordable devices.
• Raise awareness and enhance cybersecurity posture and readiness of education sector stakeholders at both government and school levels.
• Enhance capacity of relevant government officials in the ICT and education sectors on developing e-learning environment, digital skills development, Child Online Protection and cybersecurity.

Under the guidance of the Project Manager and Project Coordinator. The consultant will:

• Conduct fieldwork to study and gather information about Internet connectivity provided by Telecom Service Providers in the proposed villages in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
• Study and analyze the status of Local Area Network (LAN) and provide recommendations on setting up of LAN in schools in the identified villages.
• Conduct research and provide recommendations on the requirement of Internet connectivity in schools in the proposed villages.

• Fieldwork and research with relevant stakeholders in Gujarat and summary write-up of recommendations.
• Fieldwork and research with relevant stakeholders in Madhya Pradesh and summary write-up of recommendations.
• Two final reports including the needs assessment and recommendations for improving school connectivity and security in the proposed villages.

• Knowledge of telecom sector and/or IT Systems.
• Excellent editing skills and ability to produce high quality reports and documentation in English.

Education: Advanced university degree in international development, social sciences, evaluation, public policy, engineering, information technology, information systems, economics, or a related field OR education from a reputed college of advanced education, with a diploma of equivalent standard to that of an advanced university degree in one of the fields above.

Experience: At least five (5) years of progressive experience in telecom sector and/or IT Systems.
Experience in conducting fieldwork and research in India is desirable.
Experience in coordinating and liaising with government agencies (especially in India) is desirable.
Related work experience in the State of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh would be an advantage.

Languages: Knowledge of English and Hindi at advanced level.

USD 230 per working day.

INFORMATION ON RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information. To apply, please visit the ITU Careers website. The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice, and may include tests and/or assessments, as well as a competency-based interview. ITU uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates. Please note that only selected candidates will be further contacted and candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided. Messages originating from a non ITU e-mail account - @itu.int - should be disregarded. ITU does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.

ITU applies a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of harassment. ITU is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. Achieving gender balance is a high priority for ITU.