IT Officer

• Location: Athens. Only candidates who are eligible to work in Greece will be considered.
• Status: Full time/ Part time position, evening shifts, or a shift-schedule may be required. The key functions and responsibilities of the vacancy are negotiable and may result in the creation of two separate roles.
• Starting Date:  Immediately.
• Duration: 3-month probationary period with 6-month extension(s).

About Better Days 
Better Days was founded in January 2016 in response to the influx of refugees in Lesvos, Greece. Our first project was the Olive Grove, an unofficial camp adjacent to Moria camp that supported the needs of thousands of people passing through Lesvos. During its first six months of operation, Better Days and its partners provided aid (medical, food, shelter, and non-food items) to approximately 70,000 people. Since the Olive Grove, Better Days has implemented more than ten projects providing legal aid, recreational activities, non-formal education, counselling support, and other essential services to people on the move.

Today we focus on providing an integrated approach to education through educational and counselling services for displaced young people to enhance their opportunities for personal development, academic growth, and independence. Our educational flagship, Gekko, was selected by the 2021 5th Global Entreps Awards Committee from among 5000 candidates in 126 territories as one of the 100 Best Practices in the world for the implementation of the UN Sustainability Goals. Global jurors highlighted Gekko’s mission to improve conditions for displaced and disadvantaged children and asylum seeking people in Lesvos, combined with quality education, as unique in the world. Our new Gekko educational centre in the heart of Athens offers displaced young adults (15-24 years old) access to quality personalised education and counselling in a safe, trauma-informed, and dignified learning space.

Chronology of projects: 

• The Olive Grove, 2015-2016: Moria Camp emergency response, sheltering, food & NFI distribution, medical aid.
• Community Support Program, 2015-Ongoing: Financial support for students.
• Elpida Home, 2016-2017: Recreational programming for adults and minors, info point, food and NFI distribution.
• Medical & Legal Intervention Project, Moria Camp, Lesvos, 2016-2017: Medical aid and legal info for vulnerable asylum-seeking adults.
• Gekko Kids, Lesvos 2017-2022: Non-formal educational programs.
• EcoHub, Lesvos, 2017-2020: Sustainable ecological garden with vocational training and ecological literacy for children and adults.
• TAPUAT, Lesvos 2017-2019: Non-formal educational programming, activities for minors, child protection, trauma support.
• Gekko X, Lesvos 2019-2020: STEAM curriculum, exhibitions, blended learning, e-learning.
• Central Triage Pharmacy, Moria Camp, Lesvos 2020: Medicine provision, Covid19 response.
• Socrates, Lesvos 2019-2020: Sports and development, SEL pedagogy, football sessions, trauma support.
• Gekko, Athens 2023-Ongoing: Non-formal educational programs.

About Gekko
Gekko was conceived by Better Days on Lesvos in May 2017 to challenge existing models of education in emergencies by integrating high-quality education with mental health and psychosocial support services in a dignified, trauma-aware environment. Gekko operations in Lesvos reached optimal capacity in 2019-20 with 915 registered students and 452 psychosocial support sessions. Due to interconnected factors including Covid-19, the fire that destroyed Moria camp, and the implementation of closed, securitised camps on the islands, we expanded our projects to mainland Greece.

Displaced young people in Athens are in need of services that lie at the heart of Gekko: trauma-aware psychosocial support integrated with high-quality, individualised education. Thus, Gekko in Athens was born. Our summer pilot program (50 students) launched in July 2023 and the full-scale project (120 students) in fall 2023. Gekko offers a safe learning environment for 15-24 year-olds who are experiencing displacement, and serves as a space where they can offload their troubles and fight for their dreams. We aim to reduce the barriers students face and pave the path to quality education and accreditation.

Working with Better Days
Better Days is a small and dynamic organisation looking to hire people who are passionate about humanitarian work, understand its risks and complexities, and are interested in investing in their role long-term. We are a quality-driven organisation determined to provide grassroots, holistic and effective solutions to support the integration and de-victimization of displaced communities in Europe, focusing on refugee education and empowerment of youth. Our colleagues come from all over the world, and our official business language is English. The ideal candidate will be inducted for two weeks and trained during the probation period. At the end of a third month’s contract, the candidate is expected to participate in Better Days’ Employee Survey and Self-Assessment, which is part of their employee evaluation.

Role Description
This is a position that requires versatility and excellent organisational and communication skills. The position aims to support Gekko’s operations, based in Athens. Specifically, the role will be contributing in the areas of teaching and technical support. This is a field-based position and the right candidate must be experienced and confident in designing and implementing a curriculum for IT classes for students of variable skill levels. This may include basic IT literacy to accreditation, so the candidate is expected to identify external opportunities for the development of the students (i.e. courses, seminars, training, accreditation). Regarding the technical support, they will be responsible for carrying out the different tasks that keep the facilities running smoothly (i.e. equipment or software set-up, communication with external providers etc), and ensuring compliance with BD’s IT Policy across all team members including monitoring of IT assets and inventory items. At Gekko, the IT Officer is requested to provide an induction to new team members on Better Days online working environment and support the team and students with technical issues (i.e. printer connection, internet, equipment set-up etc). The right candidate should be prepared to be very involved with people from diverse backgrounds and skills, and be confident to support them in becoming familiar users of BD’s hardware and software.

Main Responsibilities 

As an IT instructor:

• Preparation and execution of a tailor-made IT curriculum and accompanying documentation, depending on the needs and skills of Gekko’s students. This may include basic IT literacy, Gsuite, Web design, ECDL (accreditation) preparation, coding and other.
• Identify external opportunities for accredited courses, seminars, skills-specific training and refer students who meet the criteria.
• Monitor student attendance and progress. Report any issues to the Academic/ STEM Coordinator and the School Psychologist if needed.

As an IT Technician:

• Staff Learning and Development (L&D): Set-up new team member accounts, proceed with induction, support with setting up equipment and software, accessing BD’s tools (i.e. Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, ESET Management Console, Slack, Canva, Grammarly, Loomly, and other platforms and services used by different departments) and respond to IT requests. Identify weaknesses and propose individual or team training.
• Support with Gekko facility’s hardware and organisational software. When necessary, communicate with external providers to resolve issues and plan maintenance (ie electrician, telecommunication company).
• Support with the identification, piloting and set-up of innovative and effective technological solutions within the organisation.
• Design & Development: Review and update BD’s IT Policy and IT guidelines for induction.
• Monitor compliance with BD’s IT Policy, including terms relevant to protection and cyber security, use of equipment, email communication. Identify issues and propose changes
• Manage BD’s IT assets and electronic equipment. Monitor appropriate use, update the inventory and the asset register with damages, loss, purchases and internal allocations or donations of equipment to third parties.
• Manage and maintain the website (CMS: WordPress) and support the communication team with content uploading and management.

Requirements
Candidates who do not meet the below criteria will not be considered.

• Excellent level of English. Greek is not mandatory but is considered an advantage.
• A degree in higher/advanced education. Qualifications in Teaching, Computer Science, Programming, Business information technology,  preferred.
• Excellent knowledge of Google workspace and Microsoft 365 ecosystems.
• 3+ yrs professional experience in a relevant field.

Priority will be given to candidates with:

• Previous volunteer / humanitarian experience is preferable
• Experienced teaching displaced people or marginalised groups and people with exceptionalities is considered an advantage
• Key characteristics: team-player, versatile, resourceful, a problem solver and a can do attitude

How to Apply
Send a CV and a cover letter in English to [email protected], with the subject “IT Officer Application”. Candidates who attach their CVs in any other language will not be considered.

Due to excessive workload, only successful candidates who meet the minimum criteria will be contacted. Note that BD has a thorough 3-step interview process and our average processing time is 30-days depending on our workload. The position will be closed as soon as it is filled.

Applications closing date: (23/10/2023) or until the position is filled.

* Better Days retains applicants’ information and submitted documentation for 6 months. After this period, all data are deleted. For further information on how we handle personal data, please refer to Better Days Privacy Policy, available at our website, or contact [email protected] for further inquiries or requests.