ICT Consultant

Essential is a new bioscience organization creating breakthrough solutions to tackle malnutrition and transform food systems. We are leveraging advances in fermentation to convert agricultural byproducts into affordable, accessible, and climate-resilient proteins that can be integrated into products to prevent and treat malnutrition. Our goal is to catalyze a new model of climate-resilient protein production in Sub-Saharan Africa and build a bioscience R&D engine in East Africa. We are currently building a demonstration plant in Nairobi with an R&D lab and pilot plant production capacity.

Essential was founded on the belief that advances in the sciences have potential to transform the most important global problems. We are a passionate and fast-paced team focused on generating breakthrough solutions for the world's poor. We are audacious in our vision, ambitious in our thinking, and rigorous and humble in our approach. We have a presence in Nairobi, and Addis Ababa.

We are a passionate and fast-paced team focused on generating breakthrough solutions. As we scale operations, we seek an experienced ICT Consultant to design, implement, and optimize our digital infrastructure to support our processes.

Position Overview

The IT Consultant will play a key role in establishing and maintaining the company's technology environment. This includes building secure, scalable, and compliant IT systems that support laboratory information management, production operations, data integrity, and business continuity. The ideal candidate will have experience in both IT software and hardware infrastructure, ensuring alignment between technology, cybersecurity, data management and regulatory needs.

Responsibilities

Cybersecurity & Risk Management

• Review and strengthen ICT and Cybersecurity policies based on best practices and compliance requirements
• Conduct vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, and risk analyses
• Establish robust access control, identity management, and incident-response procedures
• Ensure multi-factor authorization and password expiration are implemented across software suite used
• Monitor and respond to security threats and alerts
• Build security audit frameworks, checklists, and schedule

IT Systems & Operational Support

• Provide technical support, troubleshooting, and system setup for staff across departments
• Deploy and configure secure network infrastructure and devices
• Implement USB-blocking tools
• Provide user training on cybersecurity awareness, software tools, and standard IT procedures

Data Protection & Business Continuity

• Implement data governance policies covering data integrity, classification, and retention
• Implement secure backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity systems
• Map and classify critical business data across all departments
• Establish and train staff on backup and data security protocols

Strategic IT Advisory

• Advise leadership on scalable digital solutions aligned with Essential's growth
• Recommend tools, software, and cybersecurity systems to enhance operations
• Develop continuous training plans to strengthen organizational IT maturity

As a fast-scaling startup, we expect flexibility—additional duties may emerge.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field (Master's preferred).
• 5+ years' experience in IT consulting, IT administration, or cybersecurity (manufacturing or laboratories preferred)
• Strong understanding of networking, cloud systems, data governance, and cybersecurity frameworks
• Experience developing and enforcing IT policies in compliance-focused environments
• Excellent communication, training, and documentation skills
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced startup environment; proactive and hands-on

Duration and Compensation

• Consultancy contract (6 months, renewable, up to 24 hours per week)
• Competitive rate, commensurate with experience

Application Deadline

Interested candidates should send their CV and a brief proposal outlining relevant project experience to (Subject: ICT Consultant) no later than
November 30, 2025