Under the supervision of the Project Leader, and working in close coordination with the Head of Division Entrepreneurship and Innovation on strategic technical matters, the Technical Director will provide overall technical leadership, direction and quality assurance for the infrastructure and telecommunications components of Specific Objectives 1 and 2 (SO1 and SO2) of the EU-PH Digital Economy Package, implemented by Expertise France and co-funded by the European Union under the Global Gateway strategy and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Philippines.

The Technical Director is the project's senior technical authority on connectivity infrastructure and Copernicus data infrastructure. He/she defines the technical strategy and architecture, supervises the technical design and delivery of all infrastructure and telecom works and studies, ensures the technical quality and sustainability of project outputs, and manages the project's technical partnerships with PhilSA, DOST-ASTI, DICT and international technical partners (IRD, ESA, GÉANT).

In this capacity, the Technical Director supports the Project Leader in the overall management of the project and may represent the project on technical matters, notably within the Steering Committee and other technical committees and working groups. The Technical Director reports to the Project leader, who retains overall project leadership and responsibility for managing the project team, and works in close and continuous coordination to ensure the technical and managerial dimensions of the project remain fully aligned. As Deputy Project Leader, he/she may assume the Project Leader’s coordination and management responsibilities when required, notably during periods of absence.

The Technical Director is responsible for the execution of the budget allocated to the infrastructure and telecom components and guides the Project Leader's financial decisions on these technical lines, while overall budget responsibility and financial sign-off for the project remain with the Project Leader. The Technical Director also recruits and directly supervises the technical experts mobilized for the infrastructure and telecom components.

The Technical Director will notably be responsible for:

1. Technical strategy, architecture and standards

• Define the project's technical strategy and infrastructure/telecom architecture for SO1 (connectivity) and SO2 (Copernicus data access and dissemination), in line with the project's contractual framework and results framework.
• Set technical standards, norms and specifications for telecom network and data-infrastructure components (processing, storage and dissemination), ensuring interoperability, security, scalability and sustainability of the solutions deployed.
• Advise the Project Leader on the technical feasibility, risks and cost implications of strategic and operational choices.
• Keep the technical strategy under review in light of technological developments and evolving needs of PhilSA, DOST-ASTI, DICT and other beneficiaries.

2. Technical delivery and supervision of infrastructure and telecom components

• Lead the technical design, specification and supervision of activities and connectivity infrastructure deployment under SO1, from needs assessment and feasibility studies through to commissioning and handover.
• Lead the technical design and supervision of computing infrastructure, data center disaster risk management and Copernicus data processing and dissemination infrastructure under SO2.
• Draft or validate technical Terms of Reference, technical specifications and bills of quantities for infrastructure works, equipment procurement and technical assistance missions.
• Provide technical evaluation and quality assurance of tenders, technical proposals, deliverables and works submitted by contractors, suppliers and technical experts.
• Organize and supervise technical missions, testing and commissioning activities and ensure works and deliverables comply with technical specifications, EU procurement rules and industry standards.
• Identify, recruit and directly supervise the technical experts and consultants mobilized for the infrastructure and telecom components (short-term technical assistance, technical assignments), ensuring the quality and timeliness of their work, in coordination with the Project Leader for planning and contractual aspects.
• Ensure sound execution of the budget allocated to the infrastructure and telecom components (works, equipment, technical assistance), guiding the Project Leader's financial decisions on these technical lines, within the project's overall budget under the Project Leader's financial responsibility and sign-off.

3. Technical quality assurance and risk management

• Monitor the technical performance, quality and progress of infrastructure and telecom works against the workplan and provide guidance on potential technical risks, delays or non-conformities.
• Contribute to the project logframe by providing technical indicator data, supporting evidence and analysis, in close coordination with the MEAL Officer and Project Leader.
• Establish and maintain technical monitoring tools (performance assessment, technical KPIs, commissioning reports, maintenance and sustainability plans) to feed into the project's overall MEAL and reporting system.
• Contribute with technical inputs for technical and financial reports submitted to the European Commission, under the overall responsibility of the Project Leader for report consolidation and submission.
• Ensure technical solutions are designed for long-term operational sustainability and effective handover to national counterparts.

4. Technical partnerships and stakeholder engagement

• Serve as the project's principal technical interlocutor with PhilSA, DOST-ASTI, DICT, PREGINET and other technical counterparts on infrastructure and telecom matters.
• Liaise with international and regional technical partners (IRD, ESA, GÉANT, ASEAN technical bodies, EU telecom operators, research and education networks and other relevant digital ecosystem actors) to align technical approaches, standards and opportunities for cooperation.
• Represent the project on technical matters, notably within the Project Steering Committee (PSC) and other technical committees and working groups, in coordination with the Project Leader.
• Support capacity-building and knowledge-transfer activities for partner institutions on infrastructure, connectivity and related technical systems.
• Support the Project Leader in stakeholder engagement and donor dialogue whenever technical explanation or advice is required.

5. Coordination with the Project Leader and project team

• Work in close and continuous coordination with the Project Leader to ensure full coherence between the technical strategy and the project's overall strategic, operational and financial management.
• As Deputy Project Leader, the Technical Director may act on behalf of the Project Leader when required, including during periods of absence, assuming delegated coordination and management responsibilities and representing the project in meetings with donors, partners and other stakeholders.
• Provide the Project Leader with timely, clear technical information to support planning, budgeting, reporting and risk-management decisions.
• Flag any technical matter with strategic, contractual or staffing implications, or with budgetary implications beyond the technical lines under his/her responsibility, to the Project Leader for arbitration and decision.
• Liaise closely with the project's support functions (administrative, financial, procurement/contracts, MEAL, communication) to ensure smooth processing of technical procurement, contracts and financial and technical follow-up of infrastructure and telecom activities.
• Coordinate regularly with EF's Digital Advisor on digital economy and cross-cutting digital policy matters relevant to the infrastructure and telecom components, ensuring consistency between technical solutions and the project's broader digital economy objectives.
• Contribute technical content to the project's visibility and communication activities, in line with EU and Global Gateway guidelines, under the Project Leader's overall coordination.