Electronic Communications Specialist >>
Information Technology Specialist >>
Satellite Applications Specialists >>
The rapid technological changes in both telecommunications and information technology during the 1980s and 1990s have contributed substantially to the development of the infrastructure that supports international investment and trade.
One result has been the creation of a range of new professional, technical and administrative jobs that support international operations. Many pre-existing jobs have been profoundly changed in the process. While telecommunications and information technology functions are not unique to the international field, the application of these technologies to international trade and investment requires individuals with a good understanding of the international business that their infrastructure supports. Many of these occupations require specific skills, aptitudes and training related to trade and investment, and others require additional knowledge of the sector involved.
International communications and data systems also have to cater to a broad range of language and cultural requirements. One of the characteristics of international business organizations is a strong need for security for their communications channels and databases. For example, while all banks implement strong security technologies, international banking transactions take place over communications links that may span several countries and which have many potential vulnerabilities from a security point of view. The need for communications and data security is especially strong at American embassies, consulates and trade missions abroad, since they store and communicate highly sensitive information belonging both to private sector clients as well as the government itself.
The international communications function also has to cope with widely varying technical standards and capabilities around the world. The telecommunications infrastructure in many developing nations is still very primitive. For this reason, many multinational organizations operate their own earth stations. Since these facilities incorporate radio frequency transmitters, that can be operated only under license from the host government. Maintaining a global network of interconnected nodes using a variety of communications technologies, licensed by a variety of governments, can be quite complex.
Many jobs in this field include training duties, since the technologies involved must often be transferred to local staff. Computer-based equipment must have regular upgrades and technical staff are responsible for overseeing this process long after systems are installed. This requires knowledge of World cultures and languages to an extent not usually found in other jobs in the electronics and computer fields.
Since standards for telecommunications and information technology installations are still evolving, those who work in the international arena, including those in the commercial sector as well as in international agencies, may be more heavily involved in policy development and standards setting than would be expected in the domestic field.
Computers, information technology and telecommunications are currently converging. This requires many people in the field to master both information technology and telecommunications. The occupations discussed here are only examples of a wide range of comparable jobs. Rapid technological change in this field is likely to cause ongoing shifts in the skill sets required over the next several years.
Electronic Communications Specialist
Electronic Communications Specialists may be known as Communications Engineers, Telecom Engineers, or simply Electrical or Electronics Engineers with some telecom expertise or experience. Their role is the installation and upkeep of telecommunications equipment and the creation of support systems for international business.
Standards in this field are increasingly oriented to digital equipment and away from older analog equipment and standards. Nonetheless, some knowledge of traditional telephone switching technology may continue to be required in the coming years. Increasingly, practitioners in this field are required to install or adapt computer-based communications systems based on packet switching (internet type communications) and combined data/voice equipment as opposed to older types of radio and telephone based equipment.
Qualifications
Candidates for this position require a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science or Communications Engineering combined with several years experience in the design, engineering and implementation of enterprise computer and communications networks.
Skills and Aptitudes
Electronic Communications Specialists should have and experience with networking such as Token-Ring, Ethernet and ATM networks. They require knowledge of computer programming and the use of networking protocols such as TCP/IP (packet switching) along with the ability to design, install and configure telecommunications installations and associated software. In addition, knowledge of fibre optics equipment is usually required.
To protect against security breaches, the technical staff involved need to understand who uses the underlying information, and for what purpose, as well as the motives of any parties who might try to break through the security arrangements.
Communications Specialists working for large organizations, including the US Department of State, must be familiar with the technologies, communications protocols and security systems used elsewhere in the organization.
Individuals pursuing careers in this area should have a demonstrated ability to work in a multi-cultural environment. Some teaching ability may be required in the case of new installations.
Information Technology Specialist
Information Technology Specialists design, install and operate management information systems to support international business. They may be known as Data Processing Specialists, Information Management specialists, Information Systems Specialists, Network Engineers, or Information Technology (IT) specialists, among many other possible titles. Database creators and database managers are also included in this group.
This is a diverse group of specialties involving people with both hardware and software expertise. A typical assignment might be to design and install a database to support the operation of a subsidiary or joint venture recently set up in a developing country. The specialists would have to evaluate the information to be stored and assess the needs of those who will retrieve and use the information, as well as those who will create it. This might also involve ensuring that local staff have the skills and resources to maintain the database themselves. In short, knowledge transfer is a significant aspect of many jobs in this area.
Many of the specialties in the IT sector have emerged only recently, and formal standards are still evolving. As recently as a decade ago, practitioners in these fields may have acquired their expertise informally, or on the job. Increasingly, formal training is required for entry-level jobs even though senior employees may possess less formal qualifications.
Qualifications
For entry-level jobs, an advanced degree in computer science or statistics is required, along with strong knowledge of programming techniques and software packages in common use in international applications. Many jobs in this field may also require a formal training in the field in which installations are being used. Recent advertisements in this field, for example, called for formal training in seismology, geophysics, hydroacoustics, and atmospheric physics.
Skills and Aptitudes
A solid understanding of the technical side of information technology is essential, and most international positions also require knowledge of the business or technical field where the technology is being applied. For senior positions, project management skills and experience may be necessary.
Many positions also call for training skills, backed up by knowledge of the local culture and language, because of the need to supervise installations and maintenance under diverse conditions and to advise users, customers and local maintenance and repair technicians on current and evolving technologies.
Satellite Applications Specialists
Sophisticated satellite technologies are being used for an increasingly large proportion of international business communications, and they are being combined with information technology to produce integrated voice and data communications systems. These systems are displacing land-based or microwave equipment.
People who work in these areas may be known as Space Systems Engineers, Satellite Engineers, or Satellite Management Specialists. They may simply be communications or electronic engineers who have become specialized.
Since international standards for the use of space-based communications are still emerging, many people who work in this field are employed in international agencies where they work on developing new standards. There is some mobility between private sector companies that develop and install satellite systems and international agencies that regulate and monitor them.
Qualifications
Candidates generally require an advanced university degree in telecommunications engineering or related fields (science/engineering, electrical/electronic engineering), with some specialization in radio communication. For mid-level jobs, several years of progressively responsible experience in a telecommunications organization, including some experience of frequency management, may be required.
Skills and Knowledge
This specialty is emerging from the telecommunications field in general. People who work in this field would be expected to have traditional formal skills in telecommunications and information technology. But increasingly, they are expected to have experience related directly to satellite and space systems installations.
As with other jobs in this area, some sensitivity to cultural issues and mastery of more than one language may be required.
In addition, because of the emerging international regulatory regime in this area, the ability to understand and apply complex regulations to every day practice is required. In many cases personnel in this field will be required to prepare information for registration of satellite equipment under ITU and other international procedures. Therefore the ability to combine technical and legal writing is usually more important in these jobs than is the case in domestic jobs.
Aptitudes
Since technologies and standards are still emerging, the willingness to be involved in almost continuous learning of new skills and technologies is an essential part of these jobs.
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