Academic Head of Department at University of the Free State

Duties and responsibilities

• Provide formal teaching for undergraduate as well as post-graduate programmes.  
• Act as a supervisor for postgraduate students.
• Ensure active involvement in research.  
• Active involvement in curriculum development relating to Educational Management, Policy, and Comparative Education.

As an Academic Head of Department (AHD): 

• Continuous planning and execution of teaching and research strategies, general organising and coordinating of administrative duties, mentoring and motivating staff, managing finances (e.g., annual budgeting, allocation of funds) of the Department.
• Provide academic leadership by creating and executing strategies to establish the Department as a leader in the discipline vis-à-vis competing international entities.

The Head of Department is directly responsible for:

• directing the academic debate in the Department.
• influencing the school's overall climate and culture.
• energising everybody in the school and beyond; and
• shaping the future of the Department.
• Contribute to the overall leadership of the faculty.
• Frequent and continuous planning and execution of plans, general organising and coordinating of staff, students and activities, mentoring and motivating staff, structuring, and exercising overall control.     
• Create an atmosphere of consensus among staff.
• Effective internal and external communication.
• The Head of Department is pivotal in linking the Department‘s staff and students with the University's management and administration through communication, negotiation, and consultation.
• Active participation and involvement in faculty management structures, attending meetings, leading project teams, representing the Department and faculty, and fulfilling the roles of liaison officer and marketer when necessary. 
• Active participation and involvement in applicable UFS management structures, e.g., Senate.
• Initiate, formulate, and implement a visionary academic strategy for the Department that is aligned with and supportive of the guiding strategic documents of the UFS and faculty.

Ensure –

• the provision of top-quality, research-informed facilitation of learning at all levels of teaching in the Department;
• relevance of content, material, and presentation in all modules.
• the enhancement of student experiences and their continuous engagement in academic debates;
• that adequate rules and regulations are in place to optimally deliver high-quality teaching and learning programmes on both undergraduate and postgraduate levels;
• adherence to all the rules and regulations of the UFS, faculty, and Department;
• quality and timely feedback on student work.
• proper and quality-driven academic advice and support to all under- and postgraduate students in the school; and
• revisiting and developing fresh learning programs will help position the school as a leader in the fraternity.

Create and maintain a(n) –

• visionary research strategy for the Department; and
• environment that encourages research, leading to strong and active research habits and a culture of inquiry.

Ensure that –

• every academic staff member is engaged in quality-driven and discipline-specific research;
• postgraduate students are recruited to broaden the research base of the Department; and
• ethical requirements are met.
• Guiding and supporting senior academics towards acquiring     NRF ratings. 
• Active engagement with the faculty research committee and the UFS Directorate of Research and Development to ensure sustainable financial support for the department’s research initiatives.
• Building an effective team of scholars through:
• planning and implementing a fair and reasonable dispensation regarding the workload of staff members in the Department; 
• planning and implementing a clear and reasonable career path for every staff member in the Department, taking account of the strategic plans of the University, faculty, and Department;
• appropriate mentoring interventions where and whenever it is needed; 
• managing staff performance in accordance with existing university policies and procedures.
• recruitment and selection of scholars in the case of vacancies and/or specific strategic needs whenever strategic repositioning requires expansion of academic endeavours;
• creating and maintaining a scholarship-friendly environment in the Department; and
• planning and overseeing adequate and relevant staff development.

The ultimate responsibility in terms of financial management culminates in:

• annual budgeting;
• financial planning;
• allocation of funds; and
• financial control.
• Adherence to the UFS's financial policies and procedures.
• Encourage and actively support academic staff members to apply for external research and other grants.

Inherent requirements

• A relevant Doctoral degree on NQF Level 10 in Education. 
• Appointment in the Faculty of Education, University of the Free State as a full-time, permanent Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor/Professor.
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant working experience in a Higher Education Environment.
• Proven experience supervising graduate master’s and/or doctoral students.
• Proven recent research record of publications in national and international accredited journals (Q1-Q4).
• Proven experience in research management and leadership of teaching and learning as either a discipline coordinator, research interest group coordinator, programme director, etc.
• Proven experience in engaged scholarship.