Advisor: Social Development at South African Local Government Association

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE 

• A relevant tertiary Degree in Community Development or Development Studies or equivalent
• Valid Driver’s License and frequent travelling
• At least 3 years’ relevant experience of which at least 1 years have been at an equivalent level within a medium to large sized organisation;
• Demonstrates a sound understanding of the Local Government Sector and issues relating to area of specialty

KEY PORTFOLIO AND PERFORMANCE FOCUS AREAS: 

• Social Development focus areas: Mainstreaming Transversal Issues - Facilitate and/ or assist municipalities to develop and align policies to best practice and ensure implementation in terms of procedures and service delivery. In line with The National Social Development Framework, facilitate the development and implementation of the Provincial Social Development Strategy which will be an integral part of the SALGA five year business plan. Facilitate and assist Municipalities to develop their sector specific strategies and policies linked to the performance areas of Social Development and align those strategies and policies to the provincial and national government priorities. Facilitate the establishment of Community coordination and participation structures within Local, District and Metropolitan Municipalities e.g. District Aids Council, Youth Councils, Children Advisory Councils, Gender Forums Establish technical committees on primary health care and municipal health, Collating information to support national level. 
• Research and Benchmarking: Collects, categorises and tracks relevant information required for specific tasks and projects; Perform support activities to benchmarking exercises under guidance from senior and Specialists; Provide administrative support with the arrangements of knowledge sharing / peer learning sessions/ presentations to SALGA staff and external stakeholders. May include providing inputs to content and packaging of information for the sessions;
•  Representation at IGR & Other For a (lobbying and Advocacy) Attend policy conferences in topics related to area of accountability; Liaise with stakeholders in ensuring the credibility of the municipal governance and be the voice of municipalities on all governance matters; Represent municipalities at relevant forums/ meetings/ committees within the sector/ professional discipline; Support the development of reports to the working groups; Support the participation in all municipal governance related forums and processes; Support the Senior advisors to develop content on a number of complex issues relevant to a SALGA position for mandating; Understand the national and provincial governance structures of SALGA and the institutional structures of the Sector/ Professional discipline and key role players in the area of specialisation; Represent SALGA and the Municipalities at relevant external fora. 
• Support Advice and capacity building  Coordinate the logistical arrangements for training programmes/ peer learning sessions in the areas of focus/ professional discipline. Guide, support and provide advice to municipalities in the implementation of the municipal governance hands-on support strategy and processes. Provide hands-on support to strengthen municipal capacity/improve programme implementation 
• Programme Monitoring and Evaluation and Reporting  Ensure that projects are conducted against contract specification and payments are based on agreed milestone; Implement project management methodologies and disciplines; and support the management of the full project cycle on assigned projects including Monitoring & Evaluation; Maintain records as per SALGA policy and ensure that all project records are up loaded into the company knowledge management system; Support the preparation of audit files for each project prior to audit. Support the reporting on progress against milestones;
• Stakeholder Management  Build partnerships with relevant stakeholders to ensure programme success and to increase SALGA’s capacity to make an impact; Ensure appropriate and timely communications with all stakeholders; Support the creation of reports to communicate about the programme and provide updates for website. Within the scope of area of accountability build and maintain relevant stakeholder relationships/ partnerships in the area of responsibility; 
• Governance, Compliance and Risk Management  Ensure compliance with organisational policies and procedures; Support the identification and mitigation of organisational and operational risks identified in the area of responsibility/ professional discipline. Uphold sound corporate governance principles in the day-to-day operation of the area of responsibility/ professional discipline; 
• Teamwork  Implement the performance management and development processes in SALGA to drive high performance on an ongoing basis. In line with the SALGA organisational culture, align personal and organisational values for improved performance; Support organisational priorities and the implementation of resource mobilisation systems and processes; Support the Executive and Senior Management Team in building a high-performance culture in SALGA; Work as a multi-disciplinary and integrated team to find possible solutions to complex challenges in municipalities;