Assistant Registrar - Admissions at The Independent Institute of Education (IIE)

About the Job

• The IIE (Pty) Ltd is the registered provider of higher education which is delivered through the following educational brands: Vega, Varsity College, Rosebank College, IIEMSA and The IIE School of Hospitality and Service Management (IIE HSM).
• The Independent Institute of Education’s Central Academic Team (CAT) is responsible for the academic leadership and governance of the work done at the brands while each brand is managed as a business entity by its own divisional management team.
• This position is within the central IIE academic team. The IIE, as the registered provider has ultimate responsibility for registration, curriculum, delivery, assessment, and certification of all education on sites of delivery as well as for relationships with external partners particularly in the regulatory and accreditation arena.
• The IIE currently operates through seven faculties and has established academic operations, compliance, and academic leadership infrastructure and processes.

Reporting To:

• Office of the Registrar - Senior Assistant Registrar (Admissions)

Level and Scope of Responsibility:

• To assist the Registrar with ensuring institutional compliance with internal and external regulatory requirements through the exercise of delegated authority to make decisions in relation to particular areas of operation of The IIE. In exercising this authority, the Assistant Registrar needs to know, understand and interpret policy and legislation/ regulation and make decisions based on their interplay. These decisions impact on institutional compliance and risk as well as on the business activities of the brands and the overall institution. Their areas of responsibility include approving non-standard admission applications (including international admission applications); authorizing marketing material; graduating students at the completion of their qualifications and handling complaints, queries and appeals from students in relation to the implementation of policy by the brands or the student hub, assist with compliance projects. Complex exceptions to policy or regulation or legislation are escalated, and the Assistant Registrar needs to discern which matters require escalation.
• They conduct the necessary research, prepare the necessary documentation and communication for signature by the Registrar or The IIE Director. They compile aggregated information for regulators including statutory reports.
• They maintain internal and external relationships to support the brands and strengthen networks.

Key Areas of Responsibility:
Admissions Application and Audit

• Keep up to date with trends and changes in higher education admissions practices.
• Ensure that you are familiar with The IIE Admissions and related Policies and Procedures and able to apply and guide the brands accordingly.
• Attend to allocated admission queries timeously and accurately.
• Ensure that correct procedures are followed for Universities South Africa (USAf) applications (e.g., Senate Discretionary and Foreign Conditional Exemptions) and that all applications are logged and tracked on the USAf tracking tool.
• Annual admission audits for allocated campuses, including a specific focus on international students.

Admissions Records, Systems, Tracking Liaison and Reporting

• Ensure up-to-date precedent list of international admissions and evaluations from USAf and South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).
• Liaise with SAQA and USAf when required.
• Fortnightly reporting of international student tracking ahead of DHA Report compilation.
• Post-Reg Conditions Tracking and monthly reporting to Brands; actioning deregistration process where applicable.

International Student Management and Reporting

• Ensure that the International Student Handbook is up to date.
• Update processes and process flows for International Admission tracking and DHA Reporting given the new reporting in SIS.
• Liaison with ADvTech IT department to ensure that an accurate report for DHA reporting is in place and compliance with Registrar undertakings.
• Liaison and support to brands on international student reporting.
• Liaise with DHA as required regarding international student reporting and verification of suspected fraudulent visas and permits.
• Set up and maintain a record of all communication to DHA regarding suspected fraudulent visas.
• Compile and submit The IIE Report on International students timeously.
• Research on best practice - international student admissions and processes

Review of Policy, Processes and Admission Letters

• Contribute to review of Admissions-related policies and procedures.
• Annual update of Admissions process documents (How-To-Guides) and development of Process Flows in your sphere of work in the Office of the Registrar.
• Update of international student spreadsheet after every Senate where admission changes are tabled.
• Annual review of offer letter wording.

General Divisional Duties

• Timeous resolution of Assessment Appeals on Freshdesk/ IIE Assist
• Updating timelines for International student tracking and post-registration condition tracking and updating OoR Calendar.
• Participate in, prepare and facilitate admissions workshops/ Training interventions relating to respective areas e.g.; international admissions, senate discretionary admissions.
• Capacity building and mentoring of members as required.
• Manage and resolve Office of the Registrar queries on IIE Assist as assigned to you.
• Participate in OoR workshops as required.
• Attend to other tasks/projects in the Office of the Registrar as required

Qualification:

• Bachelor’s Degree

Experience:

• At least 2-5 years in the Higher Education, experience with international student admissions and liaison with South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), Universities South Africa (USAf) and Department of Home Affairs would be advantageous.

Competencies:

• Strong systems skills
• Advanced level MS Excel, Word and PowerPoint skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work in a matrix structure
• Excellent communication skills.
• Analytical and problem-solving abilities, with the ability to research and analyse emerging trends and technologies.
• Change management where there are policy, process or system updates.