Associate Professor/ Professor: Department Urban and Regional Planning (Job ID 6610) at University of the Free State

Duties and responsibilities:

• Initiate, conduct and sustain quality research outputs in Urban and Regional Planning.
• Provide research leadership and mentorship to academic colleagues and postgraduate students.
• Teach and assess students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels using appropriate contact, blended and online learning approaches.
• Contribute to curriculum development, renewal and assessment.
• Provide study leadership at the postgraduate level.
• Participate in community engagement initiatives where possible.
• Recruit and supervise postgraduate students.
• Identify and pursue opportunities for  external funding and collaborative research projects.
• Contribute to departmental, faculty and University administration, including academic leadership, quality assurance, student support and committee work.  

Inherent Job Requirements:

Associate Professor

• A PhD on NQF Level 10 in Urban and Regional Planning, or a closely related field.
• Proven experience in the presentation of research papers at national conferences, where there is evidence of peer review of papers.
• Experience as external examiner for postgraduate students.
• Acted as an editorial board member of high-quality national scholarly journals.
• Proven national recognition for specialist expertise and research leadership in a specific scientific area of scholarship.
• An NRF rating of C3 or equivalent status.
• Proven experience in the supervision of graduated master’s degree students.
• A proven research record of relevant publications in national and international accredited journals
• Served as a member of a national scholarly society OR a national committee or agency concerned with research at higher education levels OR showed evidence of service as an active member of an international equivalent.

​​​​Professor

• A PhD on NQF Level 10 in Urban and Regional Planning, or a closely related field.
• Experience as external examiner for master’s-degree and doctoral students.
• Acted as editorial board member of high-quality international/ISI/IBSS journals.
• Proven international recognition for specialist expertise and research leadership in a particular area of academic scholarship (for example, regularly serves as a reviewer for international/ISI/IBSS journals).
• An NRF rating of C1 or C2 or equivalent status.
• Proven experience in the supervision of 20 graduated Masters' and 10 PhD students.
• Proven experience in delivering keynote addresses at national scholarly conferences.
• Served as a member of an international scholarly society OR an international committee or agency concerned with research at higher-education levels.

Recommendations:

• A demonstrated ability to source external research funding or grant opportunities.

Competencies

Key Competencies:

Results Orientated:

• The ability to cope with a frequently changing environment and to adapt to evolving situations. 
• The ability to maintain composure and self-control.

Strategic Thinking:

• The ability to plan work and to follow plans.
• The ability to be creative and open-minded when addressing work issues.

Business Acumen:

• The ability to adhere to rules and strictly follow work regulations.
• Proficient in using MS Office.

Leading:

• The ability to lead, take charge of situations, and offer opinions and directions to others. 
• The ability to be cooperative with others, display a good-natured attitude and encourage people to work together.

Building Coalitions:

• The ability to be sensitive and understanding to the needs and feelings of others.
• The ability to interact with others and establish personal connections with people.

Assumption of duties:

• As soon as possible.

Closing date:

• 22 October 2026