Associate Professor/Professor (Permanent) and Academic Head of Department at University of the Free State

Duties and responsibilities: 

Associate Professor/ Professor

• Present undergraduate and postgraduate modules.
• Synthesise knowledge through the publication of scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals.
• Communicate research findings at scientific conferences.
• Source funding for research from international and national funding organisations.
• Participate actively in the professional community.
• Supervise postgraduate students at master's and PhD levels.
• Participate actively in leadership and administration at the departmental and Faculty levels.

Academic Head of Department

• Provide strategic and operational academic leadership by creating and executing strategies to establish the department as a leader in the discipline vis-à-vis competing international entities.
• Drive excellence in teaching, learning, and curriculum innovation.
• Strengthen research performance and postgraduate training.
• Lead initiatives to increase research income and third-stream revenue.
• Promote interdisciplinary collaboration and industry engagement.
• Foster staff development, succession planning, and transformation.
• Enhance national and international partnerships and collaborations.
• Ensure compliance with institutional policies, accreditation requirements, and quality assurance standards.
• Continuous planning and execution of teaching and research strategies, general organising and coordinating of administrative duties, mentoring and motivating staff, 
• Manage departmental finances, infrastructure, and human resources (e.g., annual budgeting, allocation of funds) of the Department.
• The Academic Head of Department (ADH) is directly responsible for:
• Directing the academic debate in the department.
• Influencing the department’s overall climate and culture.
• Energising everybody in the department 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 coordination of staff, students and activities, mentoring and motivating staff, structuring, and exercising overall control are typical management functions performed by ADHs.
• Create an atmosphere of consensus among staff.
• Effective internal and external communication.
• The ADH 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 department; and
• The revisiting and development of fresh learning programmes that will help to position the department as a leader in the fraternity.

Create and maintain a(n):

• Visionary research strategy for the department; and
• An 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 departmental 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 they are 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 effective 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:

Associate Professor

• PhD on NQF Level 10 in Geological Sciences or a closely related field.
• Experience as an external examiner for postgraduate students.
• Proven experience in the presentation of research papers at national conferences, where there is evidence of peer review of papers.
• 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 nationally and internationally 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

• PhD on NQF Level 10 in Geological Sciences or a closely related field.
• Experience as an external examiner for master’s and doctoral students.
• Acted as an 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 C2, or equivalent status.
• Demonstrated successful supervision of graduated master ’s-degree and preferably graduated doctoral 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 an agency concerned with research at higher-education levels.

Head of department

• Recognition as an established and nationally rated scientist, with preference given to candidates holding a current rating from the National Research Foundation (NRF) or an equivalent internationally recognised research rating.
• A distinguished and sustained research record evidenced by:
• High-quality peer-reviewed publications;
• Successful postgraduate supervision at Master's and Doctoral levels;
• A demonstrable record of securing competitive research funding;
• National and international academic recognition.
• A proven record of generating significant third-stream income through industry partnerships, contract research, consulting activities, professional services, specialised training programmes, or other external funding initiatives.
• Extensive academic leadership and management experience, including:
• Leadership of academic programmes, research groups, centres, schools, or departments;
• Staff management, mentoring, and performance development;
• Budgetary and resource management;
• Strategic planning and implementation;
• Curriculum development and quality assurance at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Desired Attributes
The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• Outstanding academic credibility and leadership presence.
• A clear vision for the future of geological sciences in South Africa and internationally.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• The ability to build productive relationships with industry, government, professional bodies, and research partners.
• A commitment to academic excellence, transformation, and student success.

Recommendations:

• Registration as a professional natural scientist with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions or equivalent status (attach proof).
• A valid driver's license (attach proof).
• Prior experience obtained in both industry and academia.
• A formal qualification in management and/or leadership at NQF level 7 or higher (attach proof).

Competencies
Required competencies:
Results Orientated:

• The ability to set high standards, establish tough goals, and to work to achieve success.
• The ability to be reliable, responsible, dependable and to fulfil obligations.

Strategic Thinking:

• The ability to deal with several activities at a time.
• The ability to carefully analyse information and use logic to address issues and problems at work.

Business Acumen:

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

Leading:

• The ability to maintain high levels of personal motivation, energy and enthusiasm.
• The ability to be cooperative with others, display a good-natured attitude and encourage people to work together.

Building Coalitions:

• The ability to be self-assured and at ease with people in all types of social situations.
• The ability to interact with others and establish personal connections with people.

Closing date:3/8/2026