Board Committee Secretariat at The National Student Financial Aid Scheme

POSITION OVERVIEW:

To provide the full range of secretariat, governance, and compliance support to the effective functioning of the Management Committee (MANCOM) and various Board Subcommittees in accordance with legislative requirements and corporate governance best practices.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Policy, Systems & Procedure Development

• To support and advise the board and subcommittees on the development of relevant policies and their interpretations, procedures and processes.
• To ensure that the relevant policies are reviewed and approved by the Board Sub-committees.
• To disseminate information and/or guidance on policy and procedural compliance issues concerning discussions and decision-making.
• To monitor changes in relevant legislation and the regulatory environment and take appropriate \ action.
• Core Strategic & Operational Objectives Development
• To draft and review, on an annual basis, the Board Charter and Terms of Reference for each Committee member per Board subcommittee meeting, to ensure that there is a proper mandate for the authority of each member.
• To arrange, on an ongoing basis, the induction of new Board members for NSFAS.
• To design the work plan for each Board Sub-Committee at the beginning of the year to ensure compliance with the relevant statutory requirements and the terms of reference deliverable.
• To draft and prepare the agenda items and preparation packs (attendance and minutes from the previous meetings) for board committee meetings.
• To communicate the agenda of quarterly Board committee meetings for approval by the Chairperson of the committee.
• To coordinate procedural requirements associated with the provision of a Committee Secretariat service through the planning of schedules for meetings and allocations, monitoring the delivery of quality reports and accurately recorded minutes of proceedings and communicating across a broad spectrum.
• To draft and manage the Board and sub-Committee calendar at the beginning of each year and ensure that it is presented and approved by the Board.
• To schedule all Board and sub-Committee meetings based on statutory requirements.
• To schedule and maintain record of all executive meetings (MANCO).
• To take accurate minutes and distribute them within agreed timelines, draft accurate resolutions.
• for signature, maintain signed resolutions and minutes, and maintain an auditable filing system.
• To communicate and follow up on matters arising from meetings and action items to action owners within agreed timelines.
• To issue appointment letters to the newly appointed Board co-opted members and Board subcommittees’ members.
• People Management & Ethical Leadership
• Lead and manage own individual performance contracting and review process.
• Stakeholder Management & Relationships
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to implement committee secretariat programmes.
• Collaborate with external stakeholders to enable committee secretariat programmes and compliance.
• Manage the service level agreement between the organisation and external providers.
• Project Management & Leadership
• Manage and supervise the projects to address identified needs as per the functional requirements
• Analyse and interpret project reports on completion of the project to evaluate return on investment and to inform decision-making in the subunit.
• Budget optimisation
• Forecast for subunit core administration activities and projects.
• Spent in line with budget for all Board committee projects.
• Compile a record of Board member remuneration based on meetings attended by members, and hourly and day rates of Board members.
• Complete the individual pay form and send it to the Board member for signature.
• Compliance Monitoring & Evaluation
• Support risk plan and mitigations, compliance standards and audit plan and implementation of the Committee Secretariat function are within the EE Act and legislation.
• Maintain the governance register.
• To monitor compliance by adhering to applicable laws and regulations, committee decisions and resolutions.

Information & Knowledge Management

• Collaborate with line manager and ICT to build systems that enable the management of data obtained from different sources.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to use their experience, education and understanding to obtain knowledge from this information.

Reporting & Accountability

• To report on and account for the progress and the attainment of committee secretariat strategic goals, operational plan, internal and external board committee and compliance risks and any other work in the mandate of the legal environment.

DESIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
Minimum requirements:

• BCOM LAW/ LLB.
• Professional or Advanced qualification through Chartered Secretaries of South Africa or working towards achieving CGISA (CSSA) qualification or equivalent.
• 5 years’ experience as a Company Secretary, in a Legal, Governance, or in a regulatory Environment
• Previous demonstrated experience of having worked at the Board or Executive Level.
• Experience in the field of corporate governance with a strong understanding of secretariat processes and governance in both the public and private sectors.
• Overall knowledge of primary legislation applicable: Companies Act, King IV, and associated statutes and regulatory frameworks.

Computer skills required:

• MS Word – Intermediate
• MS Excel – Intermediate
• MS PowerPoint – Intermediate
• MS Outlook – Intermediate

Preferred

• Board Secretariat Certification
• Over 5 plus years of experience in a similar role.
• Chartered Institute of Secretaries (CIS) Membership / Chartered Governance Institute of South Africa

Skill and Competencies:

• Stress tolerance.
• People management.
• Multi-tasking.
• Planning skills.
• Organisational skills.
• Execution skills.
• Interpersonal skills.
• Communication skills.
• Attention to detail.
• Time Management