Bursary Officer at Department of Agriculture(DOA)

REQUIREMENTS :

• Successful applicants must be in possession of a minimum of 3-year (NQF6) Diploma or B-Degree in Administration / Public Administration /Public Management /Office Management/ Management Assistant.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in bursary administration, information management, database management and working with students in institutions of higher learning. Valid Driver’s Licence. 

DUTIES :

• Render recruitment and selection of department’s bursary holders. Conduct needs analysis annually to identify and prioritize skills in agriculture and produce annual bursary adverts. Facilitate the advertisement of bursary opportunities in the national print and electronic media. Distribute the advert and posters to the relevant stakeholders (Provincial Departments of Agriculture, municipalities, ARC, High School, Tertiary Institutions, community libraries, labour regional office, internet/intranet and members of the public).
• Conduct response handling on bursary application and execute the following: Receive, sort and capture application forms in response to the advert. Draft and send regret and acknowledgement letters and request outstanding documents. Conduct preliminary selection using the 14 points system of all relevant applications and prepare files for the selection committee. Organize and carry out all logistical arrangement to host the National Bursary Committee (NBC) meeting which finalizes bursary awards. Compile a comprehensive list of successful candidates approved by the selection committee.
• Prepare bursary award letters for new bursary holders in various fields of studies and informed candidates about the success of the bursary application. Coordinate the signing of bursary contracts by successful candidates. Respond to telephone queries and appeal letters from members of the public including emails and physical visits. Inform various institutions about new and current bursaries. Render administration and information management services. Create and continuously update files for each bursary holder with relevant documents. Populate and update databases: such as database of all beneficiaries, database of discontinued and suspension of studies, database of National Bursary Committee (NBC). Prepare financial guarantee letters for old bursary holders who are continuing with their studies, bursary reinstatement letters and bursary extension letters. Prepare and send confirmation list of all bursary holders of institution of learning.
• Compile fees structure per institution hosting DoA bursary holders and process payments of tuition, accommodation, books, meals and monthly allowance. Continuously analyse and verify the students accounts. Monitor expenditure of bursary funds by beneficiaries and compile monthly and quarterly reports thereof. Reconcile on monthly basis amount paid to institutions as per drawdown schedule of payments done by NFSAS against the approved fees structure. Compilation of reports. Receive, verify and process invoices payments of bursary funds to high school bursary holders. Compile Annual Report on the implementation of the External Bursary Scheme. Compile briefing reports of bursary awards. Compile ToRs of the bursary monitoring meetings. Compile minutes of the meetings. Compile and package necessary information (evidence) required by Auditor-General during auditing period. Conduct bursary monitoring meetings.
• Execute all logistical arrangements for bursary monitoring meeting (arrange venues, transport, invitation, agenda, documents etc). Conduct monitoring meetings at institutions of higher learning where DoA bursary holders are registered. Orientation meetings to check settlement of new bursary holders and to ensure that they have all resources. Group monitoring meetings to address bursary holders on cross cutting issues like External Bursary Policy and procedures, do’s and don’ts, what is covered by the bursary etc.
• Meetings with financial aid officers at institutions of higher learning and principals of schools to verify if bursary funds paid is used for the purpose it is meant for. Facilitate job / experiential placement of bursary holders within the department and with the relevant industries. Compile a list of bursary holder who need experiential / internship training or vacation work annually. Advise bursary holders to develop job search skills such as CV writing and job interview skills. Lobbying with employers from the sectors to recruit DoA completing bursary holders. Link bursary holders with companies and organisations after completion of studies. Provide secretarial support and general administrative support during interviews conducted to appoint completing bursary holders.