Coordinator: Business Intelligence at University of the Western Cape/Universiteit van Wes-Kaapland

Role Clarification & Key Performance Areas

The University of the Western Cape (UWC) is one of the research-led teaching and learning universities in South Africa, with the capacity to produce and advance new knowledge and the translation of this knowledge into societal benefits through innovative endeavours. The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program is a global initiative designed to develop the next generation of transformative leaders by enabling highly talented, service-oriented young people, primarily young Africans, to pursue higher education and emerge as agents of change.

The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program provides financial, social and academic support to a diverse range of talented undergraduate and postgraduate students who are financially and socially impeded, with a focus on young women, refugees and displaced youth, persons with disability and young men, from South Africa and other parts of the African continent.

The successful candidate will ensure the accurate and timely management of relevant institutional information and facilitate the uploading of data to the Mastercard Foundation’s Management Information Systems (MIS) site to support decision-making processes related to monitoring and evaluation, towards Program adjustments and realignments.

Accountable to the Program Director: Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program and reporting to the Program Director and the Manager: Business Intelligence in the Institutional Planning Office, the responsibilities of the Coordinator: Business Intelligence will include:

• Timely receipt of data from transaction operational processing systems;
• Validate and upload Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program data essential to the Foundation’s MIS and any other designated service provider platforms as needed;
• Design, generate, and deliver reports that meet specific business requirements;
• Adhere to fulfilling Service Level Agreements (SLAs) concerning report delivery schedules;
• Conduct rigorous quality control checks to ensure that UWC’s reports within the MIS are balanced and aligned with data from transaction operational processing systems;
• Investigate and resolve data variances comprehensively on a monthly and quarterly basis;
• Provide actionable intelligence to inform the Program Director of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program;
• Stay abreast of the latest business intelligence trends and technologies and suggest improvements for the Business Intelligence related to the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program;
• Compile, together with the Program Director, UWC’s monthly and quarterly reports on business intelligence matters of the Program for submission to the Mastercard Foundation.

Minimum Requirements

Minimum Requirements (Qualification and Experience)

• A relevant bachelor’s degree at NQF 7 level or an Equivalent qualification in any of the following fields: mathematics, statistics, data science, or computer science.
• A minimum of 3 years of recent and relevant work experience in data analysis

The undermentioned would be an added advantage: 

• An honours degree (NQF 8 level) in either statistics, mathematics, computer science, economics, or other quantitative fields.

Required competencies (skills, knowledge, and behavioural attributes):

• Strong understanding of database management systems and ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) framework.
• Proficiency in BI tools (such as SQL, Power BI, Tableau, etc.) and data analytics software.
• Knowledge of statistical methodologies and data analysis techniques.
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• An understanding of student performance data and appropriate analytical methods
• Demonstrate knowledge of the South African and international higher education sector.