Deputy Director: Undergraduate Bursaries at Stellenbosch University

Duties       
Strategic and operational management

• Providing leadership, management, operational decisions and oversight for the Undergraduate Bursaries and Student Fees Divisions.
• Developing, reviewing, and implementing strategies in response to the evolving bursary and higher education funding environment and keeping up to date with various developments in the educational sector.
• Aligning the Division's operations with the institutional strategy and national financial aid policy frameworks, especially with statutory developments within the higher educational sector.
• Leading change initiatives necessary for smooth operational efficiency and effectiveness of the Department.

Financial systems and oversight

• Managing bursary and student finance cost centres, budgets, and control systems with the appropriate reconciliations of the cost centres at year end.
• Overseeing student financial fees and bursary transactions, including corrections, refunds, rebates, Intellimali payments, and NSFAS and other bursary disbursements, and liaising with the internal auditors and external auditors complying with their enquiries.
• Driving the development and enhancement of bursary and fee-related information systems (e.g. Academia/SUNStudent, etc).
• Coordinating financial reporting to the subcommittees of Council and the Council, and audits (both internal and external), ensuring compliance and accountability in terms of the University's governance framework.

Stakeholder engagement

• Acting as the University's key representative in engagements with NSFAS, bursary and other donors, funding bodies, and national forums (e.g., FAPSA).
• Liaising with faculties, finance, student affairs and administrative departments to ensure integrated financial support for students and staff where necessary.
• Engaging with students, parents and prospective applicants to provide guidance on financial support options.

People management

• Leading and managing a large, diverse team across multiple units.
• Overseeing staff performance management, professional development and succession planning.
• Fostering a culture of collaboration with various stakeholders within the University, creating inclusion and cooperation with high performance.

Technical and advisory functions

• Defining business and technical requirements for financial aid systems in collaboration with IT teams and seeking practical solutions to problem areas withing the Student Finance Division to ease the workflow.
• Providing management information, data analysis, and statistics to inform institutional planning and decision-making to various stakeholders of the University.

Job Requirements    

• Relevant postgraduate qualification (NQF level 8), preferably in accounting, finance, higher education administration, or a related field.
• At least five years' relevant experience in student financial services, bursary administration or financial aid management in higher education or public sector financial aid administration.
• At least three years' in a strategic leadership or senior management role.
• Experience with financial aid systems (e.g. ITS, PeopleSoft, Coltech, Academia/SUNStudent).
• Advanced understanding of bursary/loan funding models, including NSFAS policy and operations, and other bursary donor funding.
• Background in accounting or financial management.
• Familiarity with university governance structures and policymaking.

Recommendation        

• Strong strategic thinking and decision-making abilities.
• Proven track record in change management, team leadership and conflict resolution.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to engage effectively at all levels internally and externally.
• The ability to foster a diverse and inclusive working environment.
• Strategic and operational planning and decision-making for bursaries and student fees.
• Financial oversight and budget management.
• Stakeholder engagement and collaboration relationship management.
• Team leadership, staff engagement and staff development.
• Risk management and governance.
• Policy development and compliance.
• Strong financial acumen and the ability to interpret and analyse complex data and reporting.

Closing Date    
20-Feb-2026