Director: Monitoring and Institutional Research at University of the Free State

Duties and responsibilities

Leadership: 

• Provide leadership and support to the University’s strategic and institutional planning processes and activities. 
• Oversee the University’s planning processes, including annual performance planning, resource projection, and long-term strategic planning. 
• Provide sound coaching and mentoring to subordinates and University staff in relation to policy and planning processes and activities. 
• Formulate strategic direction and plans for the unit.  
• Represent the unit in DIRAP across university campuses and to the local community.
• Manage and provide leadership in all operational functions of the unit. 
• Provide timely and appropriate advice to university leadership. 
• Lead the development and direct the implementation of strategies and plans for the unit to enable the effective development and delivery of plans. 
• Provide timely monthly reports to the Senior Director: DIRAP and other reports as requested.
• Take responsibility for developing and implementing a budget for the unit as part of the planning and resource allocation process and then manage within it.

Strategic planning:

• Coordinate the formulation of the University’s long-term strategic plan.
• Work closely with senior managers and stakeholders to guide the University's policy and planning programs to support long-range development and strategic initiatives and evaluate institutional effectiveness. 
• Manage the development and implementation of core institutional capabilities to promote sound planning, decision-making, and reporting.

Research: 

• Manage the analysis of university performance and conduct institutional studies, surveys and research as needed.
• Manage the analysis of the directorate’s needs and articulate them in DIRAP and to the University. 

Internal/external reporting:

• Manage the timeous submission of accurate statutory reports to the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), i.e. annual performance plan, mid-year performance report, and annual report.
• Manage the accurate and timely monitoring of institutional performance against the annual performance plan on the HEDAWeb APPM (Higher Education Data Analyzer Web Annual Performance Plan Module) dashboards with other DIRAP units.
• Manage stakeholder collaboration in producing planning documents and performance reports.
• Manage the monitoring and improvement of the uptake and impact of planning documents and performance reports.

Ad hoc: 

• Manage tasks delegated by the Senior Director’s Office.  
• Manage other tasks or responsibilities that arise spontaneously in MIR.

Personal development:

• Keep abreast of new higher education regulations to ensure institutional compliance.  
• Participate in the activities of relevant professional associations. 

Inherent Job Requirements

• A Master’s degree on NQF Level 9.
• A minimum of eight (8) years relevant experience in areas indicated in the duties and responsibilities, of which five (5) years must have been in a managerial and strategic leadership position.
• Experience in strategic and operational planning and execution.
• Experience in a university or similar environment.

Recommendations

• Deep knowledge of South African higher education planning and reporting regulations.
• Comprehensive understanding of social science research methodologies and research ethics.
• Strong publication record demonstrating research capability.
• Advanced project management and strategic planning abilities.
• Proficiency in data analysis and reporting tools, including Microsoft Office programs.
• Financial management skills for budget development and resource allocation.
• Leadership and stakeholder management skills for coordinating across multiple university departments and external organisations.