Divisional Manager Application Support at The National Student Financial Aid Scheme

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Policy, Systems and Procedure Implementation

• Development, monitoring, and management of the NSFAS policy(ies), guidelines, and procedures across multiple operations department disciplines in line with the student-centric model.
• Manage the processes of the applications and evaluations, appeals, disability, student account management and exceptions to maximise the student experience.
• Manage the maximisation of student expectations with the NSFAS applications support programmes.
• Manage the stakeholder challenges that emanate from the applications support value chain.
• Manage and develop instruments to track the implementation of the ongoing applications support programmes.
• Develop the overall student funding value chain and ensure our processes are student centric.

Core Strategic/Operations Objectives Implementation

• Lead and manage the implementation of the applications support strategic plans.
• Lead and manage the implementation of the key performance indicators (KPIs) and operational plans of the unit.
• Lead and manage the maintenance of business processes and procedures that verifies data integrity across the subunits of applications support.

People Management & Ethical Leadership

• Manage and/or delegate participation in the recruitment and selection of unit vacancies in line with EE targets.
• Delegate applications support programmes to relevant subunits for implementation.
• Lead and manage the unit team to achieve the set and agreed programmes.
• Direct, inspire, coach and mentor subordinates to deliver quality programmes in line with NSFAS Values
• Lead and manage the individual performance contracting and review process for subunits.
• Lead and manage all disciplinary matters of subunits related to performance and conduct issues.

Stakeholder Management & Relationships

• Oversee the utilisation and implementation of the applications support policies, processes, efficiency channels and databases to resolve stakeholder queries and complaints.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to enable the successful resolution of applications support programmes.
• Manage and delegate the sharing of accurate and reliable data and information to ongoing student support units and institutions of higher learning for the smooth student experience.
• Manage the publication and updating of the details of NSFAS application support.

Project Management & Leadership

• Manage and supervise the projects to address identified needs as per the Applications support strategy.
• Analyse and interpret project reports on completion of the project to evaluate return on investment and to inform decision-making in the unit.

Budget Optimisation

• Forecast for unit core administration activities and projects.
• Expenditure in line with core activities and projects
• Manage payment of applications support service providers in line with institutions verified registration details.
• Review and recommend the applications support payments and recover any overpayments

Compliance Monitoring and Evaluation

• Lead and manage the plans and processes of verification, compliance, registration, and deregistration data to support the mandate of the student account management.
• Lead and manage the plans and processes that support the implementation of identified key controls and established risk mitigation procedures.
• Analyse and improve the audit, risk, and compliance outlook.
• Lead and manage the implementation audit plan.

Information and Knowledge Management

• Collaborate with stakeholders 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 and Accountability

• Report on, on unit strategic KPIs progress; on the unit operational plan progress; on strategic stakeholders’ issues and interventions management; on internal and external audit and risk; and on any other work in the mandate of the ongoing student support unit.

DESIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Minimum requirements:

• NQF Level 8 qualification in Commerce, Legal, Business Administration, Information Systems, or related fields
• 10 Years’ experience in the general various operations units of which 5 should be at the senior management level.
• Driver’s License
• Advanced project management skill
• Data Analysis
• Presentation skills
• Stakeholder Relations skills
• Computer literacy – Intermediate MS Package Suite
• Advanced Knowledge of the higher education sector
• Working experience in application management programmes.

Preferred

• NQF Level 9 qualification in Commerce, Legal, Business Administration, Information Systems, or related fields
• 15 Years’ experience in the general operations of which 10 should be at the management level in the higher education sector