Executive Head: Africa Institute of South Africa at HSRC

Minimum Requirements

• A Ph.D. degree in either the social sciences and humanities, or a related field in a relevant subject pertinent to the study of Africa.
• A strong publication record, including books, book chapters and scientific journal articles, several of which must be in international peer-reviewed journals. Conference presentations, opinion pieces and populist writings will not count towards this requirement.
• Fifteen years of collective experience in senior research leadership, people management, stakeholder relations and business management, of which five years should be on the Director or equivalent level, e., at the Associate professor or Professor level.
• Fluency in written and spoken English.

Additional requirements

• Proven ability to mobilise sustainable sources of external funding.
• Good networking skills and experience in working with senior
• Research interests and experience in working on the study of
• A sound grounding and competencies in quantitative and/or qualitative research
• Proven record of leading multidisciplinary research teams and managing budgets.
• Proven record of implementing strategic reforms and institutional transformation imperatives.
• Ability to work well under pressure and deliver to tight deadlines.

Beneficial commendations that will be an added advantage to the application include:

• Fluency in more than one of the major languages spoken on the
• Established networks on the Continent.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Promote knowledge and understanding of Africa through research;
• Perform strategic analysis of the implementation plans for the effective pursuit of the stated African agenda;
• Produce and disseminate information on African affairs and give effective policy advice and implementation support to the South African government’s focus areas in relation to other African governments and intergovernmental organisations;
• Provide institutional coordination and strategic direction on the African research agenda;
• Convene policy dialogues on contemporary questions affecting Africa and its people;
• Facilitate training and mentorship for emerging scholars;
• Foster collaboration with leading social scientists and humanities scholars, policymakers, and practitioners on the Continent, including the establishment and maintenance of strategic partnership arrangements;
• Provide leadership to the AISA team, including sourcing and allocating resources to ensure successful implementation of and performance on the AISA mandate.
• The Executive Head of AISA will drive the strategy, role and structural arrangements, within a clearly articulated organising principle for AISA.  The successful candidate is expected to provide strategic support to the overall management and organisational (i.e. corporate) decision-making process as a member of the HSRC Executive Committee to ensure that the HSRC meets its mandate. The successful incumbent will be an accomplished academic with intellectual and personal integrity, with a mission to serve the Institute and build it to realise its full potential. The role requires hands-on management and leadership of exceptional quality to assert AISA’s role and potential impact internally and externally.