Finance and Administration Manager at University of Cape Town

BIOGRIP is a national research infrastructure (RI) that consists of a network of new and existing research laboratories housed in four nodes, each hosted by a South African university. Each node specializes in an aspect of biogeochemical research, with a central hub, based at UCT, that manages and coordinates the Platform. The nodes support both discipline-specific research and larger-scale integrated and interdisciplinary efforts. BIOGRIP is internationally significant in its scope and capacity and will integrate with and support other RI platforms in South Africa.
The Finance and Administration Manager will support the Director and Hub to efficiently manage BIOGRIP financial and administrative processes and systems to achieve its mandate. This is a senior position, and the incumbent will be directly responsible for overall administration and management issues in the Platform. This includes coordination of the general and financial administration, human resource matters and control of financial expenditure. Although the Director is accountable for the decisions made regarding management of BIOGRIP, the intention of this senior position is to free up the Director from many of the administrative functions to allow them to concentrate on leadership and strategic issues.
BIOGRIP invites applications from suitably qualified candidates for the position of Finance and Administration Manager on a 3-year contract for appointment as soon as possible.

Requirements for the job:

•  Relevant NQF level 6 qualification in Accounting, Finance or similar (national diploma or higher).
•  5 years' relevant experience.
•  Strong financial management and project management skills.
•  Excellent monitoring, scheduling and reporting skills with high attention to detail.
•  Good administrative, organizational and planning skills.
•  Experience in using SAP or similar software.
•  Must have strong teamwork and interpersonal skills, especially related to working with stakeholders at different levels.
•  The ability to work flexibly and independently in a higher education research environment.
•  Must have good analytical thinking and problem solving skills.

The following would be advantageous:

•  Further or postgraduate qualifications in finance and/or management.
•  Experience in supervisory skills.
•  Knowledge of UCT financial policies and procedures.
•  Experience with managing research finances.

Responsibilities include:

•  General and Office Administration — oversee and coordinate all administrative processes.
•  Human Resources Administration — coordinate and manage HR processes and assist the Director with the recruitment and appointment of staff.
•  Financial Planning and Budgeting — conduct financial reviewing, planning and budgeting, in conjunction with the
• Director for strategic budgeting, other BIOGRIP staff in project financial planning, and delegating budget preparation to project officers where appropriate.
•  Financial Administration & Management — administer all financial activities, including salaries and procurement processes, monitor income and expenditure, recommend and take action on behalf of the Director, and delegate finance-related tasks to BIOGRIP administrative and research staff as appropriate.
•  Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting — ensure all financial activities are monitored, including delegation of monitoring as appropriate and supervising such delegation, compilation of financial and administrative records, and regular compilation of financial reports for internal and external stakeholders.