Land Reform Specialist REF NO: 3/1/1/1/2026/245 at Department of Land Reform and Rural Development

REQUIREMENTS :

• Minimum requirements: Applicants must be in possession of a Grade 12 Certificate and a LLB or Bachelor of Commerce in Law. Minimum of 3 years’ experience in the relevant filed. A valid driver’s licence.
• Job related knowledge: Knowledge of contract management. Knowledge of public service management framework. Knowledge of policy development.
• Job related skills: Communication (verbal and written). Facilitation and presentation. Financial management. Team management. Conflict management. Problem solving. People management. Computer literacy (Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project). 

DUTIES :

• Conduct quality assurance of submissions for legal compliance. Review and assess submissions enroute to National Land Acquisition and Allocation Control Committee (NLAACC) and joint venture agreements, for legal and policy compliance. Conduct verification that supporting documentation is complete and legally sufficient. Verify alignment of agreements with applicable legislation, departmental policies, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Identify legal, financial, governance, and operational risks contained in agreements and recommend corrective actions. Prepare quality assurance reports with recommendations to correct deficiencies or achieve compliance for management approval. Monitor implementation of quality assurance recommendations. Provide technical advice on compliance and contract management matters. Manage, analyse, investigate, and report on enquiries relating to complaints.
• Receive, register, and acknowledge complaints and enquiries relating to Strategic Institutional Partnerships and land reform projects. Conduct preliminary assessments and determine the nature and severity of complaints. Gather and analyse relevant information, reports, agreements, and supporting documentation to identify root causes of disputes, complaints, and implementation challenges. Conduct investigations through stakeholder consultations, interviews, and site visits where necessary.
• Determining the legal, regulatory, and policy framework applicable to each matter. Draft investigation reports with findings, conclusions, and recommendations. Maintain accurate reports of complaints and case outcomes. Provide advisory support to provinces regarding complaint management processes.
• Manage informal dispute resolution processes. Receive and assess disputes. Facilitate engagement sessions between beneficiaries, strategic partners, communities, landowners, and government stakeholders. Identify and analyse causes of conflicts arising from partnership agreements and project implementation.
• Mediate and negotiate amicable resolutions to disputes before escalation to formal legal processes. Develop dispute resolution strategies and action plans. Ensure all parties are informed of their rights, roles, and obligations. Draft settlement agreements and record outcomes of mediation processes. Monitor compliance with agreed resolutions and remedial actions. Escalate unresolved matters through appropriate governance and legal channels.
• Prepare and maintain records and reports on disputes managed and resolved. Promote stakeholder relations and collaborative problem-solving approaches. Development of policy and operational documents. Research and analyse policy gaps, implementation challenges, and emerging trends affecting Strategic Institutional Partnerships. Draft, review, and update policies, frameworks, guidelines, SOPs, terms of reference, templates, and operational manuals.
• Conduct benchmarking exercises against best practices and legislative requirements. Facilitate stakeholder consultations during policy development processes. Incorporate legal, governance, financial, and operational considerations into policy documents. Prepare policy submissions, concept documents, discussion papers, and implementation plans. Develop monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for policy implementation.
• Coordinate policy approval processes and stakeholder engagements. Review existing policies and recommend amendments where necessary. Provide technical support and guidance on policy interpretation and implementation. Training and capacitating provinces through workshops. Identify training and capacity-building needs within provincial and district offices. Develop training materials, presentations, manuals, toolkits, and guidelines.
• Facilitate workshops on land acquisition SOP, land allocation SOP, policy implementation and joint venture agreements. Conduct awareness sessions on legislative and policy developments. Provide technical support and mentoring to provincial officials. Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of training interventions.
• Prepare workshop reports and recommendations for continuous improvement. Coordinate stakeholder participation and logistics for workshops. Build institutional capacity through knowledge sharing and best practice dissemination. Prepare and maintain reports on the outcomes.