Programme Coordinator: Postgraduate Research at The South African College of Applied Psychology (SACAP)

The Programme Coordinator: Postgraduate Research (PC: PR) should be fuelled by a sense of the critical role which Higher Education plays in South Africa and the importance of responsible scholarship within this context. SACAP’s Programme Coordinator: Postgraduate Research (PC: PR) should be committed to the highest standards of academic integrity as well as professional and ethical conduct in all activities.

The Programme Coordinator: Postgraduate Research (PC: PR) should be familiar with all new developments within the discipline of Psychology and their application to postgraduate research practices at SACAP.

Responsibilities:

The Programme Coordinator: Postgraduate Research will be responsible for the following areas:

Coordination of BPsych, BPsych Equivalent, and BSocSci Hons (Psychology) research on the Cape Town Campus:

• Assist the Head of Postgraduate and Professional Programme Management, if needed, in recruiting appropriate research supervisors
• Coordination of research topics or areas of interest and module launch
• Pairing students with appropriate supervisors, based on topics/areas of interest
• Teaching research workshops as part of the Research Thesis Module, if required
• Ongoing coordination of the module
• Set and review indicators to monitor research execution to ensure adherence to module and ethics requirements
• Act as a specific point of contact for all campus specific research related matters, queries, enquiries and concerns
• Work closely with the Head of Postgraduate & Professional Programme Management in addressing any concerns or challenges throughout the research process
• Coordination of the Research Colloquium, grading, and moderation

Scientific Review Committee (SRC) Administration and Management:

• Assist the Head of Postgraduate & Professional Programme Management with the administrative tasks related to SRC for all campuses

Module Amendments and Exam Quality Assurance:

• When needed, assist the Academic Programme Developer and/or Head of Faculty with the ongoing development and amendment of the BPsych, BPsych Equivalent and BSocSci Hons (Psychology) Research Thesis modules as requested by the ADP and/or HoF, including finalising the textbook list with Academic Programme Developer/Librarian term-on-term
• Assist the HoF with the quality assurance of examinations for the BPsych, BPsych Equivalent and BSocSciHons research programmes

Teaching and/or Supervision:

• Teach all Research Thesis modules on the Cape Town Campus
• Supervise at least one group of Cape Town Campus students in the Research Thesis Module

Career workshop & additional academic initiatives:

• Drive the annual coordination of additional research related workshops at SACAP
• In collaboration with Head of Postgraduate & Professional Programme Management, develop a programme and source guest speakers for research related workshops, when required
• Organise invitations, RSVPS, and other logistical arrangements as necessary.
• Coordinate additional academic initiatives and forums, such as Postgraduate and Faculty Seminars/Presentations on each campus
• In collaboration with Head of Postgraduate & Professional Programme Management, invite guest speakers to address students and educators on topical areas related to research

Marketing and Stakeholder Engagement:

• Stakeholder engagement and development of the Academic profile of SACAP

General:

• Compliance with regular reporting and providing statistics as and when requested
• Assist with PC process design, and policy development
• Attendance at academic meetings, management/operational meetings etc
• Take an active role in all campus events including but not limited to Open day, Festival of Learning, Orientation, Educator meetings, Graduation
• Be evidence-based in initiatives and track outcomes.
• Analyse and evaluate the effectiveness of the programmes and develop new methods aimed at greater success
• Take an active role in continuing the relationship with alumni
• Responsible for quality assurance in the delivery of the postgraduate research programmes and works closely with the Head of Postgraduate & Professional Programme Management in ensuring high standards are adhered to
• Working alongside student support and development to ensure student retention, progression and throughput of the students in these cohorts

The role will report directly to the Head of Postgraduate and Professional Programme Management.

Qualifications and Experience:

• A minimum of a Master’s (Psychology) degree in research
• An interest in Higher Education and academic research
• Strong leadership competencies
• At least 3 years teaching and/or supervision experience in Higher Education and/or a professional organisation

Skills:

• Communication skills
• Leadership potential & demonstrated maturity
• Strong administrative & organizational skills
• Skills for learning design and ability to develop and refine module materials
• Advanced presentation, supervision & teaching skills

Personal Attributes:

• Committed to working toward attaining excellence
• Detail & results orientated
• Methodological & analytical
• Critical thinker
• Systematic
• Team player
• Problem solver
• Person centred
• Enthusiasm in developing self & others
• Ethical