Senior Advisor: IGR and Strategic Relations at South African Local Government Association

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE 

• A relevant Post-graduate qualification at Hons level in Public Relations/Public Admin/Law/Policy, or equivalent field
• At least 7 years’ relevant experience of which at least 3 years have been at an equivalent level within a medium to large sized organisation;
• Sound track record in effectively managing complex and sensitive stakeholder engagements at all levels.
• A Valid Driver’s License and frequent travelling
• Sector Knowledge and an understanding of the policy, legislative and regulatory frameworks governing the sector; and in particular those applying to the LG Sector
• Ability to manage in a broad scoped environment is essential

KEY PORTFOLIO AND PERFORMANCE FOCUS AREAS 

Research and Benchmarking: 

• Conduct analysis on the effectiveness of the IGR Structures in the Province and provide guidance in respect of possible improvements; provide ongoing analysis of the key challenges, needs and trends in area of specialisation, to ensure that local government strategies and programmes are appropriately implemented;
• Under the guidance of the Director of operations conduct and interpret research in area of specialisation and create a learning and sharing platform to improve municipal efficiency in area of specialisation.;
• Be a key repository of knowledge and information on local government and matters relating to the area of specialisation and support the strengthening of municipal profiles in the central repository

Governance, Compliance and Risk Management:

•  Ensure compliance with organisational policies and procedures; Support the identification and mitigation of organisational and operational risks identified in the area of responsibility/ professional discipline; Develop and maintain programme risk register and ensure that mitigation steps are applied; Assign values to risks in order to understand financial implications of risk

Representation at IGR & Other Fora (Lobbying and Advocacy): 

• Represent SALGA and municipalities at various Provincial and sometimes national IGR, governance and other Fora to protect the interests of Local Government; and to disrupt structural form, policy or legislative frameworks, where it hinders municipal performance;
• Understand the national and provincial governance structures of SALGA and the institutional structures of the Sector/ Professional discipline and key role players in the area of specialisation.; Understand Parliamentary and Legislative Processes;
• Provide inputs to and develop content on a number of complex issues relevant to a SALGA position for mandating; Provide inputs on Policy and Legislation relevant to IGR and Strategic Relations; Provide technical support and advice to the Chairs of working groups and facilitate tracking and implementation of resolutions.

Support Advice and Capacity Building:

•  Guide, support and provide professional advice to municipalities in the areas of focus/professional discipline – refer issues of strategic importance to the Provincial Director of Operations; Provide hands-on support to strengthen municipal capacity/ improve programme implementation; Facilitate peer learning sessions in the areas of focus/ professional discipline.

Monitoring and Evaluation: 

• Support the development and implement monitoring and evaluation process to track the progress on implementation of policies, legislative compliance and programmatic implementation in municipalities; Maintain records as per SALGA policy and ensure that all project records are uploaded into the company knowledge management system; Create a high performance ulture on all projects and report on progress against milestones

Programme / Project Management:

• Implement appropriate project management methodologies and disciplines; and manage full project cycle on assigned projects including M&E; Plan and integrate programme roll-out to municipalities; Develop terms of reference for identified programmes; Ensure that projects are implemented against contract specification and payments are based on agreed milestone; Identify spin-off projects and opportunities from the programme

Stakeholder Management: 

• Ensure appropriate and timely communications with all stakeholders; Build partnerships with relevant stakeholders to ensure programme success and to increase SALGA’s capacity to make an impact; Support municipalities with international relations and protocol matters; Create reports to communicate about the programme and provide updates for website Identify key role players to create a link to sustainability and handover of programmes and implementation 

Financial and expense Monitoring: 

• Assist with the preparation of annual budgets and monitoring of the monthly expenditure in area of accountability; Assist in the identification of potential revenue sources in area of responsibility (where applicable) ; Participate in procurement committees as required and adhere to procurement requirements and deadlines for identified programmes; Monitor sponsorship payments according to the contract and track programme implementation against the budget; Actively save costs in the area of responsibility