Senior Assistant Officer (Post Level 12) at University of the Free State

Duties and responsibilities:

• Assistance to the Academic Head of Department
• Manage the diary and electronic diary of the Academic Head of Department.
• Assist the Academic Head of Department as needed.

General Office Management and Administration

• General office management and administration.
• Manage the general telephone and email line to the department, handle email and other correspondence, manage queries, and distribute information. 
• Order and distribute office supplies (stationery, consumables, cleaning materials) and manage wastepaper. 
• Supervise the cleanliness and general neatness of the building and lecture venues and liaise with cleaning staff. 
• Arrange meetings, functions, venues, and catering. 
• Submit and manage service requests (including reporting faults, repair work, and general maintenance).
• Arrange travel and accommodation arrangements (national and international) for staff members and visitors/guest speakers.
• Coordinate postal and courier requirements. 
• Facilitate security measures within the department.
• Manage allocation of venues within the department. 

Financial Administration

• Manage financial matters in collaboration with the Head of Department.
• Submit employee claims, ad hoc claims, and F1 forms, and job requests.
• Handle all purchases and orders via university requisitions.
• Monitor all entities of the department and prepare financial statements.
• Perform general administrative support, including obtaining quotations, obtaining electronic requisitions, and finalising all purchases, as well as all other departmental claims.
• Assist academic staff in managing payments to and from their entities.
• Assist academic staff as needed.

Academic Administration

• Manage enquiries related to the academic programmes.
• Assist students with arrangements regarding student registration, uniforms, and photos.
• Manage the timetables of the academic programmes.
• Capture student marks on the UFS systems and handle the administration pertaining to these.
• Compile and finalise documentation for students applying for overseas registration, including describing the curriculum as well as the number of hours spent on each module.
• Liaise with presenters of courses presented within the department.
• Coordinate and format examination and test question papers in the department and hand in the examination question papers at the examination division.
• Liaise with external examiners (invitations, flight tickets, accommodation, and payment).
• Organise test and practical invigilation as necessary.
• Maintain postgraduate progress reports.
• Manage the departmental book collection and student photocopy requests.

Research Administration

• Assist with logistics pertaining to research projects as required.
• Assist academic staff with research finances.
• Assist academic staff with the capturing of information on the Research Information Management System (RIMS).

Inherent requirements:

• A Bachelor’s degree or an Advanced Diploma/B.Tech degree/Postgraduate Certificate on NQF Level 7 or a 3-year National Diploma on NQF Level 6 in Office Management/Administration or a related field. 
• A minimum of one (1) year’s relevant working experience related to the duties and responsibilities.

Recommendations:

• Experience with the UFS financial, academic (PeopleSoft), and research (RIMS) systems.
• Experience within the higher education sector/ environment.
• Knowledge of university policies and procedures
• Understanding of staff management and leadership.