Senior Institutional Advisor: Academic Staff Development (P6) (Division for Teaching Excellence: Centre for Academic Staff Development) at University of Johannesburg

Job Description:

• To provide leadership, thought leadership, and specialist advisory direction for academic staff development and curriculum innovation across the University. The incumbent will be responsible for ensuring the provision of forward-thinking, evidence- informed, and pedagogically sound staff development strategies that promote academic staff capability, curriculum reform, teaching and learning excellence, and institutional resilience in a rapidly evolving, AI-enabled higher education landscape.
• The incumbent will lead the development and implementation of integrated academic staff development frameworks and initiatives aligned to the University's strategic goals, the student experience and success agenda, transformation imperatives, and national higher education policy and quality assurance requirements, with a particular focus on the integration of generative and agentic AI into teaching, learning and assessment practice.
• This is a senior, specialist role for an individual capable of advanced conceptual thinking and strategic foresight, working closely with the Director: CASD to scan global developments, guide institutional and staff development strategy, and lead high-impact initiatives that embed world-class, AI-enabled learning and teaching practice across faculties and disciplines. The successful incumbent will complement the ongoing capacitation of CASD's existing team, ensuring the University remains forward-thinking, strategically positioned, and a recognised leader in the responsible and pedagogically sound use of AI in higher education.

Responsibilities:

• Develop, implement, evaluate and review staff development activities that capacitate academic and professional support staff to guide curriculum development and enhancement, including the integration of AI and emerging digital technologies and the complexities of assessment in AI-enabled environments.
• Contribute at a strategic level to joint DTE-faculty efforts to drive curricula that equip students with future-oriented skills.
• Design targeted interventions that are rapid, repeatable, scalable and sufficiently granular to meet differentiated discipline, department and faculty needs, particularly for technology and AI-enhanced teaching, learning and assessment practices.
• Articulate appropriate pedagogical approaches and provide staff development activities for digitally enabled teaching and learning, aligned with UJ's strategic goals (Education, Purposeful, Collaborative).
• Collaborate with the Centre for Academic Technologies (CAT) and faculties to ensure UJ Digital offerings deliver an excellent student learning experience through well-designed online, blended and AI-supported environments.
• Design, develop and participate in the Design and Online Development Collab (a prerequisite for UJ Digital programmes), including incorporating AI-enabled pedagogical and design approaches.
• Conceptualise, capacitate and operationalise online / AI-intelligent tutoring and learning support systems.
• Teach on and support Short Learning Programmes (SLPs) that build academic staff capability in digital and AI- enhanced teaching practice, with a view to extending these to the public.
• Monitor national policy, quality assurance requirements and emerging frameworks relating to AI in higher education, ensuring UJ's readiness to comply with the Higher Education Practice Standards and the University's Quality Assurance Framework (2021).
• Support the Centre's broader portfolio and contribute to succession and capacity planning within CASD.
• Manage CASD Staff.

Minimum requirements

• A relevant Masters (NQF 9) qualification in Higher Education, Education, or a cognate field;
• A minimum of five (5) years' relevant experience in academic staff development, higher education pedagogy, or curriculum development, including experience at a senior or strategic level.
• Demonstrated expertise in AI and digital education, including AI-enhanced pedagogy, assessment design, and online/blended learning.
• A strong record of scholarly and/or professional output in teaching and learning, staff development, or educational technology (e.g. publications, frameworks, or nationally/internationally recognised initiatives).
• Proven ability to design and lead institution-wide staff development programmes and strategic initiatives.
• Sound knowledge of national higher education policy and quality assurance frameworks (e.g. CHE, SAQA, DHET, Higher Education Practice Standards).
• Excellent conceptual, analytical, and strategic planning skills, with the ability to anticipate and respond to emerging developments in higher education.
• Strong facilitation, communication and collaborative skills, with experience working across faculties and professional divisions.

Recommendations:

• Experience designing or leading online or learning-support systems.
• A relevant Doctorate (NQF 10) qualification in Higher Education, Education, or a cognate field.
• Experience with the Design and Online Development Collab or comparable online programme design processes.
• A track record of developing Short Learning Programmes (SLPs) or public-facing professional development offerings.
• Familiarity with UJ Digital or equivalent institutional online learning platforms.
• Experience contributing to or authoring institutional policy, quality assurance submissions, or accreditation documentation.
• Evidence of thought leadership in the responsible and pedagogically sound use of AI in higher education, e.g. through conference presentations, published frameworks, or advisory roles.

Competencies and Behavioural Attributes:

• Exemplary personal qualities of integrity, sound judgment, energy, wisdom and accommodative interpersonal skills.
• Excellent written, oral and electronic communication skills, and proven ability to write high level proposals and reports; and
• High-level writing and computing skills.

Deadline:21st August,2026