Senior Management Assistant A - Office of the Dean - Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at University of Pretoria/Universiteit van Pretoria

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The incumbent will be responsible for:

• Providing professional secretarial and administrative support to the Dean:
• Managing the reception desk in the Office of the Dean and receiving any guests;
• Managing the diary of the Dean, and the itinerary of the Dean for travel arrangements, including flight and accommodation reservations, visa requirements, etc.;
• Answering incoming calls and take messages as required;
• Drafting of correspondence;
• Compiling a list of significant campus events / related communication and present the list to the Dean on a monthly basis;
• Compiling the annual calendar for the Faculty and the Office of the Dean;
• Arranging meetings with external stakeholders, e.g. principals of schools, embassy representatives, etc., including venue bookings and ordering/organising refreshments;
• Supporting the work of the Dean in a virtual space and create a welcoming virtual office environment;
• Providing project, secretariat, and financial administration support:
• Sourcing quotations for general supplies and venue reservations;
• Placing orders on the system (PeopleSoft) and arranging corresponding payments as required;
• Following up on, processing and submitting invoices and claims for payment;
• Uploading and settle travel advance;
• Serving as secretariat for monthly HOD meetings and management meetings when necessary;
• Sourcing, preparing, typing, compiling, and distributing documents to be tabled
• Compiling minutes of the meetings and manage follow-up and feedback to participants;
• Assisting with the co-ordination of meetings/functions, especially online management of meetings and events;
• Scheduling regular meetings with the Dean, Faculty Manager and Deputy-Deans and co-ordinate decisions made in various committees (e.g. assigned tasks and next steps);
• Breaking projects into doable tasks and setting timeframes;
• Creating and updating workflows and track progress;
• Co-ordinating Events Co-ordination, Liaison, Marketing and Communication:
• Handling general enquiries, including managing the dedicated email accounts in the Dean’s Office;
• Liaising with the offices of the Executives and Senior Management at the University, including academic and support service departments, both at the University and at other institutions;
• Uploading and drafting social media communications from the office of the Dean to Faculty communication channels, as necessary;
• Providing input into the drafting of Dean’s messages for Faculty publications. 
• Working closely with Faculty Chief Marketing and Communication Officers in the dissemination of information;
• Managing functions and events of the Deans Office;           
• Assisting with the execution of campus events such as Inaugural Lectures, Open Days, Recognition of Achievement functions, and Dean's Merit List functions in liaison with the Faculty Chief Marketing Officer;
• Assisting with the co-ordination of high-profile events hosted on campus, such as for international visitors and funders, in liaison with the Faculty Chief Marketing Officer.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• Relevant National 3-year Diploma with at least three (3) years’ relevant experience in office administration/management, secretarial work, financial administration and events management; OR
• Grade 12 with at least five (5) years’ relevant experience in office administration/management, secretarial work, financial administration, and events management.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES (SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND BEHAVIOURAL ATTRIBUTES):

• Experience in the running of the office of a senior manager;
• Knowledge and experience of the ERP system;
• Knowledge and experience of protocol and etiquette procedures when receiving visitors;
• Experience in drafting correspondence;
• Project administration;
• Experience in a wide range of online virtual conferencing platforms such as Google Meet, Zoom, MS Office Teams.

ADDED ADVANTAGES AND PREFERENCES:

• Relevant Bachelor’s Degree;
• Experience within a tertiary or academic environment and a discipline within a faculty.