Specialist: Stakeholder Relations and Advocacy at Auditor-General of South Africa

Requirement Overview

The purpose of the role is to establish and maintain strategic relationships with relevant stakeholders that will enable engagement and advocacy that leads to culture change. Identify and secure opportunities for engagement with AGSA leaders that activates stakeholders to be part of the solutions. Furthermore to persuade stakeholders to be advocates of the AGSA messages and advocate for culture change in the public sector. The incumbent will be expected to effectively and efficiently activate and report on the key role players in the accountability ecosystem. The incumbent will also be responsible for managing the key risk and ensure an achievement of the AGSA strategic goals

Roles & Responsibilities

Strategic Function: Environmental Scanning

•     Identify and build strategic relationships with stakeholders to enable informed engagements with the AGSA.
•     Develop and provide strategic written advise on the implementation of stakeholder strategy with outline on identified potential threats, opportunities and problem solving approach
•     Analyse and manage stakeholder interests and requirements and provide a report that will inform stakeholder strategy and plan
•     Perform an analysis and report on the monthly and quarterly environmental scanning by ABU’s to elevate key influence insights, opportunities or threats to the AGSA – this to include the whole accountability ecosystem.
•     Conduct research on the key external stakeholders to understand their unique needs and challenges in order to develop and influence engagement strategy.
•     Advise the BUs and other relevant AGSA structures of any significant role player developments or issues identified in the context of the stakeholder environment in order to feed through to BUL level where necessary.
•     Monitor and alert management of threats and opportunities from national or international trends in legislative, political, social and economic factors that may impact on the AGSA’s mandate.
•    Facilitating clear and transparent communication between the organisation and its stakeholders/ role players. This includes managing communication channels, developing communication strategies, and ensuring that stakeholders receive timely and relevant information.
•    Seek partnership opportunities to promote the work of AGSA and advocate for involvement on AGSA’s work.
•    Identify stakeholder engagement risks and propose initiatives and mitigations for leadership
•    Foster effective stakeholder relations through stakeholder mapping, developing, and implementing programmes to position AGSA as a strategic stakeholder in the accountability ecosystem.
•   Advocate for conversations both with private and public bodies that are intended at finding solutions to negative audit outcomes as part of influence goal across the accountability ecosystem
•   Review and monitoring of key stakeholder activities, processes and any external factors to keep up to date with any developments impacting on stakeholder management
•  Tracking of the utilisation of all AGSA reports by oversight mechanisms (e.g. committees of legislatures and municipal councils).
•  Cooperation with and support to central AGSA business units in relation to information required for other AGSA general / special reports, or to support the development and implementation of AGSA stakeholder interaction policies and procedures.

Product Management

•    Produce quarterly stakeholder influence reports on initiatives, needs and requirements to measure progress and propose initiatives for the next quarter.  
•   In line with targeted stakeholders on an annual basis, develop a quarterly engagement plan to support influence initiatives of the organisation and drive its implementation.
•   Promoting and coordinating the implementation and compliance of AGSA stakeholder interaction policies & procedures within the BU
•   Update the policies and procedures in relation to any developments in the area of stakeholder interactions
•   Ensure alignment of stakeholder management policies and procedures with other AGSA policies
•  Produce presentations for engagement driving messages and notes that leaders should use for engagement

Assistance with audit risks and general report or any other audit report

•   Identify audit risks and compile a report that will inform audit BUs of actions required.  
•  Collect relevant stakeholder information required for the compilation of the general report
•  Tracking of the utilisation of all AGSA reports by oversight bodies (e.g. committees of legislatures and municipal councils)
• Cooperation with and support to AGSA business units in relation to information required for other AGSA general / special reports, or to support the development and implementation of AGSA stakeholder interaction policies and procedures.

Management Information System Analysis

•  Gather, analyse and synthesise project information captured on MIS and make relevant recommendations on behalf of the BU
•  Update the MIS with relevant information after interaction with own key stakeholders

Stakeholder Management

    Facilitate the implementation of the influence policy and procedures.

•     Provide guidance for SLM induction to activate the accountability eco-system.
•     Facilitate content-creation sessions for national, provincial legislatures and council capacitation sessions.
•     Facilitate engagement with government and its structures, parliament and non-constitutional stakeholders.
•    Assisting with guidance on specific stakeholder changes – eg dealing with disagreements, managing change to SLM’s.
•  Coordinate and consolidate information on activities to activate the accountability ecosystem. Including reporting templates for specific information to be submitted. This to be done in a coordinated and cost-effective way.
•    Coordinating BU stakeholder interactions and key events, including liaison with respect to and reporting on stakeholder interactions.
•   Engage with all relevant internal stakeholders to identify challenges or opportunities where action is lacking in order to ensure that we activate all role players in the accountability ecosystem strategically support parliamentary committees in strengthening the oversight.
•  Secure opportunities and advocate for AGSA messages in various platforms both public and in meetings.
•    Liaison with key identified external stakeholders in order to provide the BU with timely, accurate and complete information about stakeholder needs, requests and activities
•    Provide support to the BU with regard to interaction with those charged with governance and oversight in all three spheres of government in relation to optimal utilisation of AGSA reports (including feedback on the user-friendliness of AGSA reports)
•    Support and preparation of leaders in engagements with external stakeholders.
•    Engage with all relevant internal stakeholders to identify gaps or opportunities in terms of stakeholder engagements
•   Provide monthly feedback reports on the challenges experienced in implementing stakeholder management strategy and policies

People Management

•    Manage own performance to drive productivity.
•    Participate in the business unit transformation and culture plans.
•   Review the work of peers assisting in the execution of work.
•  Provide support to the management team with regard to centre management and other people-related tasks.

Financial management and operational management

•   Contribute to the compilation of centre budget and manage project expenditure related to functional area.
•   Ensure compliance to AGSA policies and procedures.
•  Ensure compliance with internal processes and procedures.
•  Manage supply chain processes within scope of work.

Other responsibilities (Applicable to All JD’s)

• Perform and/or manage other projects, tasks and assignments not stipulated on the Job description as and when required.

Skills, Experience & Education

Formal Education

• A minimum requirement of a degree in communications, marketing or public relations, political or social science

Experience

• Minimum of six years’ experience in a relevant field:
•   Experience in stakeholder liaison and client relationship management
•  Knowledge and understanding of the work of government and legislatures