Stakeholder Relationship and Language Courses Manager at University of the Witwatersrand

Minimum Requirements

Academic Qualification/s

• A minimum of an M+5 qualifications preferably a master’s degree or equivalent qualifications in linguistics and education, TESOL, or related field.Work experience.
• At least 2 years’ experience in stakeholder management.
• At least 5 years’ experience of adult education.
• At least 2 years’ experience in language education management, including course design and curriculum development.
• Organizational Skills: Manage multiple projects and priorities while keeping stakeholders informed.
• Excellent Communication: Ability to articulate ideas and concepts clearly in verbal and written formats.
• Interpersonal Skills: Strong relationship-building skills to foster trust and loyalty.
• The following are considered to be an advantage:
• 5-10 years of work-related experience.
• Master’s degree in linguistics and education NQF 9, TESOL, or related field.
• Knowledge of SETA structures, environments and requirements.
• Further training in assessment, e-learning, and instructional design.
• Excellent analytical skills, with the ability to interpret data and make evidence-based decisions.
• Negotiation Skills: Skilled in negotiating terms, agreements, and solutions that benefit all parties involved.
• TESOL: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages; TEFL: Teaching English as a Foreign Language; CELTA: Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults.

Key Responsibilities:

Stakeholder Engagement / Management and Sustainability of Course Offerings

• Provide assistance to address current stakeholders’ interests, needs, and concerns.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders across various faculties, schools, corporate, and public sector.
• Represent Wits Plus in corporate and public sector client meetings and SETA inquiries and assume responsibility for managing client expectations and negotiating project deliverables and timelines.
• Formulate proposals, costings, and project plans for corporate and government projects, including managing the collation and submission of all related documents throughout the project.
• Assist in various business development activities to drive growth and expansion.
• Work with the Wits Plus team to ensure that projects are managed and supervised and manage the preparation and dissemination of progress reports to clients.
• Oversee collation of data required to make informed, strategic decisions
• Review industry trends related to market needs, resources, and development.
• Examine data related to possible new course offerings and conduct detailed competitor analyses to establish feasibility/need/gap for potential new offerings.
• Support all units in Wits Plus as requested by the line manager, ensuring cross-functional collaboration.

Course Design, Resources, and use of Materials

• Manage the development of course material to industry standards and changes and/or align course material to unit standards or frameworks where available.
• Monitor the clarity and relevancy of course objectives and syllabus, considering developments in teaching practice and student feedback.
• Identify and recommend appropriate teaching staff, participate in selected components of the induction/training of such staff.
• Select, review, and circulate appropriate teaching materials.
• Identify, select, and facilitate access to a range of high-quality supplementary resources for staff and students.
• Design/provide/advise facilitators (depending on the course) on an effective framework for student’s needs analysis and continuous assessment in line with Wits university requirements.
• Implement the M&E framework and teacher induction in line with Wits University and Wits Plus frameworks and resources.
• Maintain and expand a suitable resource bank that is accessible to all teaching staff.
• Identify arising needs in courses and materials used and ensure all required admin for approval of new courses is done.

Quality Assurance

• Monitor the performance of all facilitators and materials used in the various courses, assessment processes, and communication, including reviews of student feedback in accordance with the University’s M&E Framework for Short Courses.
• Monitor, evaluate, and report on delivery of course offerings as and where required in accordance with the University’s M&E Framework for Short Courses.
• Oversee/delegate/monitor (depending on course) effective and appropriate moderation of assessments during courses.
• Review student feedback and self- reporting mechanisms and recommend improvement of course delivery and learning process.

Communication

• Responsible for the development of positive working relationships with internal and external service providers, customers and students built on trust, ethical conduct, quality and integrity.
• Develop communication strategies that promote transparency and keep stakeholders informed of progress, and developments.