Vice-Principal: Institutional Innovation, Planning and Resources Management at University of Pretoria/Universiteit van Pretoria

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategic Leadership: Institutional Planning and Strategy

• Assist the Vice-Chancellor and Principal with the development of the institution’s strategic plan and manage the implementation thereof.
• Provide executive leadership in the formulation, articulation, implementation, and periodic review of the University’s long-term strategic plan, institutional operating plans, and strategic frameworks.
• Translate strategic priorities into measurable objectives, milestones, and deliverables across faculties and support divisions.
• Guide scenario planning and long-range forecasting to support institutional resilience and adaptability.
• Manage and monitor the implementation of institutional planning through the following: Institutional Research, Data Management Services, Quality Enhancement, Academic Planning, and Annual Performance Planning.
• Lead institutional annual performance plans (APPs), including quarterly and mid-term reports.
• Lead the strategic planning processes (analysis, strategy formulation, strategy execution and evaluation).

Strategic Foresight, Innovation, and Institutional Positioning

• Provide executive leadership in institutional foresight, horizon scanning, and long-term trend analysis to anticipate shifts in higher education, funding models, technology, labour markets, and student demand.
• Lead structured future-focused planning processes, including scenario development and stress-testing, to inform strategic and resource decisions.
• Guide innovation in planning, resource models, and institutional operating approaches to enhance agility and competitiveness (e.g., Transdisciplinary structures & proper digitalisation roll-out).
• Support Executive Management and Council in positioning the University of Pretoria strategically within the national, continental, and global higher education ecosystem.
• Advise Executive Management on reputation-related strategic risks and interventions.
• Provide strategic oversight of institutional sustainability and environmental responsibility initiatives.
• Ensure sustainability considerations are embedded in infrastructure planning, resource allocation, and long-term strategy.

Resource Planning, Allocation and Management

• Providing strategic direction through integrated planning and resource allocation to ensure the achievement of the strategic objectives of UP.
• Lead the development and oversight of integrated resource planning frameworks encompassing financial, human, infrastructure, space, and digital resources.
• Provide executive leadership in the development and implementation of an integrated resource planning and management framework covering financial, human, infrastructure, space, digital, and academic resources.
• Ensure that resource planning is explicitly linked to institutional strategy, academic priorities, enrolment plans, research growth, transformation objectives, and student success outcomes.
• Lead the design, review, and refinement of transparent and equitable resource allocation models that balance sustainability, performance, redress, and strategic investment.
• Oversee the prioritisation and allocation of resources across faculties and support divisions, ensuring optimal utilisation, efficiency, and impact.
• Promote responsible stewardship, accountability, and value-for-money in the use of institutional and public resources.
• Support institutional agility by enabling the reallocation or reprioritisation of resources in response to emerging risks, opportunities, or changes in the higher education environment.

Financial Sustainability, Resources Mobilisation and Stewardship

• Provide strategic leadership in ensuring the long-term financial sustainability of the University within a constrained and evolving higher education funding environment.
• Contribute to the development and oversight of multi-year financial strategies, medium-term expenditure frameworks, and long-range financial forecasts aligned to institutional priorities.
• Work closely with the Executive Director: Finance and Business Initiatives and executive leadership to align budgeting processes, financial plans, and resource allocation with the University’s strategic objectives.
• Support and guide revenue diversification initiatives, including enrolment-driven income optimisation, third-stream income, partnerships, and strategic investments. 
• Support informed decision-making by providing financial analyses, scenario modelling, and risk assessments to the Executive, Council, and relevant committees in liaison with the Executive Director: Finance and Business Initiatives. 
• Promote a culture of financial sustainability, transparency, and shared accountability across the University.

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Provide executive leadership in strengthening portfolio governance systems to support effective oversight, accountability, and strategic decision-making.
• Support Council, Senate, Council committees, and Executive structures through the provision of high-quality strategic analyses, planning reports, and institutional performance insights.
• Lead and coordinate strategic risk management processes in the portfolio, including the identification, assessment, mitigation, and monitoring of the risks (strategic, financial, operational, reputational, and compliance-related).
• Provide portfolio leadership in alignment between institutional strategy, governance frameworks, policies, and delegated authority structures.
• Ensure that risk considerations are fully integrated into institutional planning, innovation, resource allocation, and major investment decisions.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Data Analysis and Integrity, Institutional Performance Management, and HEMIS 

• Provide executive leadership in the design, implementation, and continuous refinement of comprehensive institutional monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks to track strategy execution, policy implementation, programme effectiveness, and institutional impact.
• Oversee the development and maintenance of an integrated institutional performance management system, including strategic KPIs, scorecards, dashboards, and performance reports for Executive, Senate, and Council.
• Provide executive oversight of institutional data governance, quality assurance, analytics, and reporting frameworks.
• Align Higher Education Management Information System (HEMIS) data with enrolment planning, funding and subsidy optimisation, resource allocation, academic planning, and institutional performance reporting.
• Strengthen institutional analytical capability through advanced data analytics, scenario modelling, forecasting, and predictive analysis.
• Strengthen institutional analytical capability through advanced data analytics, scenario modelling, forecasting, and predictive analysis.

Strategic Oversight of Infrastructure, Capital, Space, Digital and Enrolment Planning

• Provide strategic leadership and executive oversight of the University’s long-term infrastructure, capital investment, space utilisation, and digital transformation strategies.
• Guide the development and regular review of multi-year capital and infrastructure master plans aligned with the University’s strategic objectives, academic mission, and growth trajectory in liaison with the Chief Operating Officer.
• Provide strategic oversight of digital planning to support teaching and learning innovation, research enablement, administrative efficiency, data integration, and institutional agility in liaison with the Vice-Principal: Academic.
• Provide strategic oversight of enrolment planning frameworks to ensure alignment with institutional capacity, funding models, and workforce availability.
• Ensure that infrastructure and digital investments directly support academic excellence, research growth, student success, transformation, environmental sustainability, and institutional competitiveness.

Stakeholder Engagement, Market Research, Analytics and Human Resources Management 

• Provide strategic leadership in structured, continuous engagement with key internal stakeholders, including Council, Council committees, Executive management, Deans, Heads of Departments, senior professional staff, and organised structures, to ensure a shared understanding of institutional priorities, risks, and trade-offs.
• Facilitate integrated and cross-functional planning processes that align academic strategy, financial planning, enrolment management, infrastructure development, digital transformation, and human resources planning across the University.
• Act as a strategic integrator between planning, finance, and human resources to ensure workforce implications are fully embedded in institutional strategy, resource allocation, and performance management.
• Provide strategic oversight of institutional research, market analysis, and competitive intelligence to inform academic positioning and growth opportunities.
• Lead the integration of workforce planning with institutional strategy, financial modelling, and enrolment planning to ensure sustainable staffing models.
• Provide strategic oversight of organisational design, capacity planning, and role optimisation in support of institutional effectiveness in liaison with the Executive Director: People and Culture.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS 

• A relevant doctoral degree.
• A total of ten (10) years of proven experience in a senior or executive leadership role and managing an executive portfolio of three or more functions.
• At least two (2) years of proven track record of managing a complex portfolio of three (3) or more functions, such as institutional innovation, strategic planning and resources management in a medium to large organisation.

At least five (5) years of proven experience in the following:

• Strategic planning and implementation;
• Resource mobilisation and management of resources and managing complex budgets;
• A proven track record of successful fundraising and leadership of fundraising initiatives;
• Working knowledge of Higher Education Management Information Systems (HEMIS); and
• Extensive senior leadership experience in a complex organisation, preferably within higher education. 
• Deep understanding of the South African higher education policy and funding frameworks (including Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and HEMIS) and University governance structures.
• Experience in performance management, monitoring and evaluation, including the development and oversight of institutional performance indicators and reporting systems.
• Proven experience in institutional planning and strategy formulation, including the integration of long-term strategic plans with academic priorities, operational plans, and performance frameworks.
• Demonstrated experience in financial sustainability and resource optimisation, including budgeting, financial modelling, scenario planning, and aligning resources with institutional priorities.
• Extensive experience in stakeholder engagement across academia, industry, and government.
• An established scholar with both national and international standing.
• The candidate should qualify for appointment as a full professor at the University of Pretoria. 

ADDED ADVANTAGES AND PREFERENCES

• A doctoral degree and a postgraduate qualification in either Engineering, Strategic Management or Business Administration.

At least ten (10 years) of proven experience in the following:

• Senior executive leadership experience within a large and complex organisation, preferably in a research-intensive higher education institution, with demonstrated responsibility for strategy, planning, and resource allocation.
• Proven track record in leading organisational innovation and effectiveness initiatives within a medium or large organisation.