Active Jobs at Human Sciences Research Council (HRSC)

Job Advert Summary    

• The Public Health, Societies and Belonging (PHSB) research division within the HSRC employs a multi-disciplinary group of social scientists and public health specialists who conduct numerous empirical and policy-related studies each year, three-quarters of which are donor-funded.  
• The PHSB division conducts transdisciplinary, intersectional, policy and programme-relevant research to improve health, well-being and promote a socially just and cohesive society.
• HSRC has offices in Pretoria, Cape Town and Pietermaritzburg. The division seeks to appoint a Divisional Manager: Finance to join a dynamic team in the PHSB Division.

Minimum Requirements    

The candidate must have:

• A relevant degree in Finance or Accounting, or related fields or any relevant qualification at NQF level 7 as recognised by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).
• A minimum of 8 - 10 years of relevant financial management experience. A sound understanding of the financial regulatory system in the public sector, PFMA.
• Experience in managing or coordinating internal and external audit processes.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, and the ability to coordinate and capacitate staff.
• Demonstrable high proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other accounting tools.
• Must have intellectual and personal integrity, with a well-developed work ethic and drive, and an aptitude for innovation and attention to detail.
• Should be able to work under pressure, and after hours when required. Must be able to work proactively and independently.

Additional Requirements

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, and the ability to coordinate and capacitate staff.
• Strong user-orientation, ability to prioritise, and an understanding of the research environment. 
• Confidence with spoken and written English, and able to train others.
• An auditing background will be an added advantage.

Duties & Responsibilities    

• The Divisional Manager: Finance will manage and control the development, implementation and maintenance of all financial processes within the division as determined by the strategic objectives and the mandate of the HSRC and contribute to the sustainable growth of the PHSB division
• Oversee and manage the division’s financial processes, including policies, controls, systems, workflows, and tasks, to ensure efficiency, effectiveness, and full compliance with the PFMA and HSRC policies and procedures.
• Provide financial support during proposal development, including the preparation of budgets and expenditure forecasts, in line with the requirements of local and international funding agencies.
• Prepare accurate and compliant financial reports at both divisional and project levels, in accordance with internal policies, procedures, and audit requirements.
• Conduct financial evaluations, analyses, risk assessments, and financing activities for new projects and opportunities across all phases of project development, from inception to financial close.
• Ensure the accuracy, timeliness, and integrity of all financial information reported to internal and external stakeholders.
• Manage and monitor effective cash flow planning and control.
• Prepare, review, and present monthly management accounts and other financial reports for internal and external stakeholders.
• Coordinate and manage month-end and year-end financial processes and deadlines for the division, including accruals, journals, and leave management.
• Build financial capability among internal stakeholders by explaining relevant financial methodologies, processes, and systems as they relate to the research lifecycle.
• Provide guidance and advisory support on tender and proposal processes to secure the necessary financial resources for research projects.

Closing Date    

• 2026/02/28

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Job Advert Summary    

• The Senior Systems Developer is a critical, hands-on role responsible for the design, development, and operational stability of mission-critical systems and data pipelines.
• This role goes beyond coding to encompass architectural contribution, enforcing modern DevOps practices, ensuring platform resilience, and mentoring junior team members.
• The ideal candidate will thrive in a cloud-native environment and champion security and performance by design.

Minimum Requirements    

• Proficient in PHP development.
• Strong experience with web application development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, or modern frameworks)
• Experience with MySQL, SQL Server, or other relational databases.
• Solid understanding of OOP, MVC, and software design patterns.
• Experience with RESTful APIs, Web Services, and integration between systems.
• Familiarity with version control systems (e.g., Git).
• Experience in deploying and maintaining applications in Windows and/or Linux environments.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to troubleshoot complex issues.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field (or equivalent work experience).
• 5 years of professional experience in software development, with demonstrated expertise in PHP.
• Behavioral Competencies
• Ownership: Takes full accountability for the delivery and operational state of assigned systems.
• Mentorship: Proven ability to elevate the technical skill set of team members through code review and paired programming.
• Problem-Solving: Excellent analytical skills with a focus on solving complex architectural challenges under pressure.
• Communication: Ability to articulate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders (e.g., researchers, business administrators).

Duties & Responsibilities    

• Design, develop, test, and deploy software applications using PHP.
• Collaborate with business stakeholders and the technical team to gather and refine requirements.
• Lead the architecture and implementation of scalable, maintainable, and high-performance software solutions.
• Maintain and enhance existing systems, troubleshooting and resolving technical issues.
• Write clean, well-documented, and reusable code following industry best practices.
• Implement and enforce coding standards, testing strategies, and version control practices.
• Mentor and guide junior developers to enhance team capability and knowledge sharing.
• Participate in code reviews, design sessions, and technical decision-making.
• Stay up-to-date with emerging technologies and recommend improvements to existing systems.
• Own the entire software development lifecycle (SDLC) for assigned system components, from initial requirement gathering through deployment and monitoring.
• Contribute significantly to the overall system architecture, ensuring solutions align with enterprise standards for security, data governance, and scalability.
• Champion and implement DevOps methodologies to automate build, testing, and deployment processes using pipelines (e.g., GitLab).
• Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC)                                                                                                                                                                                          
• Mandatory Security Testing: Integrate and enforce static (SAST) and dynamic (DAST) application security testing into the Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipeline.                                                                                                                                                               
• Vulnerability Remediation: Ensure timely prioritisation, fixing, and retesting of vulnerabilities found in the code base and third-party libraries (Dependency Scanning).     
• Secure Code Review: Lead and perform peer reviews specifically focused on identifying common security flaws (e.g., OWASP Top 10) before merging code.
• Cloud/Infrastructure Security (SecDevOps)                                                                                                                                                                                                      
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Security: Securely design and deploy infrastructure by eliminating hardcoded secrets and enforcing least-privilege principles.
• Secrets Management: Implement and manage robust solutions for handling API keys, credentials, and sensitive configuration data, ensuring they are never stored in source code.                                                                                                                                                                                                
• Logging and Monitoring: Ensure all deployed systems generate appropriate, tamper-proof logs for security auditing and integrate them with the organisation's Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platform.
• Data and Access Control       
• Compliance and Training  

Closing Date    

• 2026/02/15