Current Vacancies at Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

About the job:

The CSIR has an opportunity for a Principal Researcher: Logistics and Supply Chain Engineering within the Smart Mobility Cluster. The incumbent will provide strategic and technical leadership in the newly established area of Smart Logistics Management and position the CSIR locally and internationally to be responsive to the needs of key industries. The incumbent will also be expected to lead the development and localisation of information and technology platforms in the transport sector, within the logistics and supply chain management domain, to support industrial development. This position is based in Pretoria.

Key responsibilities:

• Provide strategic leadership in the development of the logistics and supply chain engineering research competence;
• Provide technical leadership in the development and harnessing of knowledge and technology to create industry responsive solutions in logistics and supply chain engineering;
• Develop effective partnerships and industry collaborations;
• Lead business development and be responsible for the generation of proposals to attract sustainable funding;
• Lead projects and large scale programmes;
• Coordinate and productively work within a team that addresses current and future challenges related to national and regional logistics and supply chain performance; and
• Coach and mentor junior staff members.

Qualifications, skills and experience:

• Masters’ degree in industrial engineering, operations research, economics or logistics management, with at least eight years’ experience in leading technical research in the field of logistics and supply chain engineering;
• A track record in attracting and securing funding to support a team and formulating strategies;
• A track record spanning over five years leading the generation of industry reference reports or policy in the area of logistics and supply chain engineering;
• Registration with a relevant professional body;
• Good understanding of the logistics and supply chain sector in South Africa;
• A good understanding of national logistics challenges, across different sectors of the economy and differently resourced environments;
• An understanding of the application of modelling approaches and methods, including simulation modelling, optimisation, macroeconomic modelling, and others;
• Excellent interpersonal and organisational skills;
• Ability to continuously disseminate research outputs in the form of technical papers;
• Ability to innovate and generate new knowledge;
• Must have good communication, presentation and writing skills;
• Must have the ability to work accurately, efficiently and independently as well as in a team;
• Must be computer literate as well as have the ability to understand and use domain specialised software;
• Ability to work in a methodical manner is essential;
• Ability to carry out strategic stakeholder interactions at all levels;
• Ability to effectively present ideas, concepts, plan and procedures; and
• Demonstrated track record of the ability to work accurately, independently and efficiently.

Closing date: 03 October 2023

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About the Job:

The CSIR annually offers a Studentship opportunities through the Southern Ocean Carbon-Climate Observatory (SOCCO), an inter-disciplinary programme hosted by Smart Places. These opportunities are in a range of disciplines that address the research needs of earth systems science with a focus on the oceans, which includes research in oceanography, physics, marine biology, chemistry, mathematics, statistics, computer science, and engineering. Interns need to perform and qualify for the Masters studentship programme, apply for an NRF bursary and gain admission to a university.  These opportunities will be based in Cape Town.

Focus area:

Ocean Physics-Carbon: Surface Ocean physical dynamics of the Southern Ocean that influence CO2 and the biological carbon, links between fine scale dynamics and large-scale carbon-climate sensitivities. Ocean Biogeochemistry: Phytoplankton primary production in relation to Fe and light availability. Computational Oceanography/Numerical Modelling: Evaluating Southern Ocean model simulations using high performance computing, computer skills in model performance, dataset analysis and visualisation.

Key responsibilities:

• Preparing a research proposal to be approved by both the CSIR and the university;
• Preparing a written literature overview of the current state-of-the-art relevant to the research topic;
• Performing original research to solve the open research problem that the student identified in his/her proposal;
• Producing sufficient quantity and quality of peer-reviewed publications based on this research topic;
• Compiling the masters thesis and defending the work (if applicable) successfully;
• Contribute to extra activities that may be outside the scope of the master’s research as per the needs of the research group. The amount of such work shall be limited to 20% of the total time.

Qualifications, skills and experience:

• An Honours degree in biological sciences, computer science, statistics, oceanography, mathematics, physics, chemistry, or engineering;
• Basic computer science and coding experience (e.g. Matlab / Python) will be advantageous;
• An understanding of basic statistics for the processing of large datasets will be advantageous;
• Knowledge/familiarity with performing data processing, analysis and visualisation on Matlab or Python beneficial;
• Effective communication skills (oral, written and presentation);
• Be independent and able to work under pressure.

Applicants must attach the following documents:

• Copies of academic results (including the latest academic results or transcript);
• Copies of tertiary qualifications and ID;
• CV (highlighting relevant skills and experience) and cover letter

Closing date: 03 October 2023

go to method of application »

About the Job:

The CSIR annually offers Studentship opportunities through the Southern Ocean Carbon-Climate Observatory (SOCCO), an interdisciplinary programme hosted by Smart Places. These opportunities are in a range of disciplines that address the research needs of earth systems science with a focus on the oceans, which includes research in oceanography, physics, marine biology, chemistry, mathematics, statistics, computer science, and engineering. Interns need to perform over the internship period in order to  qualify for the Masters or doctoral studentship programme, apply for an NRF bursary and gain admission to a university.  These opportunities will be based in Cape Town.

Focus area:

Ocean Biogeochemistry: The impact of microbes on carbon export:  What is the role of particle content, sinking rates and microbial composition and activity in dictating carbon export and transfer efficiency from the surface oceans to the interior.          

Key responsibilities:

• Preparing a research proposal to be approved by both the CSIR and the university;
• Preparing a written literature overview of the current state-of-the-art relevant to the research topic;
• Performing original research to solve the open research problem that the student identified in his/her proposal;
• Producing sufficient quantity and quality of peer-reviewed publications based on this research topic;
• Compiling the doctoral thesis and defending the work (if applicable) successfully;
• Contribute to extra activities that may be outside the scope of the master’s research as per the needs of the research group. The amount of such work shall be limited to 20% of the total time.

Qualifications, skills and experience:

• An Masters degree in biogeochemistry, microbiology, oceanography, marine biology or other transferable/relatable degrees;
• Basic  coding experience (e.g. Matlab / Python) will be advantageous; 
• Willingness to spend multiple weeks on research vessel performing independent field work in the Southern Ocean 
• Effective communication skills (oral, written and presentation);
• Be independent and able to work under pressure.

Applicants must attach the following documents:

• Copies of academic results (including the latest academic results or transcript);
• Copies of tertiary qualifications and ID;
• CV (highlighting relevant skills and experience) and cover letter (explaining why this internship and associated scholarship programme is of interest)

Closing date: 04 October 2023

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About the job:

The CSIR has an internship opportunity within the Assets Administration department in the Financial Services portfolio. The purpose of these internship is to provide graduates with an opportunity to gain practical work experience through performing accounting and administrative duties. This position is based in Pretoria.

Key responsibilities:

• Process financial transactions under guidance and supervision to ensure the transactions are recorded accurately, and in compliance with policies, processes, guidelines, and legislation.
• Perform financial account reconciliations to identify discrepancies or items to be actioned and ensure that all transactions are recorded in the correct accounting period.
• Prepare, obtain, and attach supporting documentation for approvals before processing asset additions and journals for correct allocation and accounting.
• Follow up and resolve queries received from Divisions, clusters, portfolios, or custodians, and where required, escalate to the financial accounting officer or supervisor for action.
• Keep a record of all financial documents, e.g., journals, additions, disposals, transfers, custodian consent, recons, and proof of verifications for future reference and audit purposes.
• Follow up on the FM funding and custodianship of open orders and ensure accuracy for financial reporting and year-end accruals.
• Report on movement and clearing of asset change requests, asset disposals, and heat calls.
• Follow up and report clearing of the monthly disengagement list.
• Perform month-end and year-end processes to enable financial departments to meet deadlines and process all financial transactions before final closure, e.g., asset change requests and asset disposals.
• Physical verification of assets and scanning of QR codes at all CSIR locations.
• Follow-up visits to departments to verify, gather, and compare additional available information.
• Create a transparent audit trail of all office documents and communications to support existing fixed asset accounting records.
• Quarterly document management to ensure a ready-to-be-audited accounting trail.

Qualifications, skills, and experience:

• A three-year diploma or degree in accounting or finance.
• Good understanding and ability to implement basic accounting principles.
• Basic knowledge of VAT principles and Microsoft Office Suite
• Ability to function under pressure and manage stress.
• Good office administrative and record-keeping skills.
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong time management and planning skills.
• Punctuality, adaptability, and effective communication and listening skills.
• Effective and professional writing skills.
• Attention to detail and excellent interpersonal skills.
• Sound work ethic and ability to work in large teams is essential.
• Ability to be able to work remotely by being a self-starter, accountable and disciplined.

Closing date: 29 September 2023