Job Openings at Council on Higher Education (CHE)

Purpose of the Role

• To implement the CHE’s communication strategy by coordinating internal and external communications in line with the organisation’s vision, mission, and brand identity.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

• Plan, coordinate and manage CHE events, including promotion, logistics and evaluation. Implement internal and external communication strategies.
• Manage and update website and digital platforms.
• Develop and implement communication campaigns and content (articles, newsletters, social media).
• Build and maintain media relationships and monitor media coverage.
• Manage the Knowledge Resource Centre, including digital and physical resources.

KEY PERFORMANCE AREAS (KPAS)

• Events management
• Internal and external communication
• Media Relations
• Knowledge resource centre management

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, Journalism, Public Relations or related
• NQF Level 7 qualification.
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience in a Communications Officer or similar role.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Computer literacy (MS Office 365 and internet).
• Strong interpersonal, organisational and client-service skills.

Competencies

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong attention to detail and organisational abilities.
• Ability to work independently and in a team.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365.
• Knowledge and usage of graphic design tools (Canva or Adobe).
• Website content management.

Closing date

Friday, January 23, 2026 - 12:00

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Main responsibilities:

• Conducting relevant research, including international benchmarking research, to inform the process of formulating advice in response to requests for advice from the
• Minister and/or the Department of Higher Education and Training.
• Reviewing the intellectual outputs generated by different areas of work within the CHE and identifying material that can be packaged into advice to the Minister and/or the
• Department of Higher Education and Training, on the CHE’s own initiative.
• Engaging colleagues in research, monitoring, policy, quality assurance and management of higher education qualifications areas of work within the CHE for the purpose of identifying feasible areas of advice to the Minister and/or the Department of Higher Education and Training, on CHE’s own initiative.
• Coordinating the work of expert panels, task teams and working groups constituted to work on formulating advice requested by the Minister and/or the Department of Higher Education and Training.
• Reviewing, proofreading and formatting advisory reports or advisory notes drafted by expert panels, task teams, and working groups in readiness for tabling at meetings of the Research, Monitoring and Advice Committee, and Council.
• Coordinating the post-advice engagement with the office of the Minister and with the
• Department of Higher Education and Training, including the processes of seeking feedback on the advisory notes submitted.
• Keeping up-to-date records of the advisory work of the CHE, including records of the compositions of the expert panels, tasks teams and working groups; research reports on which advisory notes are based; advisory notes submitted; the feedback received; and the engagement and other activities that spin off from the submitted advisory notes, among others.
• Preparing socio-economic impact assessment system (SEIAS) applications for submission to the Presidency and liaising with the Presidency on a continuous basis until the conclusion of the SEIAS process for each relevant project.
• Monitoring up-take of the advice submitted and accepted by the Minister and/or the
• Department of Higher Education and Training, and compiling reports of the findings.
• Drafting reports and other relevant submissions to the Research, Monitoring and Advice
• Committee; Council; the Department of Higher Education and Training; and other stakeholder bodies.
• Making constructive inputs into the process of developing the yearly agenda and
• operational plans for the research, monitoring and policy areas of work within the CH so that projects that may lead to advice are prioritised.
• Playing an active role in planning and organising conferences, colloquia, and other intellectual engagement forums for the Policy and Advice Programme.

Minimum requirements

• A master’s degree (NQF level 9), preferably in Education or in closely related disciplines within the Humanities and Social Sciences.
• Three (3) years’ work experience in a research environment whose output includes advisory reports or advisory notes.
• Two (2) advisory reports or advisory notes (or related outputs such as research reports and/or scholarly publications) produced.
• Two (2) conference/colloquium/seminar presentations.
• Demonstrable experience of planning and organising conferences and other intellectual engagement forums.
• Demonstrable experience of coordinating the work of expert panels, task teams and working groups, preferably in projects that lead to advisory reports or advisory notes.
• Demonstrable experience of communication and engagement at different levels.
• High level understanding of governance of higher education including the three higher education steering mechanisms.

Competencies

• Advisory writing
• Attention to detail
• Collegiality
• Coordination
• Communication and interpersonal skills
• Critical analysis
• Deadline consciousness
• Emotional intelligence
• Systems thinking
• Research (the entire value chain)
• Planning and organising
• Problem solving
• Project management
• Professional ethics and integrity
• Quality orientation

Closing date

Friday, January 23, 2026 - 12:00

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Main responsibilities:

• Conducting scoping, prefeasibility and feasibility studies for new policies that are to be developed, and for existing policies that are to be reviewed.
• Providing intellectual and operational leadership in the processes of developing new policies or processes of reviewing and revising existing policies and taking responsibility for the outputs.
• Conceptualising, designing, and implementing projects for monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the relevant national policies and the policies developed the CHE.
• Conceptualising, designing, and implementing projects for assessing the impacts of the implementation of the relevant national policies and the policies developed by the CHE.
• Organising and facilitating policy colloquia, workshops and other policy consultative forums and/or policy intellectual engagement forums.
• Engaging in policy research and scholarship and generating well-researched policy briefs, policy articles for publication in relevant scholarly publications, and policy commentaries.
• Monitoring developments within the national policy environment and assessing the implications of those developments on the policies and frameworks that govern the work of the CHE.
• Monitoring developments regarding regional higher education protocols and international higher education conventions and frameworks and assessing the implications of those developments on the national higher education policies in South Africa.
• Drafting reports and other relevant submissions to the Research, Monitoring and Advice
• Committee; Council; the Higher Education Quality Committee; the Department of
• Higher Education and Training; and other stakeholder bodies.
• Collaborating with colleagues in research, monitoring, advice, quality assurance, and management of higher education qualifications areas of work within the CHE on projects that have implications for the policy portfolio.
• Networking with policy experts and other relevant stakeholders in government departments, independent policy thinktanks, policy analysts, policy implementation agencies, and policy research units in universities, science councils, and other research entities locally and internationally.
• Mentoring early career policy professionals and interns.

Minimum requirements

• A research-based master’s degree (NQF level 9) preferably in Public Policy,
• Research/Policy Interface or related policy leaning areas of study. A doctorate degree
• (NQF level 10) in Public Policy, Research/Policy Interface or related policy leaning areas of study will be accorded more preference.
• Five (5) years’ demonstrable experience in any of the following: policy research and scholarship, policy development, policy analysis, policy implementation (inclusive of monitoring and evaluation), and policy impact assessment.
• Three (3) written outputs of policy work (policies, scholarly, publications, reports, commentaries, policy briefs) produced within the last five (5) years.
• Three (3) presentations delivered at policy conferences, workshops, colloquia or other policy consultative and/or intellectual engagement forums, within the last five (5) years.
• Demonstrable in-depth understanding of higher education policies, regional protocols, and international conventions and frameworks.
• Experience of managing policy development projects, policy implementation monitoring and evaluation projects, policy impact assessment projects, or policy review projects.
• Experience of organising policy conferences, workshops, colloquia, or other policy consultative and/or intellectual engagement forums.
• Experience of facilitating stakeholder consultative workshops and chairing or facilitating intellectual engagements.

Competencies

• Attention to detail
• Collegiality
• Conceptual thinking
• Emotional intelligence
• Facilitation
• Negotiation skills
• Policy analysis
• Policy development
• Policy impact assessment
• Policy implementation (inclusive of monitoring and evaluation)
• Policy research and scholarship
• Policy review
• Policy writing
• Problem solving
• Professional ethics and integrity
• Project management
• Planning and organising
• Stakeholder engagement
• Quality orientation
• Verbal and written communication

Closing date

Friday, January 23, 2026 - 12:00

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RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide strategic and operational leadership to ensure alignment of HR, ICT, and other operational functions with the CHE’s strategic objectives.
• Lead the design, implementation, and monitoring of operational policies, frameworks, and systems that support institutional effectiveness.
• Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, regulations, and governance frameworks applicable to public entities, including compliance with legislation such as the Labour
• Relations Act, Basic Conditions of Employment Act, Public Service Regulations. POPIA, BEEE and others.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of 5 – yearly Strategic Plans and associated Annual Performance Plans.
• Establish funding partnerships with other organisations as a means of expanding the CHE’s funding base and enabling the resources to be in place to undertake specific projects.
• Oversee the implementation of specific projects in key areas of CHE work.
• Drive organisational development initiatives, including talent management, workforce planning, retention and succession strategies and performance management.
• Oversee HR policies, labour relations, employee wellness, and capacity-building initiatives to enhance organisational effectiveness.
• Champion diversity, equity, and inclusion within the CHE.
• Lead the development and implementation of ICT policies, strategies and digital transformation initiatives.
• Oversee the maintenance of secure, reliable ICT infrastructure, systems, and business continuity planning.
• Ensure effective integration of technology to support the CHE’s internal operations; its quality assurance functions; research, monitoring, policy and advice functions; data management, and stakeholder engagement.
• Oversee records management.
• Support the CEO and Council in governance processes, including reporting, compliance, and audit readiness.
• Manage engagement with legal services when these are required in various areas of the CHE’ work.
• Build collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including higher education institutions, government departments, and quality assurance networks.
• Represent the CHE in relevant forums on operational, HR, and ICT matters.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• A postgraduate degree (NQF level 8 or higher) in Business Administration, Public Administration, Human Resources Management, Information Systems, or related fields. A Master’s degree will be an added advantage.
• At least 10 years’ experience in senior management, with a proven track record in managing
• HR, ICT, or related corporate services portfolios.
• Demonstrated experience in public sector management, governance, and compliance with applicable legislation (e.g., PFMA, HR and ICT policies).
• Experience in strategic planning, operational management, and leading multidisciplinary
• teams.
• Previous exposure to the higher education or public entity environment will be a strong
• advantage.
• The strategic competence and ability to take lead responsibility for the planning, execution
• and monitoring of new and existing functions and projects.
• Strong strategic leadership and management capability, including financial management.
• Strong knowledge of HR management, organisational development, and labour law in South Africa.
• Strong understanding of ICT systems, digital transformation, cybersecurity, and data governance.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder-management skills.
• High level of integrity, ethical conduct, and commitment to public service values.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to make sound, evidence-based decisions.
• Change-management expertise and ability to lead organisational transformation.

Closing date

Friday, January 23, 2026 - 12:00

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Main responsibilities:

• Conceptualising research projects, preparing comprehensive research proposals, and compiling submissions to apply for ethical clearance.
• Leading data collection, data processing, data analysis, and other practical research processes in qualitative and quantitative empirical and/or desk-top research projects.
• Drafting progress reports and final research reports, submitting these for review process, and revising them appropriately taking into account feedback from the review process.
• Disseminating relevant research information, including research findings, at conferences, colloquia and symposia, as well as in scholarly publications.
• Coordinating and monitoring research projects commissioned out to external researchers, and managing contracts of the external researchers.
• Reviewing research outputs produced by in-house researchers, interns and external researchers; and providing guidance on how these could be improved and/or strengthened.
• Collaborating with colleagues in monitoring, policy, advice, quality assurance, and management of higher education qualifications areas of work within the CHE on projects that have research dimensions.
• Screening manuscripts received for publication in Kagisano, the research journal of the
• CHE, processing them for a peer review process, and packaging the feedback from the peer reviewers to be communicated to authors.
• Managing intellectual engagement and/or national critical discourse events, including managing task teams or working groups established to plan, organise and coordinate such events.
• Drafting reports and other relevant submissions to the Research, Monitoring and Advice
• Committee; Council; the Department of Higher Education and Training; and other stakeholder bodies.
• Participating actively in initiatives to grow the research area of work within the CHE, and to increase the impact of the research on the higher education system in South Africa.
• Networking with researchers and other research stakeholders in universities, science councils, and other public and private research entities locally and internationally.

Minimum requirements

• Research-based master’s degree, preferably in Higher Education or related Humanities
• and Social Science disciplines. A doctorate degree in Higher Education or related
• Humanities and Social Science discipline will be accorded more preference.
• Five (5) years’ demonstrable research experience that includes a research project, or
• several research projects on higher education.
• Three (3) scholarly papers or book chapters published within the last five (5) years in
• journals or books that are recognised by the Department of Higher Education and
• Training (DHET).
• Three (3) conference presentations delivered within the last five (5) years.

Closing date

Friday, January 23, 2026 - 12:00