Job Openinngs at University of the Free State

Duties and responsibilities:

Technical Support

• Provide technical support for hardware and software by performing troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, and resolution of requests/incidents.
• Provide efficient and effective customer service to the user.
• Provide after-hours audio-visual technical support, as needed.
• Install audio visual technologies.
• Deploy and install software inclusive of system software, productivity software and applicable driver software.
• Relocate audio visual equipment as per operational requirement.
• Troubleshoot and resolve hardware or software related incidents.
• Research, test and evaluate new technologies on request.
• Provide technical onsite support during special events on and off campus.
• Perform incident and service request classification and prioritization. 
• Prioritize requests, incidents and problems to ensure high service levels. 
• Provide audio visual and streaming support for events and activities throughout campus.
• Perform preventative maintenance on audio visual equipment and venue workstations.

Relationship Support

• Ensure client satisfaction by adhering to SLA’s.
• Ensure clear and effective communication to manage relationships and needs/requirements.
• Establish and maintain healthy and professional relationships with function-related stakeholders.
• Liaise with the Lead: ICTS Audio Visual Deployment and Maintenance Management to escalate any issues to receive the required attention.

Quality Assurance

• Adhere to, and contribute to all relevant policies, procedures, standards, and guidelines.
• Contribute and support the review and drafting of the relevant SOPs, as required.

Professional Development

• Fulfil all responsibilities regarding performance management.
• Remains competent and current through self-directed professional reading, developing professional contacts with colleagues, attending professional development courses, and attending training and/or courses.

Inherent requirements:

• National vocational certificate on NQF Level 4.
• Minimum of one (1) year’s relevant working experience relating to the duties and responsibilities.

Recommendations:

• Higher Certificate on NQF Level 5  in a related field to the duties set out above.

Professional certification in one or more of the following:

• Comptia A+ 
• Comptia N+
• Crestron certification
• Molex Certification
• Dante AV networking
• Kramer AV certified
• Valid driver’s license

Competencies

Required competencies: 

Results oriented.

• The ability to cope with a frequently changing environment and to adapt to evolving situations. 
• The ability to be reliable, responsible, dependable and to fulfil obligations.

Strategic thinking.

• The ability to deal with several activities at a time.
• The ability to focus on details, work towards perfection, and approach work in a neat and organised manner.

Business Acumen:

• The ability to adhere to rules and strictly follow work regulations.
• Proficient in using MS Office.

Leading.

• The ability to maintain high levels of personal motivation, energy, and enthusiasm.
• The ability to be cooperative with others, display a good-natured attitude and encourage people to work together.

Building coalitions

• The ability to be self-assured and at ease with people in all types of social situations.
• The ability to be sensitive and understanding to the needs and feelings of others.

Please ensure that all relevant documentation is attached to your application. 

• A detailed curriculum vitae and cover letter. 
• Copies of qualifications (please provide the SAQA accreditation in the case of foreign qualifications).
• A copy of your identity document (ID or passport in the case of foreign nationals).
• Proof of registration with a Professional Body (if applicable).
• A copy of your driver’s license (if applicable).
• Confirmation of employment from current employer / last employer if unemployed (only applicable to external applicants).

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Duties and responsibilities: 

• Design and redesign the curriculum by involving all relevant stakeholders.
• Develop new learning plans in consultation with industry and other stakeholders.
• Ensure frequent and continuous development and management of the operational plan of the programme.
• Provide general leadership in the faculty and ensure academic coherence across all various modules of the programme.
• Responsible for financial management (annual budgeting, financial planning, allocation of funds, and financial control) and deployment of the resources needed for maximum benefit to the delivery of the programme.
• Motivate and lead employees in the Programme to achieve transformation within the Programme and the institution.
• Ensure that the activities of the Programme are undertaken under the governance, policy and regulatory frameworks of the University.
• Provide top-quality, research-informed facilitation of learning to ensure practise-based learning and improvement.
• Assume responsibility for the academic quality of the Programme.
• Manage curriculation processes of the programme.
• Manage academic administration of the Programme.
• Monitor and manage quality assurance of technology and innovation activities in the Department.
• Implement applicable governance, policy and regulatory frameworks of the University.
• Ensure scholarship of high quality and specialised expertise.
• Manage matters relating to teaching, learning, and students in the Programme.
• Conduct your own research.
• Provide academic advice regarding academic inquiries, amendments of yearbooks, schedules, timetables, etc.
• Implement applicable governance, policy and regulatory frameworks of the University.

Inherent requirements:

• A master’s  degree on NQF Level 9 or doctoral degree on NQF Level 10  within a discipline of Education. 
• A full-time, permanent member of the academic staff of the Faculty of Education at the University of the Free State (UFS).

Competencies

Required competencies: 

Results oriented.

• The ability to set high standards, establish tough goals, and to work to achieve success.
• The ability to be reliable, responsible, dependable and to fulfil obligations.

Strategic thinking.

• The ability to focus on details, work towards perfection, and approach work in a neat and organised manner.
• The ability to be creative and open-minded when addressing work issues.

Business Acumen:

• The ability to adhere to rules and strictly follow work regulations.
• Proficient in using MS Office.

Leading.

• The ability to maintain high levels of personal motivation, energy and enthusiasm.
• The ability to be cooperative with others, display a good-natured attitude and encourage people to work together.

Building coalitions

• The ability to interact with others and establish personal connections with people.
• The ability to make decisions through consultation, collaboration and working with close supervision. 

Please ensure that all relevant documentation is attached to your application. 

• A detailed curriculum vitae and cover letter. 
• Copies of qualifications (please provide the SAQA accreditation in the case of foreign qualifications).
• Copies of all academic records (applicable where inherently required).
• A copy of your identity document (ID or passport in the case of foreign nationals).
• Proof of registration with a Professional Body (if applicable).

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Duties and responsibilities:

Operational Support

• Provide professional service to the CIO’s office by attending to all telephone, email and other enquiries to the CIO.
• Provide an effective interface between the office of the CIO and members of the University community, public, private and community organisations, and business and government sectors.
• Provide support to the CIO by dealing with or referring enquiries.
• Contact and liaise with internal and external visitors and staff members who enter the CIO’s office. 
• Screen visitors to the CIO’s office.
•  Assist other staff of the CIO’s office as and when required, to guide visitors, taking of messages and making phone calls.
• Manage the diary of the CIO, including setting up meetings with relevant departments, committees, and or external stakeholders. 
• Make, cancel or change appointments when necessary to accommodate important commitments.
• Ensure that the diary is kept up to date.
• Compile the CIO’s daily programme, ensuring that they are familiar with it and that all the relevant documents are available.
• Alert the CIO to urgent and important matters on a day-to-day basis.
• Scrutinise and record details of all incoming mail, print out relevant messages and prioritise according to urgency, and redirect inappropriately addressed mail to correct quarter.
• Investigate complex queries and prepare responses/reports for the CIO.
• Maintain a pending system for following up previous correspondence and refer items to the CIO for follow-up action.
• Maintain confidentiality when dealing with sensitive and confidential information.
• Arrange travel and accommodation bookings for the CIO and other ICTS staff.

Office Administration 

• Deal with general administration.
• Prepare material, including electronic presentations.
• Ensure office compliance with safety regulations and arrange for maintenance and repairs when necessary.
• Co-ordinate ICTS calendar and venue bookings for key ICTS meetings.
• Maintain distribution lists on MS Outlook for the CIO’s Office.
• Co-arrange and coordinate key ICTS events in collaboration with other ICT staff.
• Maintain important documents on SharePoint.  
• Order and keep stock of office supplies, stationery, and refreshments.
• Responsible for the arrangements and coordination of ICTS strategy planning sessions and workshops.

Financial administration

• Assist with registration of training, workshops and seminars of ICT staff members.
• Gather quotations from service providers.
• Process requisitions and F1 claims of ICTS staff.
• Handle the financial administration for travel and accommodation bookings of ICTS staff.

Meeting administration

• Deal with meeting administration including preparing agendas, circulating documentation to committee members, taking minutes of meetings for the meetings that the CIO is chairing.
• Co-ordinate meetings including booking of venues, ordering of catering, preparing documentation.
• Type and check final minutes, arrange duplication and despatch to relevant members.
• Prepare, distribute and follow up on the action list of the CIO.

People Management

• Provide leadership and mentorship to employees within the business unit to achieve objectives and goals. 
• Provide positive influence to ensure high levels of morale and business continuity. 
• Manage performance management discussions and plans of staff. 
• Manage staff leave requests within the unit. 

Professional Development

• Fulfil all responsibilities regarding performance management and associated outcomes.
• Remains competent and current through self-directed professional reading, developing professional contacts with colleagues, attending professional development courses, and attending training and/or courses.

Inherent Job requirements:

• National Diploma on NQF 6 in Office Administration or similar field.
• A minimum of two (2) years of relevant experience office administration experience.

Recommendations:

• Knowledge of the UFS’s Structures, Protocol, Policies and Procedures.
• Knowledge and understanding of the purpose of the Senior Director’s job.
• Knowledge and understanding of the organisational structure of ICT Services and the key responsibilities of the different departments.
• Understanding of secretarial and office administration principles.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office package, Outlook, and PeopleSoft System.

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Duties and responsibilities

• Take responsibility with the Dean to ensure the achievement of the mission of all faculty-based programmes and initiatives. 
•  Lead the faculty's Teaching and Learning (T&L) portfolio by guiding T&L policies, teaching approaches, digitalization, and innovation in the field to ensure the smooth running of all T&L activities. 
• Guide strategic and visionary T&L matters such as course and curriculum development, teaching innovation and hybrid teaching methodologies. 
• Ensure that the General Rules and Regulations of the UFS and Education rules related to the academic programs are adhered to, updated where needed, and communicated to all staff in Education.
• Liaise with top management through the Dean, especially the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic, CTL, SAS, and DIRAP. 
• Continuously look for new T&L needs from the related market, students, and government.
• Take responsibility with the T&L Manager of Education for leading the T&L committee and all initiatives in the field of T&L. 
• Attend all UFS T&L-related meetings, formal and informal. 
• Ensure the application of the quality assurance framework to all T&L matters in the different departments. 
• Spearhead curriculum renewal and innovation in the faculty. 
• Coordinate the initiation of short learning programmes.

Inherent Job Requirements

• A Doctoral degree on NQF Level 10, within a discipline of Education. 
• A minimum of five (5) years’ experience on management level. 
• Proven experience in forming networks and linkages between the UFS and industry. 
• Proven experience in supervision of master’s and doctoral students.
• Proven evidence of publishing in peer-reviewed journals. 
• Must be appointed as Associate Professor or full Professor in the faculty.
• Proven experience in the leadership of Teaching and Learning, such as curriculum development, design and renewal, and assessment.

Recommendations

• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​A deep understanding of all UFS policies and rules related to T&L is evident in the departmental policies developed and successful implementation. 
• A fair understanding of the HEQSF, SAQA, and DHET rules and requirements and the development of new qualifications. 
• Evidence of curriculum development, innovations, and staff development within his/her department concerning new strategies and innovation. 
• Evidence of implementing a composite strategic plan for T&L in his/her department. 
• Knowledgeable about the functioning of the faculty executive committee. 
• Analytical problem-solving skills with impeccable attention to detail.
• Evidence of inter-faculty and inter-department collaborations. 
• Ability to set an overall strategy and drive process improvement. 
• The ability to build relationships with and between faculty and UFS staff. 
• Identify, train, and develop leaders within the faculty and set them on a path for management.
• A deep understanding of national and international trends in current, new and emerging modalities of improving Teaching and Learning in higher education.