Recruitment Vacancies at University of the Free State

Duties and responsibilities:

• Assist with progress reports administration on the Graduate Research Management (GRM) system.
• Assist with linking of staff and students on the GRM system. 
• Assist with Business Requirements Specification (BRS) creation for a GRM system.
• Assist with User Acceptance Testing (UAT) of the GRM system.
• Responsible for the maintenance of the GRM system. 
• Assist with the development of training support material for different roles on the GRM system. 
• Assist with regular reports on GRM progress. 
• Assist with induction of staff and students on the GRM system. 
• Assist with enquiries and troubleshooting with regard to the GRM system. 

Inherent requirements:

• Grade 12 or National Vocational Certificate on NQF Level 4.
• One (1) year’s relevant working experience in a higher education environment.
• A minimum of one (1) year of experience working on a PeopleSoft Graduate Research Management System, including Business Requirements Specification (BRS) development and User Acceptance Testing (UAT).

Recommendations:

• A National Diploma on NQF Level 6 or a bachelor’s degree or an advanced diploma/BTech degree/postgraduate certificate on NQF Level 7.  

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Duties and responsibilities:

• Recruit undergraduate and postgraduate students in alignment with the Faculty of Law’s recruitment strategy and institutional enrolment objectives. 
• Promote the faculty’s academic programmes through various communication and marketing channels, including digital platforms, career expos, school visits, subject selection evenings, and community engagement initiatives in collaboration with Student Recruitment Services (SRS). 
• Develop, implement, monitor, and review the Faculty of Law’s communication and marketing strategy in alignment with the university’s brand and strategic priorities. 
• Coordinate faculty advertising and marketing initiatives in collaboration with the Department of Communication and Marketing.
• Develop, design, coordinate, and distribute marketing and communication material for academic programmes, faculty events, and stakeholder engagement initiatives, including brochures, newsletters, videos, information guides, and digital content. 
• Ensure that all faculty communication and marketing content complies with UFS branding guidelines and promotes a consistent faculty identity across all communication platforms. 
• Coordinate faculty publications and newsletters, including the design and publication of Kovsilex, faculty rulebooks, annual reports, and other faculty-related publications. 
• Manage and regularly update the Faculty of Law website and social media platforms to ensure content remains current, relevant, accurate, and aligned with institutional digital communication objectives. 
• Develop and execute content strategies for faculty events, recruitment campaigns, and stakeholder engagement initiatives. 
• Monitor and analyse social media engagement and digital communication performance and compile regular reports for faculty management and relevant committees. 
• Attend and contribute to Faculty Marketing and Communication Committee meetings, providing reports, communication updates, and strategic input regarding faculty visibility and stakeholder engagement. 
• Write articles and communication content relating to faculty achievements, events, staff and student accomplishments, research activities, and community engagement initiatives and engage with the Department of Communication and Marketing for distribution.  
• Liaise with faculty staff, students, alumni, relevant university divisions, external stakeholders, and service providers to source, coordinate, and disseminate faculty-related information and achievements. 
• Ensure that faculty events and marketing initiatives comply with institutional policies, risk management requirements, and relevant university event procedures. 
• Develop contingency plans for faculty events and address operational challenges to ensure successful event execution.   
• Maintain and update the Faculty of Law alumni database and facilitate alumni engagement initiatives in collaboration with relevant university structures. 
• Collaborate with external vendors, designers, photographers, videographers, and other service providers to produce high-quality communication and marketing material where required. 
• Compile and coordinate the Faculty of Law internationalisation report using the Internationalisation Toolkit and support faculty internationalisation initiatives, partnerships, and exchange programmes. 
• Represent the faculty on relevant institutional committees and forums related to marketing, communication, recruitment, and internationalisation. 
• Serve as a point of contact for communication and marketing-related matters between the faculty and internal and external stakeholders. 
• Draft, manage, and monitor the Faculty of Law marketing budget and identify cost-effective and financially viable marketing opportunities. 
• Monitor expenditure related to faculty marketing and communication activities to ensure effective utilisation of allocated resources and alignment with institutional procurement processes.
• Support the coordination of prospective student databases and communication campaigns in collaboration with Student Recruitment Services
• Promote and protect the reputation of the Faculty through proactive communication, stakeholder engagement and brand management initiatives.
• Coordinate and curate photographic, video and digital content for use across faculty communication and marketing platforms.

Inherent requirements:

• A relevant Bachelor’s degree or a B. Tech degree on NQF Level 7 in Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, or related field.
• A minimum of two (2) years’ relevant working experience related to the duties and responsibilities.

Recommendations:

• An Honours degree on NQF Level 8 in Marketing, Communication, Public Relations, or related field.
• Evidence of successful social media and marketing experience.
• Experience within the higher education environment.
• Member of or registration with a professional body (i.e MASA, PRISA)(attach a copy).

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Duties and responsibilities: 

• Teach undergraduate and postgraduate courses in areas of geospatial analysis and remote sensing and contribute to teaching within the broad field of environmental systems and/or human environment interactions.
• Maintain an active research program leading to publication in peer-reviewed journals and other venues.
• Recruit and supervise postgraduate Geography students.
• Participate in department, school, and university committees as appropriate.
• Source external third-stream income research funding from industry.
• Perform general administration duties as applicable at university level.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Dean and Head of Department.

Inherent requirements:

• A relevant PhD on NQF Level 10 in Geography, Earth Sciences, Geographic Information Systems (GIS)/Remote Sensing (RS), Geospatial Science or a closely related field (for a permanent appointment). 

or 

• A relevant Master’s degree on NQF Level 9 in Geography, Earth Sciences, Geographic Information Systems (GIS)/Remote Sensing (RS), Geospatial Science or a closely related field (contract appointment: five years during which a PhD on NQF Level 10 in Geography, Earth Sciences, Geographic Information Systems (GIS)/Remote Sensing (RS), Geospatial Science or closely related field  MUST be obtained to be converted to a permanent position). 
• Demonstrated geospatial modelling skills with proven experience in GIS systems and remote sensing analysis. 
• Proven experience in the delivery of poster or oral presentations at conferences or equivalent activities.
• Evidence of manuscripts produced that have the potential to be converted or submitted for publication in accredited journals.
• A good academic record (attach).

Recommendations:

• A relevant PhD on NQF Level 10 in Geography, Earth Sciences, Geographic Information Systems (GIS)/Remote Sensing (RS), Geospatial Science or a closely related field.
• Proven research record.
• Experience in teaching and learning at university level.
• Demonstrated research experience in geospatial science as evidenced by a record of publication (Poster or Oral Presentations at conferences or equivalent activities) and external funding.
• Preference will be given to applicants with previous University teaching experience linked to modelling within GIS and remote sensing software.
• Background in R, IDL, Python or other programming language suitable for scientific computing.
• Potential to teach effective upper-level courses related to GIS, RS and geospatial analysis.
• Potential for excellence in graduate instruction and mentoring.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to function with ease in the University parallel-medium and multicultural working environment.

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Duties and responsibilities:

• Conduct innovative research in the following areas: Impact of various Regenerative Grazing practices on soil and vegetation dynamics; Precision grazing management; Application of Regenerative Grazing practices in semiarid to arid environments.
• Author/co-author at least three (3) publication outputs per year in the form of DHET–accredited scholarly journal articles or books/chapters in books. 
• The renewal of the fellowship beyond the first year depends on satisfactory performance and the submission of an annual progress report.
• Initiate projects and seek funding.
• Register and reside as postdoctoral research fellow at the UFS in Bloemfontein and participate in relevant activities of the Centre for Graduate Support and the Directorate of Research

Eligibility criteria

• Open to all South African and foreign nationals for full-time research at the University of the Free State.
• Graduated with a PhD degree in a relevant discipline within the last five years. 
• Successful applicants may not hold full-time salaried employment during the fellowship. 
• Successful applicants must be able to relocate to the UFS in Bloemfontein for the duration of the fellowship. This is a residential fellowship: the successful applicant is required to spend 80% of her/his postdoctoral period at the UFS.
• A valid driver’s licence will be advantageous (attach a copy).

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Duties and responsibilities: 

• Teach undergraduate and postgraduate courses in isiZulu.
• Design undergraduate and postgraduate courses in isiZulu.
• Contribute to curriculum development within the African Languages Department.
• Initiate, conduct, and sustain high-level research and produce quality research outputs.
• Participate in community service and provide evidence of engaged scholarly activities.
• Work in a team with members of the department and faculty.
• Perform general leadership and administrative duties related to the faculty.

Inherent requirements:
Lecturer

• A PhD on NQF Level 10 with specialisation in IsiZulu language or linguistics and literature (for a permanent appointment) 
• Master’s degree on NQF Level 9 with specialisation in IsiZulu language or linguistics and literature (contract appointment: five years during which a PhD on NQF Level 10 with specialisation in IsiZulu language or  linguistics and literature MUST be obtained to be converted to a permanent appointment). 
• Proven experience in the delivery of poster or oral presentations at academic conferences or equivalent activities (seminars/symposia/colloqiua).
• Evidence of manuscripts produced that have the potential to be converted or submitted for publication in accredited journals. 
• A good academic record (attach a copy).

Senior Lecturer

• A PhD on NQF Level 10 with specialisation in IsiZulu language or linguistics and literature.
• Proven experience in supervision of postgraduate programmes in African languages, relevant either in isiZulu language or linguistics or isiZulu literature.
• Proven experience in the presentation of papers/posters at national and international scholarly conferences.
• Proven national recognition for specialist expertise and research in a specific area of scholarship.
• An NRF rating or demonstrated potential for obtaining an NRF rating.
• Proven experience in supervision of graduated master’s degree students.
• A proven research record of relevant publications in peer-reviewed national and international accredited scientific journals. 
• Proven experience of service as an active member of a national or international scholarly society or committee or agency concerned with research at higher-education levels.

Recommendations:

• A PhD on NQF Level 10 with specialisation in IsiZulu language or linguistics and literature. 
• Experience in postgraduate supervision.

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Duties and responsibilities: 

• Teach undergraduate and postgraduate courses in isiZulu.
• Design undergraduate and postgraduate courses in isiZulu.
• Contribute to curriculum development within the African Languages Department.
• Initiate, conduct, and sustain high-level research and produce quality research outputs.
• Participate in community service and provide evidence of engaged scholarly activities.
• Work in a team with members of the department and faculty.
• Perform general leadership and administrative duties related to the faculty.

Inherent requirements:
Lecturer

• A PhD on NQF Level 10 with specialisation in IsiZulu language or linguistics and literature (for a permanent appointment) 
• Master’s degree on NQF Level 9 with specialisation in IsiZulu language or linguistics and literature (contract appointment: five years during which a PhD on NQF Level 10 with specialisation in IsiZulu language or  linguistics and literature MUST be obtained to be converted to a permanent appointment). 
• Proven experience in the delivery of poster or oral presentations at academic conferences or equivalent activities (seminars/symposia/colloqiua).
• Evidence of manuscripts produced that have the potential to be converted or submitted for publication in accredited journals. 
• A good academic record (attach a copy).

Senior Lecturer

• A PhD on NQF Level 10 with specialisation in IsiZulu language or linguistics and literature.
• Proven experience in supervision of postgraduate programmes in African languages, relevant either in isiZulu language or linguistics or isiZulu literature.
• Proven experience in the presentation of papers/posters at national and international scholarly conferences.
• Proven national recognition for specialist expertise and research in a specific area of scholarship.
• An NRF rating or demonstrated potential for obtaining an NRF rating.
• Proven experience in supervision of graduated master’s degree students.
• A proven research record of relevant publications in peer-reviewed national and international accredited scientific journals. 
• Proven experience of service as an active member of a national or international scholarly society or committee or agency concerned with research at higher-education levels.

Recommendations:

• A PhD on NQF Level 10 with specialisation in IsiZulu language or linguistics and literature. 
• Experience in postgraduate supervision.

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Research Focus Areas:

The appointed Postdoctoral Fellow will conduct research in one or more of the following areas:

• Optimisation of organisational workflows and business processes
• Employee productivity and workflow efficiency
• Behavioural analytics in the workplace
• Application of data science to HR and organisational decision-making
• Workforce planning and predictive people analytics
• Organisational culture and digital transformation
• AI and automation impacts on employee wellbeing and performance
• Performance management systems and workflow intelligence
• Change management in technology-enabled organisations
• Human-centred design of work systems

Minimum Requirements

Applicants must:

• Hold a completed Doctoral degree in Industrial Psychology, Human Resource Management, Organisational Psychology, Data Science, or a closely related field.
• Have obtained the doctoral qualification within the last five (5) years.
• Demonstrate a strong academic track record and research potential.
• Show evidence of scholarly publications or publishable work.
• Have a strong interest in quantitative research and organisational systems.
• Possess sound analytical, writing, and presentation skills.
• Experience with Python, R, Power BI, SPSS, machine learning, or advanced analytics will be advantageous.
• Not hold full-time salaried employment during the fellowship.
• Be able to relocate to UFS for the duration of the fellowship. 
• This is a residential fellowship: the successful applicant is required to spend 80% of her/his postdoctoral period at the UFS Bloemfontein Campus.

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Duties and responsibilities: 

• Design English language modules and contribute to curriculum development.
• Coordinate first-year English modules and course facilitators.
• Teach English modules to undergraduate and postgraduate students.
• Engage actively in research in the fields of English Language Studies / Applied Linguistics/ Language Teaching.
• Supervise postgraduate students.
• Perform general administrative duties as required at university level.

Inherent requirements:

• A PhD on NQF Level 10 in Applied Linguistics/English Language Studies/Language Teaching (for a permanent appointment),

or

• Master’s degree on NQF Level 9 in Applied Linguistics/English Language Studies/Language Teaching (contract appointment: five years during which a PhD on NQF Level 10 in Applied Linguistics/English Language Studies/Language Teaching MUST be obtained to be converted to a permanent appointment).
• Proven experience in the delivery of poster or oral presentations at conferences or equivalent activities.
• Evidence of manuscripts produced that have the potential to be converted or submitted for publication in accredited journals.
• A good academic record (attach a copy).

Recommendations:

• A PhD on NQF Level 10 in Applied Linguistics/English Language Studies/Language Teaching or proof of registration.
• Three years relevant experience in teaching English in higher education.
• Proven research record.

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Duties and responsibilities: 

• Teach Industrial Psychology and Human Resource Management modules to undergraduate and postgraduate students.
• Conduct high-quality research, publish in accredited journals, and deliver quality research outputs in line with the faculty's research strategy.
• Provide supervision to postgraduate students, namely Honours, Master’s, PhD students, and professional industrial psychology interns.
• Provide leadership in pursuit of the department and faculty strategic plan with regard to research, teaching, engaged scholarship and leadership and administration.
• Perform academic administration pertaining to undergraduate and postgraduate subjects – this may include typing, setting, and marking all question papers and memorandums, recording marks and handling student complaints.
• Serve as a member of various academic committees and perform any other tasks allocated by the Dean and the head of the department.
• Develop and maintain strong collaborative relationships with relevant research, civil society, government, industry, and professional organisations.
• Contribute to curriculum development within the faculty.

Inherent requirements:

Senior Lecturer

• A relevant doctoral degree on NQF Level 10 in Industrial Psychology/Human Resource Management, or an equivalent doctoral qualification coupled with a Master’s degree in Industrial Psychology. 
• Proven record of teaching at undergraduate and/or postgraduate level.
• Proven experience in the presentation of papers/posters at national scholarly conferences.
• Proven national recognition for specialist expertise and research in a specific area of scholarship.
• An NRF rating or demonstrated potential for obtaining an NRF rating.
• Proven experience in supervision to completion of master’s degree students, and if registered as an Industrial Psychologist, industrial psychology interns.
• A proven research record of relevant publication/s in peer-reviewed national and international accredited scientific journals. 
• Proven experience of service as an active member of a national or international scholarly society or committee or agency concerned with research at higher-education levels.

Associate Professor

• A relevant doctoral degree on NQF Level 10 in Industrial Psychology/Human Resource Management, or an equivalent doctoral qualification coupled with a Master’s degree in Industrial Psychology. 
• Proven record of teaching at undergraduate and/or postgraduate level.
• Experience as external examiner for postgraduate students.
• Proven experience in the presentation of research papers at national conferences, where there is evidence of peer review of papers.
• Experience on the editorial board of a scholarly journal.
• Proven national recognition for specialist expertise and research leadership in a specific scientific area of scholarship.
• An NRF rating of C3 or equivalent status.
• Proven experience in supervision to completion of master’s degree students, and if registered as an Industrial Psychologist, industrial psychology interns.
• A proven research record of relevant publications in national and international accredited journals.

Professor

• A relevant doctoral degree on NQF Level 10 in Industrial Psychology/Human Resource Management, or an equivalent doctoral qualification coupled with a Master’s degree in Industrial Psychology. 
• Proven record of teaching at undergraduate and/or postgraduate level.
• Experience as external examiner for master’s-degree and doctoral students.
• Experience on the editorial board of a scholarly journal.
• Proven international recognition for specialist expertise and research leadership in a particular area of academic scholarship (for example, regularly serves as a reviewer for international/WoS/Scopus journals).
• A research record of relevant publications in high-quality national and international accredited journals.
• An NRF rating of C1 or C2 or demonstrate potential for obtaining the rating.
• Proven experience in supervision to completion of master’s degree and preferably doctoral students, and if registered as an Industrial Psychologist, industrial psychology interns.
• Proven experience in delivering keynote addresses at national scholarly conferences.
• Serve as a member of a national or international scholarly society or committee or agency concerned with research at higher-education levels.

Recommendations:

• Member of the South African Board of People Practices or the Health Professions Council of South Africa (attach a copy).
• Proven experience in supervising the completion of PhD students.
• Evidence of professional supervision of intern industrial psychologists.
• Evidence of application for funding in (multidisciplinary) research projects.
• Demonstrate potential in wider public engagement and dissemination of research.

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Duties and Responsibilities:

• Contribute towards creating a strong academic identity in the department.
• Coordinate, moderate, teach, and assess undergraduate and postgraduate modules in psychology.
• Provide study guidance and research supervision to postgraduate students.
• Clinical supervision of student psychologists' case work.
• Initiate and conduct high-level research and sustain quality research outputs.
• Contribute to programme development and curriculum review within the department and faculty.
• Participate in and coordinate community engagement and service-learning initiatives.
• Recruit senior students for postgraduate study.
• Perform organisational and administrative duties.

Inherent Job Requirements:

Lecturer

• A PhD in Psychology on NQF Level 10 (for a permanent appointment).

or

• Master’s degree in psychology on NQF Level 9 (contract appointment: five years during which a PhD on NQF Level 10 in Psychology MUST be obtained to be converted to a permanent position).
• Two (2) years of registration (still active) with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) as a CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST (attach a copy).
• Previous teaching or facilitation experience at the tertiary level (including tutoring, facilitation, temporary teaching, training experience, or relevant professional/industry experience).
• Evidence of research potential or productivity (e.g., participation in or coordination of research projects; strong performance in master’s-level research demonstrating research competence and potential for advanced study; eligibility for or readiness to enrol in a doctoral programme; manuscripts under review for potential publication in DHET-accredited journals; chapters in peer-reviewed books; published conference papers; or other recognised research outputs; and/or substantial progress toward completion of a PhD).
• A good academic record (attach a copy).

Senior Lecturer

• A PhD in Psychology on NQF Level 10.
• Three (3) years of registration (still active) with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) as a CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST (attach a copy).
• Proven experience in teaching undergraduate and postgraduate modules in psychology.
• Proven experience in the delivery of presentations of papers/posters at national scholarly conferences (at least 3 to 5 conference papers).
• A proven research record of relevant publications in peer-reviewed national and/or international accredited journals and/or books (at least 5 to 10 publications).
• An NRF rating or demonstrated potential for obtaining an NRF rating.
• Proven experience in supervision of graduated master’s degree students.
• Proven experience of service as an active member of a national or international scholarly society or committee or agency concerned with research at higher-education levels.
• A good scholarly record. 

Recommendations:

• Involvement in departmental and faculty activities.