Vacancies Available at HSRC

Minimum Requirements

• A doctorate (PhD) in Social Sciences or related disciplines
• Additional Management Qualifications (e.g. MBA or equivalent) will be an added advantage
• At least ten (10) years’ experience in managing and leading in senior research teams.
• At least 5 years’ experience at a strategic and senior management level in an academic environment or research institution
• An academic leader with an impressive and strong publishing record of at least 20 peer reviewed publications (books, books chapters, journal articles) of which several must be international and first or sole authored.

Duties & Responsibilities

• The Research Director role in DCES demands that the incumbent to drives and lead a team of senior researchers in large and strategic research projects, innovating methodologies and coordinating working groups, flagship projects and task teams in order realise the vision of the DCES division and that of the HSRC. The successful candidate’s responsibility will be to ensure that, the quality of research outputs, and enabling dissemination strategies, research partnerships and collaboration which drives the HSRC’s quest for impact in policy-engaged research.
• In delivering ‘social science that makes a difference’, the Research Programmes of the Human Sciences Research Council initiate and undertake policy-oriented research projects and programmes from its offices in Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg and Pretoria. Its public-purpose mandate is set out in the Human Sciences Research Council Act of 2008.

The following are the key responsibilities for the Research Director role in the division:

• Lead, manage and coordinate various research themes, senior researchers and teams in the areas of Democracy, Governance & Citizenship, Sustainable Security.
• Build visible national, continental and international research partnerships in the HSC area of specialisation that result in collaborative and multidisciplinary studies, high quality publications, evidence reviews and policy briefs.
• Coordinate and review strategic plans and opportunities for fund raising to meet agreed upon targets for the team.
• Together with the team and supported by the division’s business development team foster concrete plans and activities for meeting the divisional goals and targets.
• Ensure that grants obtained are strategic and focussed on public-oriented research in keeping with the HSRC’s vision.
• Manage the outputs of researchers in the team to ensure maximum impact of the HSRC.
• Together with the Divisional Executive and Strategic Leads, spearhead formal government engagements through joint projects, partnerships, secondments, workshops and research dissemination.
• Drive and enable a relationship of trust and influence in appropriate ways amongst all levels of research staff.
• Actively forge research collaborations with Universities and Science Councils.
• Ensure that each team member aligned to the designated theme of leadership is capacitated, managed, supported, mentored (if they are trainees) and motivated to ensure a high-performance team that meets strategic targets.
• Actively promote and support talent management, succession planning, retention strategies and achieve equity targets.
• Ensure that fair conflict and consequence management takes place.
• Oversight for achieving delegated designated targets for the theme / sub-division.
• Contribution to the division’s risk profile and mitigation strategies.
• Ensure that research grants are well managed and that good relationships with collaborators and grant making organisations/institutions are maintained.

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Minimum Requirements

• This position requires knowledge and experience in the area of research output management. A specific skill set that combines accuracy and attention to detail, knowledge of basic cataloguing rules, Dublin Core metadata standards and abstracting, working knowledge of using repository software and scholarship support is required. The requirements are the following:
• Relevant Bachelor’s Degree / or equivalent qualification in the social or information sciences discipline;
• Basic level of experience in a research output curation context;
• Proficiency in MS Office;
• Knowledge of metadata, keywords and abstracting practices;
• Knowledge of repository management will be an advantage;
• Knowledge of creating social media content for promotion of research output
• Good interpersonal skills and a strong service orientation which will contribute to cooperative and effective interaction with colleagues;
• Good planning, organising, and presentation skills;
• Proficiency in speaking and writing
• Willingness to work under pressure, according to plan, to meet deadlines

Duties & Responsibilities

• The Research Output Curator role demands that the incumbent functions as part of the wider eRKC’s team to ensure that its mandate in terms of research output related services is optimally fulfilled. The successful candidate will contribute to the development of the HSRC Research Output Collection and facilitate its use, develop related policies and procedures, manage scholarship support services related to research output, produce management and performance information related to research output, technologies, systems, and processes.

The following are the key responsibilities for the Research Output Curator position:

• Curate deposited research outputs by
• validating and assessing the completeness of the deposited Authorship Sign- off form, the quality of the copy of the output, the quality of the metadata provided, as well as any evidence documentation for audit purposes.
• Assessing the research output for inclusion in terms of the HSRC’s performance indicators and to verify copyright, confidentiality, as well as peer- review and accreditation status.
• Assigning structured metadata including an abstract and keywords to describe the research output and facilitate re-use.
• preparing files for preservation and
• Train and assist staff in research units to deposit research outputs according to best practices and to ensure the audit requirements are adhered to.
• Ensure the optimal functioning of the

Maintain the repository by performing scheduled maintenance activities, including, retrospectively

• updating metadata
• curating research

Aid discovery, manage access and support the responsible use of the research outputs collection by

• responding to research output enquiries in accordance with the eRKC
• provide requested outputs to users and record the information
• Create communication pieces for the internal newsletter as well as for social media to promote the HSRC’s research output publication.

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Minimum Requirements

• Minimum of a degree/diploma in social sciences or administration;
• High level of computer literacy, especially in the MS office Suite (MS Word, Excel, Access, Project and database management)
• Previous experience in providing funding support in a large institution;
• Ability to prioritise tasks and work effectively to demanding deadlines;
• Excellent writing, personal and professional communication and analytical skills;
• Ability to work in a team as well as independently;
• High personal motivation, self-management, and attention to detail; 
• Ability to work under pressure and after hours when needed.
• Strong spoken and written communication skills in English.
• At least 5 years relevant work experience, especially in dealing with tenders and administration of projects.
• Ability to engage in a diverse team and prioritise.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Scan and identify the funder environment for relevant and new funding opportunities in line with the HSRC’s strategy;
• Search, select and summarise information on funding opportunities advertised in printed and electronic media;
• Develop a database of prospective funders and donors;
• Capture funding opportunities on the Proposal Tracking system;
• Source and complete funding documents;
• Collate and package tender documents;
• Provide logistical support for MOU Management for selected research programmes;
• Provide ongoing support and management of the proposal tracking system
• Participate in other initiatives and activities of the unit, including supporting general activities undertaken within this unit.
• Work closely with the Business Development Manager and senior management team to determine funding opportunities.