Senior Lecturer / Associate Professor / Professor and Director - Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Faculty Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Disaster Management Training and Education Center for Africa (DiMTEC)

Senior Lecturer / Associate Professor / Professor and Director

Job ID: 2480

 

Duties and responsibilities:

• Lecture in Disaster Management related subjects for postgraduate and Master's degree students.
• Provide study supervisor of Masters' and PhD students.
• Conduct academic research.
• Provide academic leadership by creating and executing strategies to establish DiMTEC as a leader in the discipline vis-á-vis competing international entities.

 

The Director would be directly responsible for:

• Directing the academic debate in DiMTEC;
• Influencing DiMTEC's overall climate and culture;
• Shaping the future of DiMTEC.
• Contribute to the overall leadership in the faculty.
• Responsible for frequent and continuous planning and execution of plans, general organising and coordinating of staff, students and activities, mentoring and motivating staff, structuring, and exercising overall control.
• Create an atmosphere of consensus among staff.
• Responsible for effective internal and external communication.
• The Director is pivotal in linking DiMTEC staff and students with the University's management and administration through communication, negotiation and consultation.
•  Active participation and involvement in faculty management structures, attending meetings, leading project teams, representing the department and faculty, and fulfilling the roles of liaison officer and marketer, when necessary.
• Active participation and involvement in applicable UFS management structures, e.g. Senate
• Initiate, formulate and implement a visionary academic strategy for DiMTEC that is aligned with and supportive to the guiding strategic documents of the UFS and faculty.

 

Ensure:

• The provision of top-quality, research-informed facilitation of learning at all levels of teaching in the department;
• Relevance of content, material and presentation in all modules;
• The enhancement of student experiences and their continuous engagement in academic debates;
• Adequate rules and regulations are in place to optimally deliver high-quality teaching and learning programmes on both undergraduate and postgraduate levels;
• Adherence to all the rules and regulations of the UFS, faculty and department.
• Quality and timely feedback on student work;
• Proper and quality-driven academic advice and support to all under-and-postgraduate students in the department; and
• The revisiting and development of fresh learning programmes that will help to position the department as a leader in the fraternity.

 

Create and maintain a:

• Visionary research strategy for DiMTEC; and
• Environment that encourages research, leading to strong and active research habits and a culture of inquiry.

 

Ensure that:

• Every academic staff member  is engaged in quality driven and discipline specific research;
• Postgraduate students are recruited to broaden the research base of the department; and
• Ethical requirements are met.

 

• Guide and support Senior Academics towards acquiring NRF ratings.
• Engage actively with the faculty research committee and the UFS Directorate of Research Development in order to ensure sustainable financial support for departmental research initiatives.

 

Build and effective team of scholars through:

• Planning and implementing a fair and reasonable dispensation regarding the workload of staff members in the Center;
• Planning and implementing a clear and reasonable career path for every staff member in the department, taking account of the strategic plans of the University, faculty and DiMTEC;
• Appropriate mentoring interventions where and whenever it is needed;
• Managing staff performance in accordance with existing university policies and procedures;
• Recruitment and selection of scholars in the case of vacancies and/or specific strategic needs, whenever strategic repositioning requires expansion of academic endeavours;
• Creating and maintaining a scholarship-friendly environment in DiMTEC; and
• Planning an overseeing effective and relevant staff development.

 

Responsible for the ultimate responsibility in terms of financial management which culminates:

• Ensuring financial independence of DiMTEC through innovative income generated activities
• Annual budgeting;
• Financial planning;
• Allocation of funds; and
• Financial control.
• Honesty to handle cash transactions.
• Adherence to the UFS's financial policies and procedures.

 

• Encourage and actively support academic staff members to apply for external research and other grants.

 

Inherent requirements: 

Senior Lecturer:

• PhD in any disaster management related field - Preferably a PhD with a multi-disciplinary content.
• Five (5) years' experience working in a disaster management environment.
• Proven record of entrepreneurial and leadership skills.
• Proven experience in the delivery of poster or oral presentations at conferences or equivalent activities.
• Proven record of international collaboration.
• A proven research record of relevant publications in national and international accredited journals.
• Evidence of having the ability to obtain and manage research funding.
• Proven national recognition for specialist expertise and research in a specific area of scholarship.
• An NRF rating or demonstrate potential for obtaining an NRF rating.
• Proven experience in supervision of graduated masters' 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.

 

Associate Professor:

• PhD in any disaster management related field - Preferably a PhD with a multi-disciplinary content.
• Five (5) years' experience working in a disaster management environment.
• Proven record of entrepreneurial and leadership skills.
• Proven experience in the delivery of poster or oral presentations at conferences or equivalent activities.
• A proven research record of relevant publications in national and international accredited journals.
• Evidence of having the ability to obtain and manage research funding.
• Experience as external examiner for postgraduate students.
• Act as an editorial board member of high-quality national scholarly journals.
• 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 the supervision of graduated masters' students.
• A proven research record of relevant publications in national and international accredited journals.
• Serve as a member of a national scholarly society.

 

Professor:

• PhD in any disaster management related field - Preferably a PhD with a multi-disciplinary content.
• Five (5) years' experience working in a disaster management environment.
• Proven record of entrepreneurial and leadership skills.
• Proven experience in the delivery of poster or oral presentations at conferences or equivalent activities.
• A proven research record of relevant publications in national and international accredited journals.
• Evidence of having the ability to obtain and manage research funding.
• Experience as external examiner for masters' and doctoral students.
• Act as editorial board member of high-quality international journals.
• Proven international recognition for specialist expertise and research leadership in a particular area of academic scholarship.
• An NRF rating of C1 or C2 or equivalent status.
• Demonstrated successful supervision of graduated master's and preferably graduated doctoral students.
• Proven experience in delivering keynote addresses at national scholarly conferences.
• Serve as a member of an international scholarly society

 

Required competencies:

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (verbal and written) and, the ability to function well in the University's richly diverse working environment.
• Strong leadership ability.
• Innovative thinking..
• Entrepreneurial skills.
• Skilled use of Microsoft Office software.
• Business acumen.
• Result orientated.
• Strategic thinking.
• Building coalitions.
• Leading. 

 

Recommendations:  

• A recent and consistent track record in research and publication.
• International network in the field of disaster management.
• Proof of interdisciplinary research.
• International experience in disaster management activities and research.
• International recognition in the field of disaster management.

 

Term of office:

• The appointment as Senior Lecturer / Associate Professor / Professor is a permanent position.
• Five (5) years with regard to the Director, with the possibility of reappointment for a further term.

 

Assumption of duties:

1 January 2019 or as soon as possible.

 

Closing date:

19 October 2018.

 

Salary:

The salary scale is available on request. For any further enquiries, please feel free to contact 051 401 2808/9962/3934/2010.

 

Fringe benefits:

(Subject to specific conditions): pension scheme, medical aid scheme, group life insurance, housing allowance, leave and sick leave, service bonus and study benefits.

 

General:

The University reserves the right not to fill the post. The University subscribes to and applies the principles prescribed by the Employment Equity Act. Preference will be given to candidates from the designated groups, in accordance with the principles of the aforementioned act and the employee profile of the specific department/division.

 

Applications may only be submitted online. All applications must be accompanied by the following:

• a detailed curriculum vitae and cover letter (please note that the first three (3) referees on your CV will be contacted with regard to reference checking);
• certified copies (not older than 3 months) of all academic records;
• certified copies (not older than 3 months) of qualifications (please provide the SAQA accreditation in the case of foreign qualifications);
• a certified copy (not older than 3 months) of your identity document (ID).