Research Officer M&D Scholarship Programmes Office of Research Development

CORE PURPOSE OF JOB

Working closely with the Director: Research Development, the purpose of the job is to manage and administer masters and doctoral scholarships and coordinate research capacity development interventions for masters and doctoral students.

KEY PERFORMANCE AREAS

• To administer all aspects of internally funded masters and doctoral scholarships effectively.
• To administer assigned external bursaries and scholarships, such as the Rupert Gesinstigting award, the S2A3 (Southern Africa Association for the Advancement of Science) Medal, and others.
• To draft or revise policies, call framework, funding guide and Conditions of Grant
• To collaborate with ICT Services to ensure functionality of the online submission system, for example for the Postgraduate Research Scholarships (PGRS)
• To deliver on effective grant awarding expensing, monitoring and evaluation, and adherence to financial compliance
• To facilitate and coordinate research capacity development interventions for M&D students
• Management of research information systems, including databases of funded students

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Knowledge and experience of postgraduate scholarships in the context of Higher Education and relevant administrative, financial and faculty structures, processes and practices
• Knowledge and experience of structures, functions, procedures, policies and practices of external funding agencies and organisation
• Knowledge of the National Research Foundation’s policies, procedures, and programmes
• Experience with financial management (thorough knowledge of the ITS financial and student systems will be an advantage)
• Experience coordinating research development workshops or other research development interventions for postgraduate students
• Compiling and managing the maintenance of accessible data for reporting and record keeping
• Assist with compilation and production of various internal reports, including quarterly reports and Nelson Mandela University annual research report
• Producing Research Office statistics (qualitative and quantitative) to assess the number, equity profile, and success of students funded and anticipated future direction and goals.
• Strong computer literacy, particularly spreadsheets and databases
• Strong facilitation skills
• Excellent written and communication skills
• Ability to work under pressure, meet set deadlines, learn continuously and adapt to changing internal and external environments
• Ability to work independently and within a team
• Accept responsibility and accountability
• A service and humanising orientation

REQUIREMENTS

Candidates must:

• Possess Grade 12 qualification or equivalent
• Have 2-5 years relevant experience in a higher education institution
• Experience working in a research support or research management department, within the higher education sector will be an advantage
• A bachelors degree will be an advantage

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION e.g. contact person and telephone number, e-mail; etc.