DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DEAN: COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

SUMMARY:
DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DEAN: COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES - FIVE (5) YEAR CONTRACT:(FLORIDA CAMPUS)

POSITION INFO:

Unisa is publicly funded Higher Education Institution in South Africa dedicated to distance education. In keeping with its mandate as a Comprehensive, Open Distance and e-Learning (CODeL) Institution offering a variety of academic and career - focused programmes. Unisa is inviting applications for the position of Deputy Executive Dean: College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.  

Purpose of the Job

The purpose of this role is to, together with Executive Dean, provide collective strategic leadership with respect to the following key areas:

• Academic Leadership
• Research and Innovation
• Engaged Scholarship
• Student Support
• Positioning of the College as a site of knowledge production, nationally, continentally and globally.

Roles and responsibilities of the Executive Dean include the following:

KPA 1: Provide Strategic Advice to Enable Sound Decision Making

• Provide strategic advice to the Executive Dean and the UNISA Management on own area of the responsibility, as well as requested, through relevant consultation, conceptualization, formulation and tabling of proposals and recommendations for decision making
• Support institutional operational plans and implement strategies ensuring alignment with university objectives in the primary focus areas of:
  • Research
  • Teaching and learning 
  • Community engagement 
  • Develop strategies for implementing plans ensuring alignment to the university objectives 
  • Develop constantly monitor strategic direction of own area of responsibility ensuring portfolio and college goals are achieved
  • Provide innovation and fresh input to the area of responsibility to support the implementation of objectives 
  • Develop Institutional Operational Plans with substance to support the achievement of own area strategies 
  • On approval of the Operational Plan, manage the implementation in accordance with policies and procedures and provide feedback 
  • Assist the Executive Dean to oversee implementation of the academic operational plan in the College in line with UNISA2030 strategy, submit the Operational Plan for approval to the relevant role layers 
  • Provide strategic advice to the Executive Dean and UNISA Management on own area of responsibility, as well as other areas as requested through relevant consultation, conseptualisation, formulation and tabling of proposal and recommendations for decision-making
  • Monitor initiatives to ensure business objectives are being met
  • Assist the Executive Dean to infuse a planning culture and oversee the development of planning and project management capacity in the college

KPA 2: Facilitate Change and Transformation in the College and UNISA 

• Champion transformation in the College and the University
• Promote an institutional culture that subscribes to the institutional values 
• Participate effectively as a member of the Extended Management team and manage internal constituencies 
• Exemplify UNISA’ s leadership approach and ensure transformation, people-centeredness and high performance in the College 
• Create an enabling and nurturing environment for person with disabilities 
• Assist the Executive Dean to:
  • Provide leadership and guidance, monitor and advance employment equity and diversity 
  • Oversee the consultation and implementation of UNISA’ s integrated talent management system in the College
  • Implement UNISA’ s integrated talent management system
  • Cultivate a collaborative and high performing College Management Team 
  • Establish a culture of collaboration, performance, accountability and stewardship through the IPMS aligned with UNISA 2015 Revised, the Transformation Statement and the 11Cs 

KPA 3: Oversee the implementation of the Institutional Operation Plan (IOP) and College Operational Plan 

• Review infrastructural facilities, registration, and educational processes to ensure a barrier-free environment 
• Develop an integrated strategy for corporate social responsibility in respect of economic, social and environmental areas in line with King IV and UNGC principles
• Redesign Organisational architecture in line with institutional strategy and the open Distance Learning (ODeL) model 
• Develop an organisational architecture framework that charts synergies between technology, human capacities, processes, infrastructure and organisational culture 
• Align technological capabilities with ODeL model and Organisational Architecture (AO) requirements 
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement in all institutional processes and systems through a ‘learning organization’ paradigm  

KPA 4: Assist the Executive Dean to:

• Simplify and streamline Programmes Qualification MIX (PQM)
• Review/develop relevant curricula to promote innovation, and reinvigorate ‘graduateness’ including:
  • Develop an integrated student support model 
  • Revise assessment processes for greater balance between formative and summative assessment 
  • Conceptualise and implement an ODeL teaching and learning model 
  • Increase innovation research and research capacity Inculcate Multidisciplinary, Interdisciplinary and Trans disciplinary (MIT) research, epistemologies, methods and Programmes 
  • Cultivate the scholarship of teaching and learning as well as ODeL research 
  • Sustain a supportive, enabling research environment 
  • Redefine the scope and extent of community engagement in the context of ODeL 
  • Leverage strategic partnerships to increase capacity Build an enabling environment for community engagement 
  • Create an enabling environment for persons with disabilities 
  • Elevate interests and concerns of disabled in policy formulation, planning and management practices 
  • Assist the Executive Dean to initiate and develop integrated communication and marketing activities to position UNISA as leading comprehensive ODeL institution by means of the Communication and Marketing Framework

KPA 5: Develop and Manage Technology, processes and Systems in Line with UNISA’s Organisational Architecture

• Participate in finalising and aligning the OA with the approved ODeL model 
• Foster a culture of continuous improvements to meet department in all institutional processes and systems through a “learning organization” paradigm 
• Ensure sound financial management in the College 
• Enhance the use of technology in the College 

KPA 6: Manage Staff

• Assist to determine and secure the human resources requirements to meet departmental business plan objectives
• Conduct performance reviews to determine Key Performance Areas and develop Personal Development Plans 
• Track and monitor performance and continuously provide feedback and coaching to ensure that the staff member/s perform at optimum productivity level 
• Provide feedback to staff members and take corrective actions to address areas of non-performance 
• Create an environment to enable staff members to perform at the appropriate level 
• Mentor and coach staff to ensure standards are maintained at a high level at all times 
• Manage Human Resources in accordance with policies, procedures and legal requirement 

KPA 7: Practice Sound Corporate Governance 

• Establish UNISA as a leader in sound corporate governance in order to promote sustainability 
• Report according to the Framework for Integrated Report and ensure compliance with guided and King IV
• Ensure long-term financial sustainability and management of risks through the demonstration of responsible stewardship of resources 
• Provide input to the annual budget taking into consideration Operational Plans
• Determine budgetary requirements for e.g. allocated projects, research, tuition, laboratory expenses, CAPEX, external providers corporate communication and marketing budget, human resources, ICT and community engagement 
• Assist the Executive Dean to manage the budget and take responsibility for the management of particular portfolio budget as allocated 
• Participate in reviewing and developing controls for core institutional processes 
• Participate in institutional risk management and take responsibility for the development, maintenance and implementation of the College’s risk management as part of the collective 
• Ensure effective collective leadership of the external environment
• Approve expenditure on budget according to delegation of authority limits 
• Monitor expenditure throughout the year and reports on over/under expenditure 

Requirements 

• Minimum Doctorate Degree with a related discipline in the College
• Registration with relevant institution as appropriate – professional body aligned to discipline
• Minimum 10 years’ experience in Higher Education and academia with at least 5 years in a management role

Assumption of duty :           As soon as possible

Salary                         :           Remuneration is commensurate with the seniority of the Position

Closing Date              :          5 November 2021

Enquiries                   :           Mr. Enias Chingwe 011 ----- / 082 -----

Application can be forwarded by email to:  <--------Please upload your CV here--------

• Kindly supply your comprehensive Curriculum Vitae 
• Further documentation will be requested from shortlisted candidates
• The contact details of three contactable references must be provided; one must be from your present employer. Should you not be employed a contactable reference from your previous employer must be provided.
• The detailed advertisement and a Job Description can be found on the Unisa website 
• Application can be forwarded by email to: 
• Unisa is not obliged to fill an advertised position. 
• Late, incomplete and incorrect applications will not be considered.
• We welcome applications from persons with disabilities

Appointments will be made in accordance with Unisa’s Employment Equity Plan and other applicable legislation.

NB! This job is now closed. You can apply for other jobs by uploading your CV.