Job Details

KINDLY TAKE NOTE: Applications may only be submitted online through the official UFS vacancy website: https://ufs.hua.hrsmart.com/hr/ats/JobSearch/viewAll - Applications submitted through any other platform will not be considered. 

Duties and responsibilities:

Associate Professor/ Professor
•    Present undergraduate and postgraduate modules.
•    Actively do research in a relevant field of Geohydrology.
•    Synthesise knowledge through the publication of scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals.
•    Communicate research findings at scientific conferences.
•    Source funding for research from international and national funding organisations.
•    Participate actively in the professional community.
•    Supervise postgraduate students at master's and PhD levels.
•    Participate actively in leadership and administration at Departmental and Faculty levels.

Academic Head of Department
Leadership
•    Provide academic leadership and development in an academic department by creating and executing strategies to establish the department as a leader in the discipline.
•    Develop an overall operational plan for the department in consultation with the Dean.
•    Give academic leadership and direct department scholarship, teaching, and standards.
•    Take leadership of programme accreditation and ensure national and international accreditation maintenance.
•    Promote intellectual vigor and rigor in the disciplines of the department.
•    Provide research leadership in the department.
•    Influence the department's overall climate and culture and grow the department into a well-functioning academic unit.
•    Contribute to faculty leadership by representing the interests of the department at the faculty board, Senate, and other University structures.
•    Provide leadership in the marketing of the department's programme and assist in establishing collaborations with external parties.

General Management
•    Develop various plans and execute them continuously, including Equity Plans.
•    Monitor that areas of improvement identified are affected.
•    Organize and co-ordinate staff, students, and activities.
•    Mentor, develop and motivate staff.
•    Structure and exercise overall control in the department.
•    Create an atmosphere of consensus among staff.
•    Communicate effectively internally and externally.
•    Participate in faculty management structures.
•    Lead and attend meetings.
•    Lead project teams.
•    Drive academic planning and development.
•    Initiate, formulate and implement a visionary academic strategy for the department that is aligned with and supportive of the guiding strategic documents of the UFS and faculty.
•    Manage facilities, equipment, and other department assets.
•    Develop and manage the department risk register.
•    Plan, manage and/or make recommendations with regard to staff leave applications.

Teaching, learning and students
•    Ensure the provision of top-quality, research-informed facilitation of learning at all levels of teaching in the department.
•    Ensure the enhancement of student experiences and their continuous engagement in academic debates.
•    Ensure that adequate rules and regulations are in place and adhered to in order to optimally deliver high-quality teaching and learning programmes on both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
•    Ensure quality and timely feedback on student work is provided.
•    Ensure proper and quality-driven academic advice and support to all undergraduate and postgraduate students in the department.
•    Manage the teaching and assessment quality enhancement processes in the department.
•    Ensure that programme accreditation minimum criteria are maintained or exceeded.
•    Manage curricula development and reviews and ensure the relevance of content, material and presentation in all modules to help position the department as a leader in the fraternity.
•    Oversee the development of new programmes or offerings in order to remain relevant.
•    Ensure nominations of examiners and moderators are made.
•    Consult with staff and students at regular intervals.
•    Teach and supervise research students up to NQF Level 10.

Research management
•    Develop and maintain a visionary research strategy for the department.
•    Create an environment that encourages research, leading to strong and active research practices and outputs.
•    Ensure that every academic staff member is engaged in quality-driven, discipline-specific and scholarly research.
•    Attract postgraduate students to broaden the research base of the department. 
•    Ensure ethical research requirements are met.
•    Support and assist emerging researchers.
•    Guide and support senior academics towards acquiring NRF ratings.

Human resources management
•    Build effective teams in the department.
•    Plan and implement a fair and reasonable workload of staff members in the department.
•    Monitor the progress of staff probation and manage staff performance as well as appraisals in accordance with existing university policies and procedures.
•    Recruit and select staff  for vacancies and/or specific strategic needs.
•    Create and maintain a scholarship-friendly environment in the department.
•    Plan, drive and oversee effective and relevant staff development.
•    Attend to and/or delegate routine academic and administrative matters.
•    Manage academic and support staff in accordance with UFS HR rules and policies. Ensure a good flow of information to staff.

Financial and physical resources management
•    Take ultimate responsibility for financial management, including, annual budgeting, financial planning, allocation of funds and financial control.
•    Adhere to the UFS's financial policies and procedures.
•    Encourage and support academic staff members to apply for external research and other grants.
 

Inherent Job Requirements

​​​​​Associate Professor

•    PhD on NQF Level 10 in Geohydrology.
•    Proven experience of third-stream income generation and industry engagement.
•    Experience as an external examiner for postgraduate students.
•    Proven experience in presenting research papers at national conferences, where there is evidence of peer review of papers.
•    Acted 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.
•    A proven research record of relevant publications in national and international accredited journals
•    Proven experience in the supervision of graduated master's degree students.
•    Served as a member of a national scholarly society OR a national committee or agency concerned with research at higher education levels OR showed evidence of service as an active member of an international equivalent

Professor
•    PhD on NQF Level 10 in Geohydrology.
•    Proven experience of third-stream income generation and industry engagement.
•    Experience as an external examiner for master's degree and doctoral students.
•    Acted as an editorial board member of high-quality international/lSI/IBSS journals.
•    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/lSI/IBSS journals).
•    An NRF rating of C1 or C2 or equivalent status.
•    Demonstrated successful supervision of graduated master's-degree and preferably graduated doctoral students.
•    Proven experience in delivering keynote addresses at national scholarly conferences.
•    Served as a member of an international scholarly society OR an international committee or agency concerned with research at higher education levels.
 

Recommendations:

•    Experience in successful programme accreditation management.
•    Experience in research conference organisation.
•    Ability to generate external research income.
•    Registration with relevant professional bodies or ability to demonstrate that registration can be achieved with reasonable time.
•    Experience in scholarly engagements such as industry or community service and editorial roles in journals.
•    Awareness of technological, environmental, and socioeconomic issues in the built environment sector and the role of the university in addressing such.
•    Experience in managing resources including people.
•    Experience in administrative duties in a tertiary institution.
•    Awareness of current developments and debates in tertiary education and in the built environment and the implications of these
•    Knowledge of emerging technologies in learning and teaching Ability to manage change in a department and monitor and evaluate its impact.
•    Knowledge of DHET, CHE and NQF policies and regulations
•    Knowledge of professional programme accreditation guidelines
•    At least 5 years' experience of management of staff and resources (taking lead roles, planning, monitoring, and evaluation).
•    Record of active involvement in Professional or Scholarly bodies or entities.
•    Record of impactful research including publication in accredited international journals and teaching experience including student supervision at NQF level 10 at an institution of higher learning.

Key Competencies:

•    Results oriented.
-    The ability to be reliable, responsible, dependable and to fulfil obligations.
-    The ability to deal calmly and effectively    with high-stress situations.

•    Strategic thinking.
-    The ability to deal with several activities at a time.
-    The ability to focus on details, work towards perfection, and approach work in a neat and organised manner.

•    Business Acumen:
-    The ability to adhere to rules and strictly follow work regulations.
-    Proficient in using MS Office.

•    Leading.
-    The ability to lead, take charge of situations, and offer opinions and directions to others.
-    The ability to be cooperative with others, display a good-natured attitude and encourage people to work together.

•    Building coalitions
-    The ability to negotiate, sell, influence and to persuade others.
-    The ability to interact with others and establish personal connections with people.

Required Documents

Please ensure that all relevant documentation is attached to your application. INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED
•    A detailed curriculum vitae and cover letter. 
•    Copies of qualifications (please provide the SAQA accreditation in the case of foreign qualifications).
•    Copies of all academic records (applicable where inherently required).
•    A copy of your identity document (ID or passport in the case of foreign nationals).
•    Proof of registration with a Professional Body (if applicable).
•    A copy of your driver’s license (if applicable).
•    Confirmation of employment from current employer / last employer if unemployed (only applicable to external applicants).
 

Assumption of duties:
01 January 2026
     
Closing date:
08 June 2025

Salary:
The salary is available on request.

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.

Enquiries:
For enquiries, please feel free to contact me at 051 401 98130 or email at PhokaR@ufs.ac.za . Additionally, kindly contact 051 401 2979 / 9810 / 9814 for assistance.

General:
The UFS is a designated employer and is committed to the pursuit of excellence, diversity, and redress in achieving its equity targets in accordance with the Employment Equity Plan of the University and its Employment Equity goals and targets. Preference will be given to candidates from the under-represented designated groups including candidates with disabilities. Our Employment Equity Policy is available at :   EEA13_EE Plan UFS 1 March 2022 (003).pdf

The University processes personal information in line with its obligations under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and any personal information provided to the University will be treated as confidential and processed in accordance with the rights provided to data subjects under POPIA.

The University reserves the right not to fill the post. The UFS will only consider applications of candidates who meet all the inherent requirements of the position. Applications that are incomplete will not be considered. Communication will be limited to shortlisted candidates only. Should you not be contacted within six weeks of the closing date for applications, you may assume that your application was unsuccessful.