Job Details

The purpose of this position is to enhance the University of the Free State’s competitiveness in global research and innovation by providing specialist support to grant proposal development, funding opportunity identification, multi-stakeholder coordination, and compliance management.   

The role ensures high-quality submissions to research funders, strengthens strategic research partnerships, and contributes to the university’s Vision 130 objectives of expanding third-stream income and increasing international research visibility.

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. The system allows a maximum of eight attachments. To avoid upload issues, we recommend merging some or all documents into fewer files before submitting.

INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED!
To ensure your application is complete, you must submit ALL documents listed under the inherent requirements, as well as the following standard documentation: 

•    A detailed Curriculum Vitae.
•    Copies of your qualifications, or official proof of qualifications obtained (If you hold foreign qualifications, please include SAQA accreditation).
•    A copy of your identity document (South African ID or passport for foreign nationals).
•    Confirmation of employment in the form of a letter, appointment contract, service certificate, or recent payslip from your current or most recent employer (applicable to external applicants only).

Duties and responsibilities:

Strategic Identification of International Funding Opportunities
•    Identify and analyse research calls aligned to UFS research priorities.
•    Engage funders to clarify requirements and eligibility criteria.
•    Build and maintain partnerships with international universities, funders and stakeholders.

Proposal Development, Coordination and Quality Assurance
•    Provide professional guidance on proposal conceptualisation and drafting.
•    Review and edit narrative components, institutional profiles, and budget justifications.
•    Coordinate multi-partner, multi-disciplinary and research submissions.
•    Manage timelines and submissions through online systems.

Budget Development, Financial Oversight and Compliance 
•    Guide researchers on donor-compliant budgeting.
•    Ensure alignment with UFS financial controls, VAT requirements and funder rules.
•    Support due diligence, financial compliance, ethics and risk-management processes.

Institutional Coordination and Stakeholder Engagement
•    Liaise with faculties, research units, finance, RC&I, and other support departments.
•    Strengthen internal workflows and service pathways within the DRD.
•    Facilitate communication between researchers and research funders.

Capacity Building, Training and Support
•    Deliver training on grant writing, budgeting and compliance.
•    Develop templates, guidelines, tools and SOPs for proposal development.
•    Provide personalised support to emerging and established researchers.

Reporting, Analytics and Strategic Support
•    Collect and analyse proposal-submission data for executive reporting.
•    Support dashboards and KPIs aligned to Vision 130.
•    Contribute to policy refinement and process improvements within DRD.

Inherent Job Requirements

​​​​​​​•    Master’s degree on NQF Level 9.
•    A qualification in Project Management.
•    Minimum of five (5) years’ experience in programme, project, grant or donor-funded portfolio management.
•    Experience managing multi-stakeholder and complex projects.
•    Financial oversight, budgeting and compliance experience.
•    Experience working in higher education, research environments or donor-funded ecosystems.
•    Demonstrated stakeholder-engagement experience (national and international).

Recommendations

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​•    Project Management certification.
•    Track record of fundraising or resource mobilisation.
•    Experience preparing executive-level reports for governance structures.

Key Competencies Required:

•    Results Orientated:
-    The ability to set high standards, establish tough goals, and to work to achieve success.
-    The ability to cope with a frequently changing environment and to adapt to evolving situations. 
•    Strategic Thinking:
-    The ability to deal with several activities at a time.
-    The ability to plan work and to follow plans.
•    Business Acumen:
-    Excellent writing, editing and analytical abilities.
-    Strong project-management capability.
-    Advanced financial literacy for grant budgeting.
-    High-level coordination and communication skills.
-    Strong presentation and facilitation skills.
•    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:
-    Ability to build and maintain stakeholder relationships.
-    The ability to be self-assured and at ease with people in all types of social situations.

Assumption of duties:
As soon as possible.

Closing date:
08 December 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 051 401 2979 or email JardineS@ufs.ac.za or Recruit@ufs.ac.za  Additionally, kindly contact 051 401 9813 / 9848  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 Plan is available at: EEA13Report_UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE FINAL SEP 2025.

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.