Office base: Pretoria or Cape Town
Five-year (5) Fixed-term contract
Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the HSRC seeks to appoint a suitably qualified and respected executive leader, academic and scholar, to take on the responsibilities of Group Executive: Research Impact. The successful incumbent shall be required to lead, mentor and direct the team of research specialists in various strategic units, and to drive the team to formulate impact assessment strategies, innovating methodologies and coordinating working groups to realise the vision of Research Impact and that of the HSRC. The successful candidate will ensure the quality of research outputs and enable research dissemination strategies, research partnerships and collaboration, which drive the HSRC’s quest for impact in policy-engaged research.
Link to HR RECRUITMENT WEBPAGE
The following is a summary of key responsibilities for the Group Executive: Research Impact:
Strategic planning, execution and delivery
• Together with the CEO and the executive team, spearhead formal government engagements through joint projects, partnerships, secondments, workshops and research dissemination to drive strategic impact objectives.
• Build visible national, continental and international research partnerships that result in collaborative and multidisciplinary studies, high-quality publications, evidence reviews and policy briefs.
• Provide strategic leadership for Research Impact in quality assurance, science communication, impact assessment and dissemination for research outputs along with designated staff and HSRC resources.
• Work with the Unit managers to oversee strategic administrative leadership for the Unit’s support team and ensure each Unit component is adequately resourced. Ensure the successful provision of strategic initiatives that contribute towards creating a culture of impact for the HSRC.
• Ensure the successful sourcing of strategic external partners (locally and internationally) aligned with the social research objectives of the HSRC and drive successful liaising between strategic partners of the policy-making environment and researchers within the HSRC.
• Ensure the provision of sustainable and impactful research that government, communities and state bodies can take up through policy improvements.
• Proactively demonstrate a visible presence and engagement with relevant government entities and activities related to the organisation’s impact objectives.
• Ensure that grants obtained are well managed, strategic and focussed on public-oriented research in keeping with the HSRC’s impact vision. As well as ensure that good relations are maintained with partners.
Financial Acumen
• Lead the deployment of proper financial controls to manage the Unit’s budget and drive the effective implementation, management, and monitoring of financial resources.
• Ensure the compilation and submission of accurate financial data in accordance with prescribed guidelines, standards, and formats.
Strategic partnerships and people management
• Build and lead an effective team that works collaboratively toward achieving the organisation’s goals and promoting the HSRC brand identity and values.
• Facilitate the establishment of smooth working relationships between the Unit and other business partners within the HSRC.
• Ensure that the HSRC is regularly represented in forums where industry information is shared to keep the organisation at the forefront of industry developments.
• Engage relevant groups of stakeholders at the highest level in making critical decisions while clearly articulating the HSRC stance on matters and ensuring the preservation of the organisations’ interests.
• Ensure that each team member is capacitated, managed, supported, mentored (if they are trainees) and motivated to ensure a high-performance team that meets strategic targets.
• Mentor and interact with staff members at all organisational levels to foster growth and encourage development among the senior management team and other staff members.
• Provide overall leadership by managing and supporting the Unit’s employees by keeping them informed and engaged, providing ongoing performance feedback, coaching, and guidance.
• Implement strategic information campaigns to promote key business initiatives, where relevant, in the context of the HSRC ‘s strategic objectives and goals.
Key requirements:
• A PhD in either Social Sciences or other related fields (NQF 10)
• Fifteen (15) years of experience as a senior researcher, managing and leading senior research teams with demonstrable impactful outcomes and results;
• At least ten (10) years of experience at a strategic and senior management level in an academic, research or research institution environment;
• An academic leader with a strong publishing record (books, book chapters, journal articles), several of which must be international and first or sole-authored;
• Excellent networking skills and experience working with senior policymakers and decision-makers;
• Fluency in English.
Additional requirements
• Above-average grant proposal writing skills and a verifiable record of raising large-scale project funds for research;
• A track record of leading large-scale quantitative and/or qualitative research studies with demonstrable impact outcomes.
• Advanced business acumen with skills in the design and management of large and complicated budgets according to relevant financial, human and statutory requirements;
• Personal qualities that include intellectual and personal integrity, imagination, drive, and the ability to work well under pressure and meet deadlines;
• Leadership qualities that include intellectual leadership, humility, a commitment to excellence, strategic advisory experience, the ability to work as part of a management team and to capacitate more junior researchers and lead multidisciplinary teams, and
• Excellent computer literacy, including a knowledge of contemporary ways of communicating research outcomes.
Beneficial commendations that will be an added advantage to the application include:
• Additional management and leadership qualifications (e.g. Master of Business Management etc);
The HSRC offers attractive, market-related packages, depending on qualifications and experience.
Applications should include:
- A cover letter of motivation indicating your suitability for the position.
- A detailed CV which should clearly indicate your highest qualification and details of your citizenship and a list of journal articles.
- The details of three recent referees with telephone/cell number, e-mail, and institutional affiliation.
- Certified copy of your ID.
- Three writing samples including journal articles.
The HSRC will only consider applications that comply with the above requirements.
Please register and submit your application on-line at https://hsrc.erecruit.co/
Application Instructions:
• Candidates can make use of their mobile devices or any browser to register on the Neptune recruitment site, as well as to make applications for available vacancies.
• Candidates will be prompted to upload their CVs. Please note that currently, the system cannot accept multiple, separate, attachments. Please ensure that you PDF your CV and ALL your supporting documents into one file, and attach it when prompted to do so for your CV document, ensuring that it complies with the file size below.
• Attachments must be less than 1MB, there is an on-screen option to resize.
Enquiries about the nature of the position, and NOT applications, may be directed to Ms. Marizane Rousseau at MRousseau@hsrc.ac.za
Due to the current equity strategy and needs of the HSRC, preference will be given to black (African, Indian, Coloured, Chinese) South African citizens for this position. The HSRC is committed to improving the proportion of its staff that is black, female or disabled.
Closing date: 29 November 2024 We encourage applicants to submit prior to this date. Applicants who have not been contacted within eight weeks should assume that their application has been unsuccessful. Only applicants who are interviewed will be advised of the outcome of their applications.
THE HSRC RESERVES THE RIGHT NOT TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT.
APPLICATIONS FROM RECRUITMENT AGENCIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED
