Director (P5) (Academic Development & Support Division: Centre for Psychological Services & Career Development)
Position Summary
Introduction
The University of Johannesburg (UJ) is a vibrant and cosmopolitan university, anchored in Africa and driven by a powerful strategy focused on attaining global excellence and stature (GES). With an emphasis on independent thinking, sustainable development, and strategic partnerships, UJ is an international university of choice. The University is guided by the Vice-Chancellor’s vision of “Positioning UJ in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) for societal impact in the context of the changing social, political, and economic fortunes of Africa”.
Job description
- Develop and implement a comprehensive strategic vision that integrates career services, psychological services, disability services, and coaching services to enhance student success and well-being.
- Develop and maintain crisis response plans for mental health emergencies, career-related crises, or disability-related issues.
- Coordinate with campus security and other relevant departments to ensure a coordinated response to critical incidents.
- Promote and facilitate collaboration and interdisciplinary cooperation among psychological services, career development, and disability support teams to provide holistic support to students.
- Identify opportunities for cross-functional initiatives that benefit students across these service areas.
- Oversee the provision confidential psychological counselling services to students, ensuring a safe and supportive environment.
- Develop and implement counselling programs, workshops, and resources to promote mental health and well-being among students.
- Lead efforts to provide career exploration, job search, and internship opportunities for students.
- Oversee accommodations and support services for students with disabilities to ensure equal access to educational opportunities.
- Collaborate with faculty and staff to implement reasonable accommodations in accordance with relevant and laws and regulations.
- Collaborate with employers, alumni and industry partners to create networking and career development opportunities.
- Establish and maintain appropriate systems (analytical tools, information systems, projections of cost behaviour), processes, and policies to ensure effective and efficient management of resources.
- Manage external contractors and suppliers within the unit and manage internal service-level agreements with other divisions.
- Ensure effective identification and management of business risks, resources and continuous improvement.
- Effectively manage resources (financial, human and physical) for the effective running of the unit.
- Ensure effective people management within the domain in line with the UJ policies and guidelines.
- Implement a governance framework to ensure the professional conduct of employees and upholding of UJ values and governance principles.
- Manage compliance with legislation, regulations, UJ policies and procedures within the Unit.
- Draft and submit annual, quarterly and monthly reports required or as delegated by the Senior Director: Academic Development and Support.
Minimum requirements
- Doctorate (NQF 10) or equivalent in Psychology or Social Work
- Five (5) to eight (8) years of experience in the Higher Education environment of South Africa as an academic or student support staff member
- Five (5) years of experience with student wellness, student psychosocial support, and student healthy living
- Five (5) years of leadership and management experience
- Five (5) years of proven research output
- Knowledge of resources (financial, human and physical) management
- General and operational management experience
- Experience in strategic management
- Knowledge of relevant statutory regulations
- Sound knowledge of and experience in Student Mental Health
- Professional registration with a recognised South African regulatory body
- Business acumen
- Quantitative statistical procedures
- Budgeting and financial management skills
- Critical Incident Stress Management
- Conflict resolution
- Negotiation skills
- Training
- Networking skills
- Presentation skills
- Problem-solving and analytical skills
- Creativity and innovation skills
- Leadership
- Interpersonal skills
- Strategic thinking
- Communication (written and verbal) skills
- Facilitation
- Computer literacy (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Oracle)
- Time management
Your application, comprising of a detailed Curriculum Vitae as well as the names and full contact details (including telephone numbers and e-mail addresses) of at least three traceable and credible referees must be uploaded before or on the closing date of the advertised post. Please also attach the following: a copy of your highest academic qualification, proof of registration with professional bodies you might belong to and if applying for an academic position, a list of accredited research output and/ or a portfolio of your creative output.
If you require technical support / assistance on the UJ e-recruitment website, please contact our service provider PNET on the following contact details: 0861 227337/010 140 3099 or email ujsupport@pnet.co.za.
Candidates may be subjected to appropriate psychometric testing and other selection instruments.
In conjunction to merit on the basis of qualifications, experience and proven achievements the University of Johannesburg is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for persons with disabilities and those individuals from the historically disadvantaged groups. As necessitated by operational requirements the University reserves the right not to make an appointment to positions advertised. If you have not received a response from the University within 8 weeks of the closing date, you should assume that your application has been unsuccessful.
Please note that the University is obligated, in terms of recent amendments to the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 2021 (Act 13 of 2021), to assess all prospective employees (including applicants) against the National Register for Sex Offenders (NRSO). The outcome of such an assessment may have an impact upon possible employment with the University.
