PURPOSE OF THE POSITION

The appointment of an administrator is very important for the Center of Excellence for Nutrition, Faculty Health Sciences to provide appropriate support to the Director with administrative activities, support for researchers and specifically financial administration in the entity and to ensure the correctness and completeness of financial and administrative transactions.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Financial administration

• Initiating KFS documents e.g. DV’s, Requisitions for Purchase Orders, Non-Check Disbursements, Service Billings, Journals e.g. GEC, TF, DI and RJV.
• Administer all payments and the procurement of goods and services.
• Initiating sundry debtor’s invoices.
• Draw regularly GL Summary and Detail Reports from KFS to ensure the projects have enough funds available. If there is any special information and or deviations, the reasons and variances are discussed with the director and researchers.
• Assist Director and Financial planner with the preparation and input of the annual budget for the Entity.
• Keep abreast of changes in NWU financial policies, guidelines and procedures.
• Assist in the monitoring of physical assets of Entity.
• Assist the Financial planner / Accountant with the follow-up of financial / audit queries.
• Assist with the preparations of project budgets and adherence to the financial guidelines and policies (special attention to indirect costs).
• Prepare and submit financial reports requested from external funders (Project Income and expenditure report).
• Providing Annual Financial Report of the Entity & information for annual report.

System & Office Administrative Support

• Responsible for administering research administration, staff records maintenance, as well as financial sub-systems.
• Resolve administrative problems by coordinating & preparation of reports and identifying solutions.
• Resolves problems/discrepancies and communicate with a variety of administrative and professional employees within and outside the university.
• Contributes to the management of quality, audit and other internal and external assessments.
• Ensure that administration (list of collaborators, list of payments for temporary appointments and ad-hoc claims, list of accounts and funds available, bursaries, reports, outputs, payments, etc.), are up to date.
• Administration of meetings, events and conferences.
• Records management according to established file structure.
• Management of Memorandum of Agreements, Material Transfer Agreement & Memorandum of Understanding.
• Management of Post-Doctoral bursaries and running expenses.
• Manage arrangements/documentation regarding extraordinary professors.
• Administration (correctness) and processing of all People and Culture documentation. Online system (TAS) available to submit all new Temporary appointments, Adhoc claims and student assistants’ documentation on the system & assist with vacancies & new appointments.
• Handle all general enquiries related to People and Culture.
• Administer InfoEd – submission of articles published.

Logistics

• Assist staff members with application, motivation and budget for national & international travel for congresses & visits.
• Perform procurement tasks as required for successful functioning of the entity, arrangement of accommodation, flight tickets, meals for national and international meetings & functions, etc.

Stakeholder relations and support

• Build and maintain internal and external networks to facilitate effective communication and future information exchange.
• Liaise with colleagues, students and staff to exchange information and discuss matters relating to operations.
• Establish relationships within the faculty, with key stakeholders (administration, institutional office) with national and international organisations as per agreements.
• Manage the interface between the Director, Dean's office and staff members in the entity, especially regarding financial management.

Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)

• Under health and safety law, each employee has the duty to take care of their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by the former’s actions or omissions at work. Therefore, each employee must co-operate with management, OHS officials and colleagues to help everyone meet their legal requirements, whilst upholding and maintaining general occupational health and safety standards and practices.

Ad hoc

• Perform ad hoc administrative tasks as assigned by superior for general functioning of the school/faculty/organisation unit.

• An Administrative or Financial Certificate/Diploma (NQF level 5/6).
• A minimum of two (2) years’ general office management, administrative and financial experience using financial systems like Kuali, including record management.

KEY FUNCTIONAL/ TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES:

• Proven knowledge of general financial principles & exposure to budgeting, reporting and analytical reviewing.
• Computer literacy in MS Office (Word, Excel and Power Point).
• Demonstration of language proficiency to function optimally in the various functionally multilingual environments of the NWU.
• Ability to multi-task and still function effectively and accurately under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Attention to detail.
• Ability to provide oversight of General Ledger Account Summary Reporting.
• Good communication, written and numeracy skills.
• Proficient with financial systems (e.g. KFS).

KEY BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES:

• Ability to work accurately and to deadline with minimal supervision.
• Ability to work effectively in a team.
• Ability to strictly enforce policy and procedures.
• Positive disposition.
• Adaptability / Agility.
• Emotional intelligence.

REMUNERATION

The annual total remuneration package will be commensurate with the level of appointment as advertised and in line with the NWU policy guidelines.

ENQUIRIES REGARDING JOB CONTENT MAY BE DIRECTED TO:                    Prof. Marlien Pieters on 018 299 2462

ENQUIRIES REGARDING RECRUITMENT PROCESS MAY BE DIRECTED TO: Ms. Janine Da Gama on 016 910 3451

CLOSING DATE:                                                                                                   02 April 2025                   

PLANNED COMMENCEMENT OF DUTIES:                                                       As soon as possible 

Kindly take note: applications must be submitted online through the official NWU vacancy website.

Incomplete applications and those submitted through any other platform will not be considered.

The University subscribes to and applies the principles of Employment Equity (EE) Act and is committed to transformation. Preference will be given to candidates from the designated groups, in accordance with the principles of the EE Act and NWU Employment Equity Plan.

The University reserves the right not to make an appointment. Communication will be limited to shortlisted candidates only.

If you are not contacted within two months from the closing date of this advertisement, please accept that your application was unsuccessful.

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