Director: Sustainability and Community Engagement (N000662)
Listing reference: nwu_003488
Listing status: Under Review
Apply by: 30 May 2025
Position summary
Industry: Education & Training
Job category: University and Academy
Location: Potchefstroom
Contract: Permanent
Remuneration: Market Related
About our company
NWU
Introduction
To lead, drive, oversee, and manage the Sustainability and Community Impact (SCI) Support department, so that this department on behalf of and in collaboration with all business units of the NWU, can address relevant needs for sustainable development and community impact and contribute to social cohesion and social justice.
Job description
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Contribute to ensuring that research and innovation and teaching and learning address social justice and sustainable development goals as encompassed in the Annual Performance Plan (APP) of the NWU.
- Integrate and align community engagement with core activities (teaching and learning and research) and promote sustainability principles.
- Creating awareness of SCI opportunities internally and externally of NWU. Report to all relevant external stakeholders on SCI activities and progress.
- Provide intellectual and strategic leadership to the University’s operational, teaching-learning and research activities in order to contribute to sustainability.
- Build relationships with governmental stakeholders in order to ensure that developmental/ grand imperatives can be facilitated with internal expertise.
- Build relationships with third sector (NPC’s, NGO’s PBO’s and faith-based organizations) stakeholders in order to ensure that developmental/ grand imperatives can be facilitated with internal expertise.
- Build relationships with private sector stakeholders in order ensure that developmental/ grand imperatives can be facilitated with internal expertise.
- Build relationships with external community stakeholders in order ensure that developmental/ grand imperatives can be facilitated with internal expertise.
- Steer and promote quality in all aspects relating to sustainability.
- Provide coordination, guidance and support to ensure sustainability outputs from all research entities and new innovation for sustainability.
- Provide coordination, guidance and support to ensure high quality engaged teaching-learning outputs relating to sustainability from all faculties.
- Link and coordinate engaged research and engaged teaching- learning activities and operational outputs to be aligned with sustainability practices at the NWU.
- Report on impact of various sustainability activities.
- Coordinate, align and plan the activities across campuses and faculties by meeting with specific working groups for each of the capitals.
- Promote awareness of mitigation of climate change.
Minimum requirements
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
- An MBA with Financial Management and/or, Community Development as area of specialisation (NQF level 9).
- A bachelor’s degree or diploma in a Commerce field (NQF level 7/6)
- Membership with one of the following professional bodies: SAHECEF, SARUA, Talloires Network, CLAYSS, AASHE
- /Second Nature.
- A minimum of eight (8) years’ higher education experience
- A minimum of five (5) years’ operational experience being involved in community development/engagement and
- sustainability projects.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
- Sustainability Management training or Environmental Management training or equivalent bachelors.
- Public speaking and relationship building experience.
- Experience within the higher education environment.
KEY FUNCTIONAL/TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES:
- Have a big picture mentality thus an ability to link grand challenges to university/ higher education.
- Being able to adapt to different cultural settings- have knowledge of a diversity of cultures.
- Have good language proficiency - be able to speak and write good English and if at all possible, an African language and compile high level reports.
- Understand business, interpret financial statements and be able to conduct project management and write reports.
- Must be able to relate to different levels of society including government and business, the elderly as well as the youth spanning the generational gap especially Gen. Y, Z & Alpha and Millennials.
- Have a technical understanding of what sustainability is and how this slots/ fits in with green campus activities and community engagement.
- High emotional intelligence and the ability to relate to all types of personalities.
- Understand the indicators the NWU uses for impact measurement.
KEY BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES:
- Excellent people skills.
- Excellent communication skills.
- Leadership skills.
- Value driven.
REMUNERATION:
The annual total remuneration package will be commensurate with the level of appointment as advertised and in line with the NWU policy guidelines.
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. Sonia Swanepoel on 018 389 2005
ENQUIRIES REGARDING RECRUITMENT PROCESS MAY BE DIRECTED TO: Mr. Lionel Eksteen on 018 285 2104
CLOSING DATE: 30 May 2025
PLANNED COMMENCEMENT OF DUTIES: 1 January 2026
ENQUIRIES REGARDING RECRUITMENT PROCESS MAY BE DIRECTED TO: Mr. Lionel Eksteen on 018 285 2104
CLOSING DATE: 30 May 2025
PLANNED COMMENCEMENT OF DUTIES: 1 January 2026
