Student Affairs Manager

Anticipated start: As soon as possible

Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Instill’s mission is to transform teaching, learning and leadership in every classroom on the African continent. We believe that the greatest levers for change in the education system are teachers and school leaders. We have recently been accredited as a higher education institution in South Africa, and seek to build a team that will change the face of teacher education across the continent. We’re looking for a Student Affairs Manager to join our small and growing team to ensure the success of our first cohorts of student-teachers.

• Demonstrated commitment to anti-racism, equity, and inclusion
• You have the ambition to grow with the business and move into leadership positions
• You are an exceptional critical thinker with strong interpersonal communication skills
• You have a demonstrated passion for educational development, closing educational equity gaps, and are strongly aligned with our vision, mission and values

What does this role entail?

The Student Affairs Manager is responsible for providing quality student service in the area of enrolments, admissions, course mapping, timetabling, fees, exams, graduation, student counselling, student life, and student records. The Student Affairs Manager provides leadership regarding the overall planning and ensures that the functions and policies are aligned with trends in South African Higher Education.

• Support meaningful engagement among all campus stakeholders;
• Collaborate with administrative and academic staff to ensure seamless service delivery across the student lifecycle;
• Act as a key advocate for student concerns within the campus senior leadership team;
• To provide leadership and direction both to the student administration unit and the campus senior leadership team;
• Ensure adherence to campus policies and procedures for all areas in the student administration portfolio;
• Ensure all processes are accurately documented, recorded and disseminated amongst staff to enable accurate and efficient delivery of services within the policy and procedural frameworks;
• Manage direct reports performance, departments for a smooth running and integrated operations (not limited to admissions, fees, enrolments, student life);
• Monitor and review the services and resources of the student administration unit to ensure efficiency, effectiveness and alignment with campus plans and customer values
• Plan, develop, review and improve services related to enrolments, admissions, fees, timetable systems, exams, graduation, and student records to ensure all functions operate efficiently and effectively and address the needs of students, parents, and staff;
• Responsible for financial budgets and infrastructure management;
• Develop collaborative linkages and interact with South African and regional agencies, institutions, professional bodies, industry, and the general community;
• Ensure the confidentiality and accuracy of student records in compliance with South African regulations.

Selection Criteria

• An appropriate/relevant tertiary qualification (preferably at a post graduate level);
• Experience in the higher education sector and an understanding of institutional statutes and regulations, particularly those relating to student administration in a higher education environment is a big plus;
• Experience in the management and leadership of staff, in strategic planning, project management, budget planning and management;
• Demonstrated leadership and innovation in an integrated policy and services delivery environment, where teamwork and multi-skilling of staff is essential for success;
• Familiarity and understanding of Student Information Systems, record keeping and data integrity in a higher education environment;
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills and a capacity for innovation in dealing with complex system, policy, organisational and procedural issues; and
• Commitment to excellence in the provision of service to students.

Do our values resonate with yours?

We measure the impact of everything we do. We believe that education equity is a central pillar of achieving social justice. We pursue excellence in everything that we do. We have the courage to make bold decisions and learn from our mistakes. We build community by being accountable for our actions, fostering collaborative environments, and acting with integrity and humility. We believe that diversity is central to our success.