Associate Professor/ Professor and Academic Head of Department Job ID: 6130 needed at University of the Free State

Duties and responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership in the Division of Public Health and contribute to a strong academic identity.
• Provide academic leadership by creating and executing strategies to establish the Division as a leader in the discipline vis-à-vis competing international entities.
• Perform all necessary administrative and personnel duties associated with a Head of Department.
• Responsible for directing the academic debate and influencing the overall climate and culture in the Division.
• Responsible for linking the Division’s staff and students with the University’s management and administration through communication, negotiation and consultation.
• Active participation and involvement in Faculty and UFS management structures, attending meetings, leading project teams.
• Initiate, formulate and implement a visionary academic strategy to develop the Division into the School of Public Health that is aligned with the Faculty, UFS strategic goals and global priorities.
• Ensure quality teaching and learning activities that are aligned with the Faculty and UFS strategic goals.
• Teach/facilitate postgraduate modules/workshops in public health and research methodology.
• Supervise postgraduate research and initiate, conduct and disseminate public health research in conference presentations and accredited journal publications.
• Contribute to programme development and curriculum review within the Division and Faculty.
• Build an effective team of scholars and support them towards acquiring international standing.
• Ensure sound financial management, budgets planning and allocation that adhere to UFS financial policies and procedures.
• Actively participate and support academic staff members to apply for external research and other grants.

Inherent requirements:

Associate Professor:

• PhD in Public Health or an equivalent degree on NQF Level 10.
• Three (3) years’ research management and leadership experience at higher education level.
• Experience as external examiner for master’s and doctoral students.
• Proven experience in the presentation of research papers at national conferences, where there is evidence of peer review of papers.
• Proven national recognition for specialist expertise and research leadership in a specific scientific area of scholarship.
• Proven experience in the supervision of graduated masters and/or doctoral students.
• A proven research record of relevant publications in national and international accredited journals.
• Serve as a member of a national scholarly society OR a national committee or agency concerned with research or Public Health at higher education or research or government institution levels.
• Proven experience of curriculum and programme development.
• Evidence of attracting external research/training grants.
• Achieved international standing or NRF rating or potential for rating.

Professor:

• PhD in Public Health or an equivalent degree on NQF Level 10.
• Three (3) years’ research management and leadership experience at higher education level.
• Experience as external examiner for masters’ and doctoral students.
• Proven international recognition for specialist expertise and research leadership in a particular area of academic scholarship (e.g. regularly serves as a reviewer for international journals).
• Demonstrated successful supervision of graduated master’s and preferably doctoral students.
• A proven research record of relevant publications in national and international accredited journals.
• Proven experience in chairing or delivering keynote addresses at national or international scholarly conferences.
• Serve as a member of an international scholarly society OR an international committee or agency concerned with research or Public Health at higher education or government levels.
• Proven experience of curriculum and programme development.
• Evidence of acquiring successful international research/training grants.
• NRF rating or potential for rating.

Recommendations:

• A minimum of five (5) years’ research management and leadership experience. 
• A minimum of five (5) years’ experience in a higher education environment.