Manager (Durbanville)

Job description

Purpose

• To build academic staff capacity across all academic roles through structured onboarding programmes, ongoing development programmes, and targeted support.
• To enhance academic staff capability through the design and implementation of professional development initiatives that strengthen teaching, assessment, and student engagement.
• To facilitate the adoption of student-centred teaching approaches and the effective integration of educational technologies to enhance teaching and learning.
• To promote reflective practice, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and collaborative communities of practice that drive continuous improvement in teaching quality and student success.
• To coordinate the academic development portfolio and support the planning and monitoring of its budget, across STADIO’s contact and distance modes of delivery, nationally.

Key responsibilities

All responsibilities below apply to academic staff nationally and across both of STADIO’s modes of delivery, contact and distance. The role has no direct reports at present: the postholder coordinates the academic development portfolio, reporting to the Dean, and draws on capacity within the wider team as required.

Academic development design

• Design and operationalise structured onboarding programmes for all academic roles, aligned to institutional expectations and teaching requirements.
• Design continuous professional development programmes for established academic staff, aligned to teaching, assessment, and student engagement priorities.
• Conduct regular needs analyses (formal and ad hoc) to identify academic staff development priorities across roles.
• Review, update, and improve onboarding and development programmes based on feedback, performance data, and emerging needs.
• Develop micro-credentials and short learning interventions for onboarding and continuous academic staff development.
• Collaborate with subject matter experts and heads of portfolios across the institution to source, curate, and structure relevant content for development initiatives.
• Design and develop online and blended learning materials on the LMS, in collaboration with the Head: Instructional Design.
• Package academic development content into coherent, accessible, and pedagogically sound learning experiences.

Training and facilitation

• Design and deliver training sessions for academic staff in a range of formats, including short updates, extended sessions, and full workshops.
• Facilitate learning in online (synchronous and asynchronous) and face-to-face environments.
• Apply sound principles of adult learning, facilitation, and pedagogy in all training interventions.
• Create inclusive and participatory learning environments that respect the expertise of academic staff.
• Evaluate training effectiveness through feedback and reflection, and refine delivery approaches accordingly.

Operational coordination, communication, and records management

• Coordinate and schedule onboarding and academic development activities.
• Manage enrolment, tracking, and record-keeping systems for all development initiatives.
• Track academic staff participation, progress, and completion, and report outstanding requirements to the relevant line managers and Heads of Portfolios through STADIO’s matrix structure.
• Compile and submit quarterly reports on academic staff development activities to the Teaching and Learning Advisory Committee (TLAC).
• Assist with the administration of the graduate attributes (STADIO stripes) project.

Scholarship of teaching and learning

• Coordinate and manage the implementation of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) programme.
• Track participation, progress, and outputs related to SoTL activities.
• Promote and support academic staff participation in SoTL through guidance, encouragement, and development opportunities.
• Collaborate with the Dean: Research to align SoTL initiatives with broader research priorities.
• Collate and compile information on SoTL activities and outputs.

Professional development and research

• Stay abreast of developments in teaching and learning, academic staff development, and the use of educational technologies.
• Contribute informed input to institutional initiatives and discussions related to teaching, learning, and academic development.
• Conduct and apply research in academic development to inform practice.

Portfolio coordination and budget support

• Contribute to annual planning and prioritisation for the academic development portfolio, and report on delivery against plan.
• Provide input to budget planning for academic development, and monitor and report on expenditure against the budget held by the Dean.
• Agree, together with the Dean and the relevant portfolio, which academic development requirements are compulsory for academic staff.
• Draw on capacity within the wider team for specific initiatives, and provide guidance to colleagues contributing to academic development activities.

Qualifications

• Minimum NQF 8 (honours degree or postgraduate diploma) at the time of appointment.
• The successful candidate would be expected to achieve a master’s degree (NQF 9) within two years of appointment, if not already held.
• A qualification in learning design, education, or higher education teaching and learning will be an advantage.

Experience

Required:

• At least 5 years' teaching experience in higher education, with 7 or more preferred, including teaching across a range of levels, modes, and disciplines.
• Proven experience in designing and delivering academic or staff development programmes.
• Experience in online, blended, and face-to-face learning environments.

Advantageous:

• Experience in facilitating learning in an adult or professional development context.
• Experience of working with Canvas as a learning management system.
• Experience in coordinating or managing training or development initiatives.
• Experience of working with academic staff across disciplines.
• Experience in monitoring, reporting, or evaluating training impact.
• Exposure to both contact and distance modes of delivery.

Knowledge and skills

Knowledge – what the position holder must know:

• Teaching and learning principles in higher education
• Adult learning theory and facilitation practices
• Learning programme design
• Assessment practices and student engagement strategies
• Academic staff development practices and models
• Online and blended learning methodologies
• Learning management systems (LMS) and digital learning tools
• Scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL)
• Quality assurance and regulatory requirements in higher education
• Inclusive teaching practices and diverse student needs
• Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of training and development initiatives

Skills – what the position holder must be able to do:

• Training, presentation, and workshop facilitation
• Programme design and development
• Online and blended learning design
• LMS course development and administration
• Research
• Needs analysis
• Planning, coordination, and organisation
• Budget monitoring and reporting
• Record-keeping and reporting
• Written and verbal communication
• Interpersonal and stakeholder liaison
• Collaboration and teamwork
• Problem-solving
• Computer literacy and use of educational technologies
• Attention to detail
• Ability to work independently

Posted on 24 Aug 16:53, Closing date 31 Aug