Academic support Co-ordinator

Direct Reporting Line:
Head: Academic

The IIE's Vega is an educational brand of The Independent Institute of Education (The IIE). The IIE enjoys the reputation of being at the forefront of private higher education in South Africa, and is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) to provide higher education qualifications accredited by the Council on Higher Education (CHE).

The IIE's Vega, Pretoria Campus has a vacancy for an Academic Support Co-ordinator.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Academic Department Administrative Support

1. Responsible for the day-to-day administrative support of the campus Academic department across all School/s and Programmes.
2. Compiles, manages and distributes academic reports as required by the campus Academic School/s.
3. Captures student notes in the academic system as and when required.
4. Collaborates with other members of the Academic team (and other departments where applicable) to prepare for, and meet the requirements of the campus PULSE and Groups Internal Audits.
5. Provides academic and administrative support during the campus registration period, including calling for student retention initiatives.
6. Supports the Head: Academic with the Student Evaluation of Teaching (SETS) requirements.
7. Attends the Academic department meetings and records minutes at these meetings when required.
8. Assists with student disciplinary hearings as and when required.
9. Meets project deadlines as determined by the National office and/or the Head: Academic.

Independent Contractor (Lecturer) Administration Management

1. Responsible for the day-to-day administrative management of the campus Lecturing (Independent Contractor) team within the relevant School/s.
2. Supports the Programme Manager/s in managing the Lecturers and addresses or directs their queries timeously and accurately.
3. Monitors the lecturer's administrative performance, for example: the timeous submission of timesheets and documentation aligned with audit requirements and company policy.
4. Captures information on the Direct Academic Student Engagement (DASE) tracker and ensures that this tracker is kept up-to-date and accurate at all times.
5. Manages lecturing loads by way of module allocations i.e. Direct Academic Student Engagement tracking (DASE/non-DASE) to ensure the permissible maximum hours are adhered to and are not exceeded.
6. Proactively monitors the Direct Academic Student Engagement (DASE) tracker and reports any Lecturers nearing the maximum permissible hourly allocation to the Head: Academic and relevant Programme Manager/s immediately to ensure that the hours are managed carefully thereafter and not exceeded.
7. Manages and notifies the relevant lecturers of any changes that may affect their designated programmes.
8. Collaborates with the relevant parties (Head: Academic, Programme Managers and the Junior HR Officer: Academic) to advertise campus Lecturer vacancies.
9. Provides first line screening support of Lecturer applications and sets up interviews for shortlisted candidates.
10. Attends mock lectures where required as part of the candidate screening process.
11. Applies for Academic (Classification of Educational Subject Matter: CESM) approval on the HR & Payroll System to determine what module/s each Independent Contractor is approved to lecture on, and ensures that approvals are awarded by the Central Academic Team (CAT) prior to giving the Junior HR Officer: Academic the details to draw up the relevant Independent Contractor Agreements and related Annexures.
12. Collaborates with the Junior HR Officer: Academic on the Lecturer appointment process to ensure that the process is streamlined and all audit and policy/process requirements are met prior to any Independent Contractor Agreements being issued or work being offered or carried out.
13. Provides the Junior HR Officer: Academic with the relevant lecturing schedules needed to complete the Independent Contractor Agreements and associated Annexures.
14. First level approver for the Lecturer timesheet approval process on the HR & Payroll system.
15. Collaborates with the campus Capacity Planning and Timetabling Centre to fulfil the timesheet approval function and checks timeously in the HR & Payroll system on a monthly basis in accordance with the payroll deadlines to ensure that all timesheets are approved and any queries are resolved before the timesheet cut off date.
16. Works with the Academic Department in driving lecturer evaluations.
17. Keeps in constant communication with the Capacity Planning and Timetabling Centre to inform them of module allocation and Lecturer details so that they can set up the relevant VCConnect email addresses and account details timeously.
18. Ensures that all new Lecturers are invited to attend the semester Induction and Orientation sessions as part of their onboarding process.
19. Updates the campus tracker to identify Lecturer gaps and works with the Head: Academic to put recruitment plans in place to fill the identified gaps accordingly, and proactively identifies a pool of suitable Lecturer candidates across the relevant Programmes as part of an ongoing recruitment drive.

Campus Synergy and General

1. Assists the Academic department with the co-ordination of academic workshops when required.
2. Assists in identifying at risk students and lecturers and directs academic related queries to the relevant Academic team member timeously.
3. Liaises with the Capacity Planning and Timetabling Centre and manages the Programme Managers class visit schedule on a regular basis.
4. Addresses queries with the relevant National office Academic Support team members, and rolls-out directives or projects as and when required.
5. Collaborates with all departments on campus to facilitate optimal performance within the portfolio or scope of duties.
6. Complies with The Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) legislation relevant to the role.

Competencies Required:

1. Advanced administrative and organisational skills
2. Computer and system proficiency
3. Problem solving skills
4. Advanced communication
5. Time management & prioritisation skills
6. Best suited to a friendly, organised and methodical person who works accurately and is able to handle pressure.

Qualification Requirements:

1. Minimum of a National Diploma/Advanced Certificate (NQF Level 6). However, candidates in their final year of their studies (NQF Level 6) who are currently employed at the company will also be considered for the role.
2. Advanced Diploma or Degree (NQF Level 7) advantageous.

Experience Requirements:

1. Minimum of two years administrative experience, ideally within a tertiary academic environment.

The IIE's Vega is an Equal Opportunity Employer. However, preference will be given to previously underrepresented groups in accordance with the South African Employment Equity Act.