Research jobs in South Africa

Job Description

This is a remote position.

Lyceum College is seeking experienced, research-competent, and academically rigorous proficient individuals to serve as Research Supervisors and Examiners within our Postgraduate Diploma in Traffic Policing qualification. This role forms a critical component of the programme’s academic and research ecosystem, ensuring the development of high-quality postgraduate research that is methodologically sound, contextually relevant, and aligned with national and institutional expectations.

The Research Supervisor is responsible for guiding, mentoring, and academically supporting postgraduate candidates throughout the research process. This includes assisting students with topic refinement, proposal development, methodological design, data interpretation, academic writing, ethical considerations, and the production of a final research report that meets postgraduate standards.

Supervisors are further expected to evaluate student progress, provide timely and constructive feedback, support academic integrity, and ensure that all submissions are of an appropriate scholarly standard. Where appointed as Research Examiners, individuals will independently assess completed research reports, ensuring fairness, objectivity, and alignment with approved assessment criteria.

In fulfilling these responsibilities, Research Supervisors and Examiners must ensure that all supervision, assessment, and research-related practices comply with the standards and expectations of all relevant institutional policies, ethical guidelines, and academic quality assurance frameworks.

This role is integral to maintaining the academic integrity, relevance, and research excellence of the Postgraduate Diploma in Traffic Policing and to supporting student success at a postgraduate level.

• Road Traffic legislation
• Law of evidence in traffic enforcement
• Traffic policing operational frameworks
• Legal compliance and constitutional considerations
• Enforcement strategies and methodologies

• Road safety systems and interventions
• Accident causation and prevention
• Behavioural influences on road safety
• Safety audits and risk reduction strategies

• National and provincial transport frameworks
• Regulatory compliance and governance
• Transport planning and enforcement policy
• Intergovernmental coordination in transport regulation

• Leadership in law enforcement environments
• Operational command and control
• Strategic planning in policing
• Human resource management in enforcement agencies
• Professional ethics and integrity management

• Crime prevention models relevant to road environments
• Intelligence-led policing
• Community-based approaches
• Tactical and operational deployment

• Accident investigation techniques
• Reconstruction of collision scenes
• Evidence collection and analysis
• Forensic approaches in traffic policing

• Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS)
• ANPR, speed detection, and surveillance technologies
• Traffic data analysis
• Digital enforcement platforms

• Costing of transport systems
• Fleet and logistics operations
• Service delivery optimisation
• Socio-economic dimensions of transport enforcement

• Ethical compliance in law enforcement
• Anti-corruption strategies
• Oversight mechanisms
• Governance in policing organisations

Research Supervision Responsibilities

• Provide ongoing academic supervision, guidance, and mentorship to postgraduate students throughout the research process.
• Assist students with topic identification, refinement, and alignment to programme outcomes.
• Guide students in developing high-quality research proposals, including problem statements, research questions, aims, objectives, and methodological approaches.
• Support students in designing appropriate research methodologies consistent with ethical and academic standards.
• Provide feedback on literature reviews, conceptual frameworks, and argument development.
• Ensure students adhere to institutional ethics requirements and facilitate ethical clearance processes where required.
• Review and provide developmental feedback on research drafts, ensuring academic writing quality, coherence, and scholarly rigour.
• Monitor student progress and maintain supervision records as required by institutional policy.
• Identify barriers to student progress and recommend academic support interventions.
• Prepare students for the final submission process and ensure that work meets the required academic standard for assessment.

Research Examination Responsibilities

• Independently evaluate completed research reports in line with approved marking rubrics and institutional requirements.
• Provide fair, objective, and evidence-based assessment consistent with postgraduate standards.
• Prepare examiner reports that offer constructive, detailed feedback to both the institution and the student.
• Recommend corrections, revisions, or improvements where necessary.
• Participate in moderation processes when required to ensure consistency and quality of assessment.

Academic Quality and Governance Responsibilities

• Ensure that supervision and examination practices comply with HEQSF, CHE, and institutional quality assurance standards.
• Contribute to the research quality assurance ecosystem through participation in supervisor briefings, workshops, or training sessions.
• Escalate academic or integrity concerns in line with institutional procedures.
• Maintain confidentiality, professionalism, and academic integrity in all supervision and assessment matters.

Applicants must demonstrate :

• Strong subject-matter expertise and ability to integrate theory with practical application.
• Excellent teaching, facilitation, and presentation skills suited to distance and blended learning.
• Competence in research supervision and assessment moderation.
• Sound understanding of higher education regulatory frameworks and quality assurance principles.
• Proficiency in using digital learning platforms and online teaching tools.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to academic rigour.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and student-engagement abilities.
• Capacity to identify and support at-risk students through targeted interventions.
• Effective time management, organisational, and administrative skills.
• Commitment to academic integrity, professionalism, and continuous improvement.
• Ability to work collaboratively within academic teams and contribute to governance structures.

• Master’s in the relevant field of Traffic Policing, criminal justice or a related discipline (essential).
• At least 2 years’ lecturing experience and demonstrated research supervision experience.
• Familiarity with the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework (HEQSF) and Council on Higher Education (CHE) standards.
• Ability to meet tight deadlines
• Computer literacy and access to your own laptop / desktop and internet.

• Experience in distance education institutions.
• Previous work with private higher education institutions.

• Excellent academic writing skills with the ability to write for undergraduate students
• Sound understanding of curriculum design and outcomes-based education
• Proven ability to work independently and under pressure
• Familiarity with distance and online learning principles
• High attention to detail, including referencing (preferably Harvard style)