SENIOR MANAGER: CAREER CENTRE
(5 YEARS FIXED-TERM CONTRACT)
JOB PURPOSE
To lead and manage the Career Centre at Sci-Bono Discovery Centre by providing strategic direction and oversight to ensure effective delivery of career development services, psychometric assessments, skills development and placement support for various customers starting from ECD beneficiaries, in-school youth, out-of-school school and young people in search of employment opportunities.
The Senior manager will foster partnerships, drive innovation and ensure seamless integration of services to empower learners and young people to reach their full potential especially in STREAM related areas of learning.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategic Leadership
· Develop and implement the Career Centre’s strategy aligning with Sci-Bono’s mission and goals
· Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration and continuous improvement to ensure impactful service offering through the Career Centre
· Manage and account for career centre annual performance plans and budgets.
· Develop and align annual performance plans to the organisational strategy, targets, and requisite resources.
· Provide leadership and direction for the design and development of science career education and awareness programmes, as well as for the management and implementation of the approved strategic plan and annual calendar.
Service Delivery
· Oversee the delivery of psychometric assessments, career development services, skills development programme offerings and placement support
· Ensure high quality services, meeting the needs of diverse learners and young people
· Oversee delivery and implementation of professional career development and counselling services in line with the Health Professions Council of South Africa guidelines.
· Facilitate for the provision of consultancy services on complex crises and mental health issues to schools and private clients who request the service.
· Develop a strategic framework for the delivery of Psychological Services to expand access to services for marginalised communities, especially neurodiverse clients.
Partnership Development
· Build and maintain strategic relationships with education institutions, private sector organisations and industry stakeholders to support the Centre’s mission and goals
· Foster relationships to enhance service delivery, placement opportunities and resource mobilization
Financial Management
· Develop departmental budgets by operational plans and procurement schedules and monitor expenditures against budgets to prevent overruns.
Operational Efficiency
· Review SOPs and adhere to organisational finance policies to mitigate adverse audit findings.
· Oversee operations of the Counselling and Psychological Services unit, including quality assurance of services provided, assignment of staff responsibilities in therapeutic services, research, data management, and training.
· Oversee policy formulation, implementation and reviews, continuous process, and program quality improvement.
People Management
· Lead, manage and develop a high-performing team, providing coaching, mentoring and guidance
· Ensure effective communication, collaboration and rôle clarity within the team
· Manage Career Centre staff performance in line with signed performance contracts and approved plans for the financial year.
· Monitor the performance of team members and provide timely feedback and developmental assistance.
· Ensure that people are effectively managed through set people management policies and procedures.
· Provide line managers and supervisors with the necessary training, coaching and mentorship.
· Challenge team and self to continually learn and grow as trusted and credible advisors to clients.
Stakeholder Management
· Engage with internal and external stakeholders including funders, partners and community leaders
· Communicate the Career Centre’s impact, successes and challenges to stakeholders
· Liaise with potential funders and key national, provincial, and local stakeholders, notably the GDE and GCRA, SETAs, and DHET, to plan and execute joint career education programmes and projects, GDE Life Orientation Career programmes, and career-related curriculum work.
· Develop and maintain relationships with statutory bodies, universities, councils, and associations involved in Career Development and the Psychology profession.
· Provide support, manage, and nurture relationships with internal stakeholders and other departments within Sci-Bono
· Oversee management of suppliers and service providers to ensure quality service delivery.
Compliance
· Develop policies and processes for services rendered by the Centre.
· Develop standard operating procedures for programmes and services to optimise delivery and efficient resource use and mitigate adverse internal audit findings.
· Ensure that all professional psychological services rendered by the Centre comply with the ethical guidelines of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA)
· Comply with health and safety requirements prescribed by Sci-Bono
Monitoring and evaluation
· Develop and implement monitoring and evaluation frameworks to assess the service effectiveness
· Use data to inform decision-making, improve services and enhance impact
· Collate, draft, and make input into regular and ad-hoc reports to management, stakeholders and donors on the activities and progress of the Career Centre work.
Administration
· Ensure accurate administration and maintenance of all records and documentation in the centre.
EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
· Relevant Master’s Degree or NQF Level 9 qualification in Education, Psychology, Social Work or related field
· Registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) in the Educational Psychology category will be an added advantage.
EXPERIENCE
· 10 years’ experience in career development, education or social work
· Of the 10 years job experience, 05 must be at managerial level providing leadership and management of teams in a similar area of work
· 05 years’ experience managing Psychological Services and/or Career Development Unit operations is preferable.
· Knowledge of the Basic Education coordination structures at provincial and national levels
· Networks in the Department of Basic Education (DBE), Department of Higher Education & Training (DHET), Department of Science and Technology, Social Development and related organisations in the public and private sector relevant to the deliverables of this role.
KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS
· Excellent communication, partnership-building skills and stakeholder engagement skills
· Ability to work with d Iverse populations, including learners with developmental challenges from ECD through to Post School Education.
· Sound management and leadership skills.
· Financial management skills
· Project management and delivery experience
· Ability to develop strategy documents and funding proposals.
· Ability to present Career Centre plans, offerings, and future opportunities to various constituencies.
· Good people skills, strong written and verbal communication
· Strong admin skills
· Computer skills proficiency in MS Office package – Excel, Power Point, Word (Intermediate Level)
· Knowledge and understanding of monitoring and evaluation protocol techniques. Proficiency in MS Office, Word, Excel, and Power Point required.
· Drivers’ License
The Sci-Bono Discovery Centre is an equal opportunity employer, guided by the principles of Employment Equity. To comply with our equity plans and embracing diversity. Interested and qualified candidates are invited to email CVs to:
Mr Karabo Modiboa responses@tafadzwa.co.za with Reference Number: REC/VR_SCI202420.
Closing date: 08 October 2024 @ 23:59pm - No late applications will be considered.
Disclaimer: Communication will be entered into with shortlisted candidates only.
Only CV’s submitted with the correct subject line will be attended to.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: R1 100 000,00 - R1 217 148,54 per year
Application Deadline: 2024/10/08