Executive: Operations

The Independent Institute of Education (The IIE) is a registered private higher education provider and a wholly owned subsidiary of ADvTECH Ltd, listed on the JSE.

The IIE’s Central Academic Team (CAT) is the custodian of academic quality, educational technology, and governance across the institution. It leads academic strategy, compliance, and operational integrity through robust governance structures.

The current CAT is in the process of being repositioned as a Centre of Excellence, a hub for academic innovation, staff capacity building, quality assurance, and governance across both the schools and tertiary divisions.

**The purpose of the job**:
The Executive: Operations plays a critical role in overseeing and ensuring operational efficiency across key academic, operational, and administrative functions. This includes annual project planning, including the academic master, academic calendar, and national assessment schedule of the two institutions. The role will be responsible for providing analytics & management reporting to enable data-driven decision-making and the central contract management of online information services. This role will be responsible for managing institutional partnerships, coordinating procurement, and contract management for central academic resources, technologies, and services to ensure cost efficiency. Co-manage the roll-out and ongoing enhancement of the AQMS.

As a centrally leveraged function, this role ensures streamlined transactional activities, requiring strategic planning, data-driven insights, and operational expertise.

**Reporting to**:
**Main Outputs and Responsibilities for this Position**:
Strategic and Efficient Central Academic Operations Management
- Lead the coordination and execution of the two brands' academic master plan, academic calendar, and national assessment schedule to ensure institution-wide alignment and compliance.
- Drive the standardisation and continuous improvement of academic operational processes across institutions.
- Oversee the implementation of centralised academic workflows to support faculty delivery and examination logistics.
- Facilitate interdepartmental collaboration to streamline resource utilisation and academic operations delivery.
- Monitor performance indicators to ensure academic operations support quality assurance and student success outcomes.

Data Analytics & Management Reporting
- Provide data-driven insights and trend analysis to inform decision-making in academic planning and performance.
- Oversee the central reporting dashboard for key academic and operational KPIs
- Collaborate with the Head: Academic Insights & Reporting to enhance institutional data quality, accuracy, and accessibility.
- Lead reporting alignment with regulatory requirements and internal performance standards.
- Ensure timely, consistent reporting to relevant forums, including academic boards and leadership teams.

Library & Information Services Oversight for Shared Resources
- Ensure coordinated procurement and access to digital and physical academic resources across brands.
- Monitor utilisation of academic technologies and platforms to optimise investment and access.
- Facilitate cross-institutional sharing of resources, licenses, and services to drive cost efficiency.
- Oversee standardisation of policies and service levels for library and academic information platforms.

Institutional Partnerships & Contract Management
- Manage strategic academic partnerships, ensuring alignment with institutional goals and regulatory frameworks.
- Oversee the centralised management of academic services contracts
- Negotiate and maintain service-level agreements (SLAs) with internal and external service providers.
- Ensure risk and compliance management across all academic contracts and partnerships.
- Facilitate cross-functional collaboration with Procurement and Legal to ensure alignment on contracting processes.

Drive Management Information System (MIS) Optimisation in AQMS
- Co-manage the implementation and continuous enhancement of the Academic Quality Management System (AQMS).
- Drive systems integration between AQMS, student information systems, and reporting platforms.
- Collaborate with AIT, Quality Assurance, and Academic teams to define user requirements and improvement plans
- Ensure that MIS enhancements support academic governance, compliance, and quality assurance needs.
- Monitor and report on AQMS adoption, impact, and alignment with academic policies and procedures.

**Qualification**
- Master’s degree (NQF 9)

**Experience**:

- Minimum of 5 years in a Senior Leadership position in Higher Education
- Minimum of 5 years in as an Operations Manager

**Competencies**:

- Strategic Operational Planning- Data Analysis & Interpretation
- Contract and Vendor Management
- Project Management
- Academic Systems (AQMS, MIS) Integration
- Communication & Reportin- Process Optimisation
- Analytical Thinking
- Results Orientation
- Collaboration
- A