Head: Academic

**The IIE's Vega School Durban Campus** has a vacancy for a Head: Academic

**Reporting to**: Campus Head

**Qualification**:

- Minimum of Postgraduate Diploma/ Bachelors Degree/ Honours Degree in Teaching Methodology or Subject Specialisation.
- Masters Degree advantageous.

**Experience**:

- Minimum 3 years management experience with 6 years teaching or lecturing experience within a tertiary environment.
- Must have management experience in an academic setting and an understanding of the current regulatory framework and its impact on higher education and private colleges.

**Duties and Responsibilities**:
**1. Academic Management**
- Create, manage and implement the campus academic delivery plan with Module Leaders (MDL's), Lecturers, and Information Specialists. This will be achieved through the following:

- a) The achievement of greater student success (by achieving set targets) by ongoing analysis of academic results, examining evidence and reporting on and addressing areas of risk;
- b) The improvement of student retention rates through the management of the quality student support interventions and strategies to improve student perseverance/resilience;
- c) Measurement of the effectiveness of student support interventions on an ongoing basis;
- d) The management and mentoring of the Module Leader (MDL) team to support national and campus initiatives, including development plans for this team;
- e) The management of the academic development of the lecturing team with a focus on managing the progression of lecturer development, allocation of modules and lecturer workload.
- Ensure equity of academic delivery across campuses
- Accountable for compliance to the policies and procedures of The Independent Institute of Education.
- Responsible for engagement with the relevant National portfolio heads regarding campus Academic performance and compliance.
- Building and promoting an active community of best academic practice on campus.
- Interacting with evidence and data to fully understand the status quo of the campus.
- Handling of student disputes and complaints relating to any academic matter.
- Handling of lecturer queries.
- Actively engaging in action research.
- Planning and managing improved library services to support navigators and students.
- Co-ordinating and planning for annual lecturer and student award events.
- Managing internal and external academic audit processes.
- Assisting the National team with academic projects.
- Managing internal and external academic audit processes.
- Attending management meetings.

**2. Academic Staff Management**
- Recruitment of academic staff and facilitating resolution of any payment issues that may arise.
- Ensuring that all new academic staff have been trained sufficiently in order to understand their role, processes, policies and procedures.
- Constantly reviewing information and data to identify training needs for the full academic team and carrying out appropriate training and mentoring plans
- Responsible for the line management of the Module Leaders (MDL's), Academic Navigators, Librarian, Academic Support Coordinator and Student Experience Navigators and Research Co-ordinators and for clear communication of roles and responsibilities of each academic team member.
- Planning and managing academic research output for academic navigators and recording any output on RATS
- Identification of Development plans for permanent academic team.

**3. Research & Scholarship**
- All designated academic employees are required to promote a culture of scholarship within their practice, discipline and campus/team and are also required to contribute towards The IIE’s Vega achieving its annual research output targets. Individual research output unit/s will be set in consultation with your line manager on an annual basis (Informed by The IIE 018 Academic Conditions of Service Policy).
- Plan and manage academic output with all permanent academics
- Regular academic teaching and learning workshops to promote best practice
- Assist Senior Lecturers to develop Senior lecturer individual portfolios and report on achievement biannually

**Competencies required**:

- Interpersonal, listening and communications skills
- Analytical and problem solving skills
- Leadership abilities to guide, influence, motivate and develop team members
- Organisational, planning and time management skills
- Project management skills
- Budget management skills
- Quality orientated
- Proven computer literacy competence - MS Word, MS Excel
- Comprehensive knowledge of the principles of Teaching and Learning
- Tolerance of operating in a pressurised and stressful environment and industry

**Working Conditions**:

- Campus environment
- Must be able to work on evenings and Saturdays when required
- 08:00 - 17:00 Monday to Friday