Deputy Dean: Teaching and Learning

North-West University / Noordwes-Universiteit; Potchefstroom; On-site; ZAR 800 000 - 1 100 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading university in South Africa seeks a Deputy Dean to provide strategic leadership in teaching and learning across its campuses. The role involves managing academic excellence, developing faculty strategies, and ensuring quality assurance in educational programs. Candidates must hold a PhD and have substantial experience in senior management within higher education.

Qualifications

• Five to ten years of senior management experience.
• Significant teaching and learning experience in higher education.
• Membership with academic and professional networks.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage teaching and learning across campuses.
• Develop and implement faculty strategy.
• Ensure quality assurance of academic programs.

Skills

Communication

Leadership

Financial Management

Research Excellence

Education

PhD in relevant discipline

Job description

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION:

The purpose of the position is to provide leadership at NWU and Faculty level to manage the operational delivery, development, advancement and implementation of best practices in teaching and learning across campuses in cooperation with the Executive Dean, other Deputy Deans, School Directors, and Faculty Research Entity Directors to achieve the unitary NWU committed to social justice.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• A PhD in one of the faculty’s disciplines (NQF level 10).
• Five (5) to ten (10) years’ senior management experience.
• Significant teaching and learning experience within the higher education environment.
• Membership and/or professional registration with appropriate academic and professional networks/bodies.
• Experience in financial management and budgeting.
• A distinguished record of research and scholarship excellence.
• A track record of developing and maintaining relationships with research-funding and professional bodies.

KEY FUNCTIONAL/TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES:

• Excellent people and communication skills.
• A thorough knowledge of the RSA’s higher and basic -education environment.
• A well-developed proficiency in information and communication technology.
• An acceptable knowledge of approaches to student access and support and curriculum design and delivery within the applicable academic fields.
• Knowledge and understanding of the integrated approach to initial teacher education with reference to both the integration of content and pedagogy and the integration of content and language in multilingual contexts.
• An aptitude for managing the teaching and learning value chain.
• Demonstration of language proficiency in order to function optimally in the various multilingual environments of the NWU.

KEY BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES:

• Professional work ethic.
• Autonomous, accurate and assertive.
• Responsible, accountable, fair, transparent.
• Is decisive, able to reach timely decisions and initiate action appropriately.
• Follows through on commitments, obligations for services.
• Represents the faculty in a positive and professional manner.

JOB DESCRIPTION

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategy development

• Support the executive dean in developing the faculty strategy and implement the NWU strategy in the faculty, considering its multicampus nature and national imperatives.
• Co-determine and be jointly accountable for the operational matters relating to teaching and learning, research and stakeholder engagement for the faculty on the Potchefstroom Campus.
• Develop the Faculty Integrated Teaching and Learning Plan (FITLP) in alignment with the NWU Teaching and Learning Strategy and coordinate the implementation of the FITLP across the campuses and in distance education.
• Co-determine, develop and be jointly accountable for the successful implementation of the overall NWU strategy.

People development and management

• Manage academics across campuses and ways of delivery to promote superior standing, scholarship and performance.
• Ensure superior management of faculty staff in key positions to lead and implement the best people- and task-management practices.
• Ensure effectiveness of support staff and accept joint accountability.
• Accept joint accountability for the people profile (staff and students in every mode of delivery).
• Accept joint accountability for best-practice staff development and performance-management practices.

Primary Role: Teaching and Learning

• Support the executive dean or relevant deputy dean in leading and directing teaching and learning practices, processes and competencies that achieve academic excellence, as well as teaching, learning, and assessment innovation across the campuses and in distance education.
• Support the scholarship of teaching and learning to promote teaching and learning innovation across the campuses and in distance education.
• Be responsible for continuous curriculum renewal delivering socially responsible programmes that are congruent with national imperatives.
• Lead and direct effective academic planning across the campuses to deliver flagship programmes for the faculty that provide a competitive advantage to the NWU.
• Support the executive dean in leading and directing effective enrolment planning across the campuses to ensure optimal enrolment levels in various academic fields, qualification levels and modes of delivery.
• Be responsible for aligned academic programmes and aligned modes of delivery on all campuses and in distance education.
• Lead the quality assurance of academic programmes to ensure academic standards and the quality of the student learning experience in response to 21st century contexts and the attainment of sought after graduate attributes.
• Take responsibility for professional qualifications to meet minimum standards set by professional bodies.
• Direct the integration of research outputs into teaching and learning to enhance professional qualifications and graduate employability.
• Ensure preparation of students for postgraduate research programmes where relevant
• Apply consistent superior teaching and learning metrics.
• Manage financially strengthening, third-stream revenue that consistently enhances the financial sustainability of the NWU.

Ancillary Role: Research and Innovation

• Support the executive dean or relevant deputy dean in establishing and maintaining a research environment and support infrastructure enabling world-class research.
• Support the executive dean or relevant deputy dean on the campus in implementing inter- and transdisciplinary research that differentiates the NWU nationally and internationally.
• Ensure research outputs and quality of notable international profile and impact.
• Support the executive dean on the campus in leading and directing flagship research entities that provide a competitive advantage to the NWU.
• Facilitate differentiation and third-stream revenue generation through innovation and commercialization.

Community Engagement

• Support the executive dean or relevant deputy dean in leading and directing community engagement initiatives that are integrated with teaching and learning as well as research for the campus.

External strategic relationships

• Manage funding, professional recognition, academic development, employment and research-opportunity realisation through effective local and international relationships with peers, higher-education institutions, the research community, industry, professional bodies and the community
• Manage the NWU’s brand positioning and promote joint accountability through effective relationships with national and local government, the community, industry, students, parents and alumni and other stakeholders

REMUNERATION:

The annual total remuneration package will be commensurate with the level of appointment as advertised and in line with the NWU policy guidelines.

ENQUIRIES REGARDING JOB CONTENT MAY BE DIRECTED TO: Prof. Lloyd Conley on 018 299 1610

ENQUIRIES REGARDING RECRUITMENT PROCESS MAY BE DIRECTED TO: Mr. Lionel Eksteen on 018 285 2104

CLOSING DATE: 13 June 2025

PLANNED COMMENCEMENT OF DUTIES: As soon as possible