IT Relationship Manager
Stellenbosch University
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Job summary
Stellenbosch University invites applications for an IT Relationship Manager (Post Level 6) based at the Stellenbosch Campus. The role focuses on building and maintaining relationships with business partners, aligning IT services and governance with strategic priorities.
Candidates should have a strong track record in relationship management, project collaboration, and ICT governance; tertiary qualifications as described; travel flexibility may apply; commitment to high integrity and service.
Qualifications
- Five years'+ IT-enabled or higher education context experience with relationship management.
- Proven ability to engage senior stakeholders and translate requirements into IT outcomes.
- Strong communication, influencing and collaboration across IT and business units.
- Experience with IT governance frameworks and change management practices.
Responsibilities
- Act as liaison between IT and business partners to align priorities.
- Manage IT requirements, architecture and services for assigned line of business.
- Lead and support IT projects and fusion teams to deliver outcomes.
- Champion digital transformation and foster cross-functional collaboration.
Skills
Education
Job description
Department Description/Departement Beskrywing
Information Technology
IT Relationship Manager (Post Level 6)
(Stellenbosch Campus)
Ref. IT/334/0826
The IT Division is Stellenbosch University's (SU) strategic partner on the digital transformation journey, delivering exceptional digitally enhanced experiences. Through close collaboration with internal and external stakeholders, we improve the efficiency and effectiveness of operational activities and campus facilities, enhance the transformative student experience, enrich teaching-learning-assessment to promote student success, support the research journey to advance research activities and enable initiatives that drive social impact.
The IT Relationship Manager is responsible for building and maintaining relationships with partners within an assigned line of business. This role ensures that the requirements, IT-led ecosystems, architecture, services, projects, initiatives, and innovations are closely aligned with the priorities and processes of the line of business, while also adhering to the institutional and IT governance and strategy. Serving as a liaison, advocate and relationship custodian, the IT Relationship Manager enables the line of business to achieve its goals through the effective use of technology. The role also involves active participation in fusion teams that bring together both business and IT stakeholders to drive collaborative outcomes.
- Establishing and maintaining strong, collaborative relationships with relevant business partners acting as the point of contact and as the bridge between IT and the business partners.
- Representing and advocating the line of business requirements, priorities, constraints and concerns within IT while also ensuring IT's strategy, objectives, constraints and concerns are well understood by their stakeholders.
- Leveraging relationships to facilitate change management to move forward with initiatives with their line of business, or IT that is aligned to their objectives and those of the institution.
- Supporting business continuity and disaster recovery while stakeholders' expectations are managed.
- Collaborating with IT stakeholders and business partners in IT projects and initiatives.
- Cultivating a collaborative, innovative and outcomes-driven team culture.
- Maintaining a holistic view of the requirements, ecosystem, solutions, services and projects in the line of business, ensuring alignment with business and institutional strategic priorities.
- Developing a deep understanding of the relevant business partner's objectives, needs, challenges, processes and operations to partner with them to meet their strategic objectives through ICT.
- Collaborating with IT role players to define and refine IT services, architecture and solutions in line with partner objectives and institutional priorities.
- Co-developing a line of business IT roadmap that aligns with divisional and institutional strategic objectives, Institutional Architecture and IT Governance.
- Facilitating collaborative multi-stakeholder synergy to promote Institutional Architecture Principles (including simplification of the Institutional Architecture and avoiding the duplication of IT solutions, systems, service, capabilities or technology).
- Working with business partners to plan and make sure they understand the relevance and impact of the IT ecosystem, management, solution, policy or compliance changes to their operations.
- Assisting IT and the line of business in terms of the prioritisation of initiatives and requests within the line of business, balancing strategic value, cost, resources needed, demand and risk.
- Ensuring that effective communication, tailored to the line of business' context and user groups, occurs related to service, solution and project delivery (e.g. planned downtime, changes and tickets).
- Managing expectations of multiple business partners, their challenges, and issues related to change management.
- Assisting business partners to navigate and comply with IT governance frameworks, policies and standards.
- Guiding business partners through the IT engagement process.
- Advising line of business partners on risk mitigation strategies and best practices in areas such as data management, cybersecurity, identity management and ICT controls in collaboration with experts within the IT Division and elsewhere.
- Monitoring, tracking and coordinating the closure of IT-related audit findings within the line of business.
- Fostering collaboration between business partners and across portfolios.
- Working with the IT programme and project management office and business partners to ensure business requirements and priorities are accurately represented, well understood, documented and approved by all parties.
- Leading business analysis processes to identify opportunities for improvement, reengineering, and digital enablement, or working closely with a Business Analyst or subject-matter expert to facilitate and advise on the business analysis process and requirements.
- Translating conceptual requirements into the most appropriate format to address business needs, for example request for information, proposal or quotation (RFI, RFP, RFQ).
- Serving as coordinator for IT involvement requests from University stakeholders and vendors, ensuring the requests are well documented, clearly understood, and progressing through the ADM and appropriate IT processes with clear communication back to the requester and stakeholders to ensure expectations are aligned.
- Acting as project and programme manager on relevant line of business projects and initiatives, working closely with the PDC and aligned with established frameworks and processes of the PDC.
- Assisting with and advising on user acceptance testing or quality assurance of new or revised functionality, features or changes to ensure business expectations are met. Assisting the PDC with project change management processes.
- Championing digital transformation within the line of business, identifying opportunities to reimagine processes, architecture and experience using innovative solutions.
- Engaging with higher education IT communities and industry specialists to stay informed on trends and best practices. Bringing insights back to enhance the line of business strategy and innovation, and to ensure IT solutions remain current and competitive.
- Participating in professional networks and forums to exchange knowledge and stay updated on industry trends.
- Actively participating in the relationship community of practice.
- NQF 7 qualification from an accredited institution AND at least five years' experience in an IT-enabled or higher education context; OR NQF 6 qualification (e.g. national diploma or advanced certificate) from an accredited institution AND at least nine years' experience in an IT-enabled or higher education context; OR NQF 4 or 5 qualification (e.g. matric or higher certificate) from an accredited institution AND at least thirteen years' experience in an IT-enabled or higher education context.
- At least three years' demonstrated experience in relationship management, management stakeholder engagement, or client-facing roles.
- Proven experience in project/programme management.
- Experience in business analysis, business process review and digital enablement.
- The ability to engage meaningfully with technical specialists while translating technical concepts into business relevant language.
- Strong relationship building and influencing skills, with the ability to operate credibly at senior stakeholder level.
- Excellent verbal and written communication and facilitation skills , adaptable to diverse audiences.
- Proven change management capability, with sensitivity to organisational culture, people and process impacts.
- The ability to balance multiple priorities, work under pressure and adapt to shifting demands.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a focus on outcomes and value realisation.
- High levels of professional integrity, accountability and service orientation.
- A tertiary qualification in information systems, computer science, business informatics, project management, or a related field.
- Professional certifications or formal training in one or more of the following: project management (e.g. PRINCE2), business analysis, or change management.
- Direct experience working in a higher education institution.
- Exposure to IT governance frameworks, enterprise architecture principles, and portfolio or demand management.
The University is committed to employment equity (EE), and appointments will be made in line with the institutional EE Plan.
Stellenbosch University reserves the right not to make an appointment.
CurrencyZAR Commencement Date01-Oct-2026 Closing Date04-Sep-2026 Amount of Travel Work At Home
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