Junior Association Manager

Optential; Bloemfontein; Remote; ZAR 320,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

Optential seeks a Junior Association Manager to oversee governance and operations for assigned associations, focusing on examination programs and stakeholder liaison. You will manage memberships, compliance, and the end-to-end exam lifecycle while coordinating with leaders, vendors, and internal teams.

You will support financial oversight, data integrity, and planning to drive association growth, conferences, and educational initiatives in a remote-first setup with Bloemfontein preferred.

Qualifications

• 2-4 years' experience in association management or governance support.
• Relevant tertiary qualification in Business, Administration, Education, Healthcare Management or related field.
• Experience working with committees and senior stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines with high attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate association governance operations including bylaws and compliance.
• Plan and run board and committee meetings with minutes and follow-up.
• Manage membership renewals, database integrity and communications.
• Oversee the examination lifecycle from planning to reporting.
• Support financial administration including bookkeeping coordination.
• Coordinate candidate applications and data integrity.
• Liaise with exam platforms and delivery vendors.
• Assist with development of annual association plans and growth opportunities.

Skills

Governance coordination

Stakeholder management

Project coordination

Communication skills

Confidentiality integrity

Education

Tertiary qualification in Business/Administration/Healthcare Management or related

Tools

Examination platform

Job description

Job title: Junior Association Manager
Work Location: Remotely, (Bloemfontein is preferred)
Reports to: Association Manager

Overall Responsibility: The Junior Association Manager serves as the operational and governance support manager for assigned associations, with primary responsibility for the examination and assessment portfolio. The role combines association governance management, operational coordination, and strategic support with the planning, administration, and quality assurance of the association's examination programmes. The incumbent acts as the day-to-day operational lead for the association while ensuring the secure, efficient, and professional delivery of all certification and assessment activities. The role works closely with association leadership, examination committees, conference project managers, vendors, and internal teams to ensure high-quality governance, financial oversight, member experience, and examination integrity.

Association Governance & Operational Management

• Own and coordinate association governance operations including bylaws, governance documentation, compliance and regulatory requirements
• Plan and run board meetings, assemblies, and committee meetings (agenda preparation, minutes,decision registers and follow-up execution)
• Maintain governance records and ensure statutory compliance
• Act as the day-to-day operational liaison between association leadership
• Manage membership processes including renewals,database integrity and member communications
• Support financial administration including bookkeeping coordination, monthly tracking and liaison with accountants
• Track association health indicators (membership,sponsorship, event performance)
• Provide supervision and task coordination to the Association Associate
• Coordinate full examination lifecycle (planning, scheduling, delivery, reporting)
• Maintain and manage the master examination calendar
• Liaise with Examination Committee, question writers and reviewers
• Monitor blueprint coverage and content balance
• Maintain secure examination records and confidentiality controls
• Coordinate candidate application workflows and eligibility checks
• Maintain accurate candidate records and data integrity
• Liaise with external exam platform providers and delivery vendors
• Coordinate pre- and post-exam processes including results validation and communications
• Support certificate ceremonies and exam-related activities at congresses
• Track exam income and direct costs against approved budget
• Support development and execution of annual association plans
• Identify growth opportunities within membership, sponsorship and certification activities
• Act as content partner for educational programming (webinars, initiatives, campaigns)
• Support strategic alignment between association programming and conferences
• Contribute to establishment and operational setup of new associations (where required)

Brand, Communication & Stakeholder Coordination

• Coordinate examination and association communications (announcements, newsletters, website content)
• Ensure messaging aligns with association strategy and member value proposition
• Liaise with marketing providers for accurate promotion of examination opportunities
• Serve as association representative at conferences (as required)
• Maintain professional and high-trust positioning of association clients

Minimum Education and/or Work Experience Requirements:

• Relevant tertiary qualification in Business, Administration, Education, Healthcare Management or related field
• 2-4 years' experience in association management, programme coordination, examinations administration or governance support
• Experience working with committees and senior stakeholders
• Experience managing complex administrative workflows
• Excellent organisational skills
• Strong attention to detail and process discipline
• High level of confidentiality and integrity
• Able to complete tasks on time with minimal supervision
• Professional communication skills (written and verbal)
• Stakeholder management and relationship-building ability
• Problem-solving mindset
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines simultaneously
• High level of administrative accuracy