South Africa: Senior Director:Transdisciplinary Ocean Sciences Programme DVC: RII 5-year fixed term contract

About the Role

The Senior Director Transdisciplinary Ocean Sciences Programme is a critical leadership role at Nelson Mandela University, responsible for providing visionary intellectual, strategic, and operational leadership of Ocean Sciences as a transdisciplinary and transversal priority. The incumbent will direct and cohere all strategic aspects of ocean sciences, including developing and implementing a forward-looking strategy to create an enabling and conducive ecosystem for academic, operational, and service delivery excellence.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide visionary, strategic, transformational, and transformative leadership and management of Ocean Sciences as a transversal priority.
• Coordinate and facilitate a transdisciplinary approach to ocean sciences learning and teaching, under- and postgraduate programme and curriculum development, and short learning programmes in collaboration with the Deputy Vice-Chancellors, all faculties, entities, and Research Chairs.
• Coordinate and facilitate transdisciplinary Ocean Sciences research, postgraduate studies, innovation, and internationalisation in collaboration with the Deputy Vice-Chancellors, all faculties, entities, and Research Chairs.
• Strategically direct and manage collaborative transdisciplinary engagements, networks, and partnerships in ocean sciences with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders nationally, on the African continent, and internationally in collaboration with the Deputy Vice-Chancellors and all faculties, entities, and Research Chairs.
• Strategically direct and manage human, financial, and infrastructural (physical and digital) resources for ocean sciences in close collaboration with the Ocean Sciences Stakeholder Forum and relevant MANCO portfolios.
• Strategically direct and manage the branding and strategic positioning of Transdisciplinary Ocean Sciences Programme through impactful outreach, stakeholder engagement, communication, and marketing.
• Advance the long-term sustainability of the Programme through innovative, strategy-aligned resource mobilisation, budgeting, and stewardship.

Requirements

• Proven experience of working with networked management models and complex systems, preferably in an academic environment.
• Familiarity with the global ocean sciences landscape, including the challenges and opportunities relating to ocean health, climate change, inclusive economic growth, and sustainable coastal livelihoods.
• Excellent strategic, systems thinking, and complex problem-solving abilities, with a demonstrated ability to innovate and create impact across institutional structures.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage and inspire diverse stakeholders and represent the University at national and international forums to position Ocean Sciences as a transversal strategic differentiator.
• Demonstrated strategic planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation capabilities.
• Established national and international networks and demonstrated experience in mobilising resources from diverse sources.
• Strong commitment to advancing diversity, social justice, transformation, and inclusion in complex organisations and systems.

Qualifications

No formal education or certification is required for this position.