Administrative Officer: ACS at Stellenbosch University

Administrative Officer: ACS

Ref. SUI/311/1022

• Stellenbosch University International (SU International) facilitates internationalisation through a comprehensive process. This process involves both faculties and support environments with the aim of achieving purposeful multilateral alliances and bilateral partnerships. These partnerships focus on Africa and other strategically identified partners. They contribute to innovative and transformative scholarship, international collaboration, and new knowledge economies locally, regionally, and globally. SU International engages with the international and domestic student communities through global education interventions for a transformative student experience, all supported by a dedicated services platform.
• The Africa Centre for Scholarship (ACS) plays a strategic role in achieving the institutional goal of developing scholarship on the African continent. It promotes scholarship across Africa and develops and enhances emerging scholars from SU and the rest of the continent. Activities include ACS Joint Schools in Africa and the annual African Doctoral Academy (ADA) winter and summer schools and short spring and autumn schools.
• Universiteit Stellenbosch Internasionaal (US Internasionaal) fasiliteer internasionalisering deur 'n omvattende proses. Hierdie proses betrek sowel fakulteite as steunomgewings by die skep van doelgerigte multilaterale alliansies en bilaterale vennootskappe. Samewerking met vennote van Afrika en ander strategies geïdentifiseerde streke dra by tot innoverende en transformerende akademieskap, internasionale netwerke en nuwe kennisekonomieë in plaaslike, streeks- en wêreldverband. US Internasionaal voorsien globale onderwysintervensies om internasionale én plaaslike studentegemeenskappe 'n transformerende ervaring te bied, met 'n toegewyde diensteplatform om hulle deurgaans te ondersteun.

Duties/Pligte

Providing administrative, secretarial, and personal assistant support to the director, including:

• Assisting with, as well as planning and scheduling, the director's electronic diary;
• Providing assistance with managing the director¿s email, as well as filing emails to folders in Outlook and SharePoint;
• Managing all telephonic enquiries on the director's behalf;
• Maintaining an effective electronic filing system;
• Collecting and preparing information for management meetings;
• Receiving visitors to the ACS.
• Providing administrative and financial support to the ACS in general:
• Compiling monthly financial reports for ACS meetings;
• Compiling travel budgets and coordinating the submission thereof;
• Coordinating general routine document and report submissions ;
• Updating and maintaining the ACS's annual calendar;
• Assisting with arrangements for visits and travel by the director and ACS staff members;
• Arranging internal and external meetings;
• Handling reports, minutes and correspondence arising from meetings, as well as coordinating follow-up actions;

Providing administrative support for ACS programmes as and when required (e.g., additional support for events, travel arrangements, etc.);

• Coordinating the reporting requirements and deadlines for ACS colleagues.

Communications and presentations:

• Liaising internally and externally (nationally and internationally);
• Assisting with PowerPoint presentations (e.g., formatting and creating), reports and documents;
• Establishing and maintaining accurate electronic databases as well as distribution and contact lists;
• Coordinating, collating, and submitting information and updates for the ACS's general website.

Job Requirements

• A relevant NQF6 secretarial/administrative tertiary qualification;
• At least five years' relevant experience at a higher education institution;
• At least five years' administrative/personal assistant experience;
• Knowledge of international travel and its requirements;
• Impeccable integrity and discretion to work with confidential information;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English (for all external communication with high-level and international colleagues);
• Excellent interpersonal relationships with students, colleagues, and other stakeholders;
• Excellent intercultural skills to work across national and international contexts and communities;
• The ability to work effectively and professionally under pressure in a calm manner;
• The ability to work in a team;
• Proven organisational, planning, prioritising, and administrative skills;
• Proven ability to draft agendas and compile minutes of meetings;
• High level of proficiency in MS Office - Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, MS Teams;
• The ability to organise, coordinate, and participate in online meetings (on MS Teams, Zoom);
• The ability to conduct effective online research on various topics;
• Numerical skills and the ability to work with financial information;
• The ability to exercise appropriate judgement and solve problems;
• Proven ability to work with high attention to detail and maintain confidentiality;
• The ability to use own initiative and be self-motivated.

Recommendation/Aanbeveling

• A relevant NQF 7 secretarial/administrative tertiary qualification;
• Knowledge of Stellenbosch University;
• Knowledge of foreign languages, particularly French and Portuguese;
• Knowledge of other official South African languages;
• Mature and energetic with experience of working as a personal assistant/administrator in diverse and multicultural environments;
• Proven experience in database management;
• Experience with accessing, capturing, and compiling financial information.