Manager: Operations (Job Level 6) at Stellenbosch University

Duties/Pligte

• The incumbent deals with a broad spectrum of strategic and managerial functions, including planning, organisation, guidance, coordination, and control. The core activities focus on financial, operational, and personnel-related matters to support the effective implementation of the strategic plans of Stellenbosch Business School. The incumbent also provides strategic support to the management team of the School (the Management Committee - MANCO) as well as to the Director of the School. In addition, the incumbent will coordinate and liaise with other stakeholders, including the Faculty Management Team and the BPC management for facilities. For all these responsibilities, the Manager: Operations reports to the Director of the School. Reporting to this role are the Financial Manager, the Office Manager and Coordinator of Projects.
• Operations is, amongst others, responsible for maintaining good human relationships on campus through the development, application and evaluation of policies and procedures to optimise personnel contribution towards the realisation of organisational objectives.
• The incumbent coordinates all the needs of the various role players and divisions within the School to ensure that procedures, structures, systems and budgeting processes are managed in an integrated way and according to corporate governance best practice.

General Management

• The Manager: Operations has to align structures and procedures with the needs of the School which, amongst others, focus on the following:
• Providing strategic direction (in terms of finance and operations as well as input into School's directions), leadership and planning as part of the group to develop and communicate the School¿s strategy;
• Ensuring implementation and monitoring of the key performance indicators;
• Providing team leadership to the operations team as well as roles that feed into operations ten sure a motivated, productive and appropriately managed team, thus guaranteeing optimal contribution by the team for an efficient operational function and the optimisation of day-to-day operations;
• Taking responsibility and accountability for the delivery of the operations function in the School and establishing operational processes and seamless service while acting as champion for change, innovation and continuous improvement;
• Taking charge of and coordinating responses to high-priority crises affecting the School;
• Advising the management team on key planning issues and making recommendations on important business decisions, including risk analysis and management of the risk register, as well as feasibility and sustainability studies on new ventures, e.g., programmes, facilities and services;
• Ensuring that activities comply with organisational requirements for quality management, legal stipulations and general duty of care;
• Building strong and trusted relationships with the School to ensure that priorities are clear and coordination is good to enable the delivery of the strategy, while building influential relationships with internal staff from Stellenbosch University (SU) and external stakeholders;
• Mentoring and developing staff by using a supportive and collaborative approach;
• Responsible for strategic projects and the execution thereof.

Financial Management

• The Manager: Operations has to establish and maintain a clear financial strategy for the School, which links the financial position of the School with the overall strategy of the School, while ensuring good governance of financial and other matters and acting as the financial controller for the School.
• Managing annual budget-related responsibilities within the School's financial strategy, including overall financial management such as forecasting, risk analysis, preparation of budgets, allocation of funds and general management as needed;
• Class fee budget planning (including SU class fees and various departmental levies);
• Ensuring that the academic programme strategy is aligned with budget processes;
• Providing information on student numbers, finances, and other statistics for decision-making and reporting (including the School's MANCO, recruitment, the advisory board, new programme development, and ad hoc allocations);
• Establishing and operating a transparent budget-setting process linking the operational requirements of the various programmes and functions in the School with the financial strategy;
• Assisting with the reconciliation of conflicting demands against budgets;
• Developing budgets for new initiatives (e.g., TWIMS) and presenting it to outside partners.

Personnel Management

• The Manager: Operations has to support the creation of an inclusive environment conducive to career building and professional development, as well as talent retention for the School as an employer of choice.
• Assisting the School's Director with the staff plan, recruitment processes and environmental planning process with the Faculty management team ensuring appointments are aligned with the financial affordability of budgets;
• Ensuring that appointments are made in line with the University and Faculty's human resource policies and guidelines;
• Ensuring the good functioning of the selection and appointment processes in collaboration with the Faculty's human resources practitioner and heads of divisions, while meeting employment equity regulations;
• Facilitating resolution of issues between Divisions;
• Promoting staff wellness and optimising staff development;
• Responsible for organisational orientation processes for all new appointments;
• Facilitating communication and information flow on campus by creating effective communication channels and practices;
• Promoting a culture of high performance and continuous improvement that values learning and a commitment to quality;
• Supporting the performance management process to ensure fairness, consistency and objectivity as far as possible while monitoring staff performance and development goals, assigning accountabilities, setting objectives, establishing priorities, and conducting annual performance appraisals for staff in reporting line;
• Creating an environment conducive to career building and professional development, training and development opportunities and talent retention for the School as an employer of choice;
• Coordinating and facilitating training and development opportunities identified during the performance management process as a result of job requirements, or as identified by individual employees;
• With the University HR function, involved in the job evaluation process for support staff development.

Job Requirements/Pos Vereistes

• A relevant Master's degree in Business Administration with at least five years' related experience OR a relevant postgraduate degree in Business Administration with at least ten years' related experience;
• Ten years' experience in a senior leadership role in a related field;
• Excellent analytical, decision-making, and problem-solving skills;
• Thorough understanding of practices, theories, and policies involved in business and finance;
• Proven ability to manage budgets and develop business plans;
• Proficient operational and financial acumen;
• Strong ethical leadership abilities;
• Strong people skills;
• Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills;
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail;
• Strong project management skills;
• The ability to make projections three years into the future;
• Extremely proficient in the Microsoft Office suite;
• Capacity for strategic thinking, analytical thinking and problem-solving in an integrated and systemic way;
• The ability to establish rapport and credibility, particularly at senior level;
• Acting with integrity in all business interactions;
• Creating high levels of collaboration and effective team building;
• The ability to work under pressure and to manage ambiguity;
• The ability to focus on a wide range of projects simultaneously;
• Strong commercial acumen and the ability to think strategically by translating business needs into operational functional content;
• Leadership ability to motivate and empower others to reach strategic goals;
• Taking initiative and ensuring that plans become actions;
• The confidence and credibility to challenge constructively;
• Strong influencing, negotiation, and facilitation skills.