Research Development at Stellenbosch University

Financial Administrative Officer

• The Postdoctoral Research Support Office within the Division for Research Development supports Postdoctoral Research Fellows from across the world who come to conduct research and training at Stellenbosch University. The office supports postdoc through appointment, registration, administration of monthly stipends, travel and training grants, capacity building, publicity and stakeholder engagement.
• To this effect, the Financial Administrative Officer will provide administrative support for Postdoctoral Research Fellow bursaries and scholarships awarded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) and other funders; and will cater to a large and growing group of postdocs from across ten faculties. In addition, the incumbent will administer all postdoc bursaries and take part in the evaluation of grant applications and management of payments for postdoc conference and workshop participation.

Duties/Pligte

• Overall financial administration and management:
• Coordinating and administrating all the financial aspects of the Postdoc Office.
• Processing and managing all the financial reports for donors and funders, and general annual reporting.
• Maintaining databases and records, coordinating the creation and maintenance of accurate records on databases and the electronic filing system.
• Advertising postdoc positions: reviewing adverts, advising on wording and content, and posting on the website.
• Maintaining an information database for reporting purposes.

Postdoc Payments:

• Coordinating the receipt, acknowledgment, and tracking of postdoc payments.
• Reviewing postdoc payments for compliance and eligibility.
• Approving and processing postdoc bursary payments on behalf of the Postdoc Office.
• Handling correspondence and queries regarding postdoc payments.
• Liaising with the Finance Department, student finance, postdocs, hosts, and other internal role players such as the International Office and the Contracts Office.
• Facilitating interdepartmental fund transfers.
• Job Requirements/Pos Vereistes

Relevant tertiary degree, with at least two years experience in:

• NRF and bursary administrative processes.
• Working with enterprise systems in a higher education or grant/funding environment.
• General administration in the higher education landscape.

 Knowledge of the following:

• The higher education landscape.
• Postgraduate bursary payment processes.
• Intellimali.
• Cost centre management.

Technical competencies in:

• NRF online bursary platform.
• University enterprise systems such as TeraTerm or similar.
• Microsoft Office suite.
• Data handling and analysis.
• Drawing reports for funders.
• Social media platforms.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Forecasting, strategy, and planning.

Behavioral competencies:

• Interpersonal skills.
• The ability to work under pressure.
• Time management skills.
• Emotional intelligence.

Teamwork skills.

• Diversity and open-mindedness.
• Recommendation/Aanbeveling
• An understanding of university finance systems and processes;
• At least one years experience in the administration of postgraduate funding programmes