Researcher / Senior Researcher: Southern African Resilience Academy at Stellenbosch University

Duties

• Providing conceptual, strategic, and visionary research and knowledge leadership for the Southern African Resilience Academy, working in consultation with the GRP leadership, the SARChl in Social-Ecological Systems and Resilience, the PECS international project office, and other social-ecological systems and resilience research networks regionally and globally.
• Liaising with the Global Resilience Partnership in terms of coordinating SARA research and activities with the research and activities of other GRP initiatives and South-to-South Academies in other parts of the world.
• Initiating, supporting, and leading academic outputs such as synthesis papers that integrate the work of the working groups, as well as participating in or leading one or more working groups.
• Representing SARA research and activities at relevant international conferences and events.
• Coordinating SARA outreach and communication activities, including queries by relevant and interested parties, with support from the CST communications manager.
• Being the liaison, contact and support point for working groups on both conceptual and logistical matters.
• Coordinating annual synthesis workshops for working groups, as well as relevant networking and outreach events, including a conference in the final year, with support from the administration team at CST.
• Managing SARA project finances.
• Providing annual reporting of SARA finances and activities to the CST and GRP. 
• Supporting fundraising initiatives to advance the work of SARA, especially in terms of securing large collaborative research grants to facilitate further iterations of SARA.
• The incumbent will be expected to contribute 10% of their time to supporting CST institutional functions, and participating in CST seminars, events and staff meetings.
• The incumbent will be expected to contribute to supervision of postgraduate students related to the research activities undertaken in SARA, and will be encouraged to provide occasional guest lectures on the CST s teaching programmes.  

Minimum requirements: Researcher:

• At least one peer-reviewed publication.
• PI, Co-PI or collaboration with a PI to submit funding proposals to raise research funding.
• A PhD in social-ecological systems, resilience, sustainability science, or related areas
• At least three years'  experience working in the southern African region in the social-ecological systems (SES), resilience, or closely related topics. 
• A publication record in the areas of social-ecological systems, resilience, ecosystem services, or sustainable development.
• Established collaborations with research networks in the areas of social-ecological systems and resilience, both in southern Africa and globally, e.g. the Southern African Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society (SAPECS), the international Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS), the Resilience Alliance, and the Global Resilience Partnership.
• Experience in leading or co-leading international research projects, programmes or research networks.
• Experience in convening workshops and knowledge co-production processes.
• Experience in working across the science-policy-practice interface.
• Evidence of participation in securing research grants, and willingness and ability to raise ongoing funds.
• Experience in supervising postgraduate students (Masters/PhD).
• Experience and a strong desire to work in participatory interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary environments.
• The ability to work independently and solve problems.
• The ability to be diplomatic and facilitate discussion and resolve conflict.

Minimum Requirements: Senior Researcher:

• PhD in social-ecological systems, resilience, sustainability science, or related areas.
• At least ten peer-reviewed publications with some as first/only author.
• PI (or Co-PI) on one or more grants (small or large), or de facto PI (i.e. assistant to a PI) on a large grant.
• At least one Master s student graduated, and one or more PhDs enrolled.
• Some teaching experience e.g. (co-)convenor of a course, course moderator, and/or delivery of lectures on one or more modules.
• Evidence of institutional leadership and services activities (both internal and external), e.g. thesis examination, course moderation, journal reviewer, service on institutional committees.
• Experience in running stakeholder workshops or policy engagement processes.
• National recognition e.g. NRF rating or serving on national scientific boards.
• At least three years'  experience working in the southern African region in the social-ecological systems (SES), resilience or closely related topics. 
• A publication record in the areas of social-ecological systems, resilience, ecosystem services, or sustainable development.
• Established collaborations with research networks in the areas of social-ecological systems and resilience, both in southern Africa and globally, e.g. the Southern African Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society (SAPECS), the international Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS), the Resilience Alliance, and the Global Resilience Partnership.
• Experience in leading or co-leading international research projects, programmes or research networks.
• Experience in convening workshops and knowledge co-production processes.
• Experience working across the science-policy-practice interface.
• Evidence of participation in securing research grants, and willingness and ability to raise ongoing funds.
• Experience in supervising postgraduate students (Masters/PhD).
• Experience and a strong desire to work in participatory interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary environments.
• The ability to work independently and solve problems.
• The ability to be diplomatic and facilitate discussion and resolve conflict.

Recommendation

• Engagement in the previous round of SARA, and familiarity with the SARA process will be highly advantageous.
• Familiarity with the GRP network and objectives will be highly advantageous.
• Teaching and/or training experience in the context of social-ecological systems.
• The ability to bring existing grants into CST.