Job Vacancies at Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

About The Job

• The CSIR has a vacancy for Procurement Specialist. The incumbent is expected to support the Smart Places Hosted Programmes, the National Cleaner Production Centre (NCPC-SA) and the National Foundry Technology Network (NFTN). The two programmes support industry sectors to be more sustainable through the provision of technical services. The incumbent will be responsible for procurement of specialist services required to support the industry. This will also include supporting the roll-out of procurement for a large renewable energy project across South Africa in the next five years. The position is based in Pretoria.

Key Responsibilities

• Learn the business needs and industry challenges of the NCPC-SA and NFTN;
• Source goods and services, review and manage existing supplier relationship;
• Document and assess the NCPC and NFTN business and sourcing objectives;
• Track and report on spend patterns;
• Support a supplier development programme to assist new suppliers to be considered for specialist contracts;
• Determine the total value of identified commodities and report accordingly to management;
• Source suppliers that meet the CSIR procurement criteria and ensure compliance to the CSIR’s B-BBEE policy and programme;
• Manage procurement transactional services ensuring reduction in purchase order cycle times and tracking supplier performance against targets;
• Assess and implement automation of processes to improve service delivery;
• Expedite orders to monitor quality, on time deliveries, preferential procurement and savings;
• Ensure effective and timely response to user calls related to orders and deliveries;
• Keep abreast with business systems and new developments;
• Manage procurement activities throughout the purchasing and supply chain;
• Ensure that purchasing activities are provided in a fair, equitable, transparent, cost effective, efficient, and effective manner;
• Build strategic, professional, and ethical relationships with other CSIR units and the Hosted Programmes suppliers;
• Ensure buying activities support the CSIR’s supplier contracts and that the organisation’s strategic interests are considered in such relationships;
• Report on relevant management information.

Qualifications, Skills, And Experience

• A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent three-year purchasing qualification with at least five years’ experience in procurement.
• Public sector procurement experience
• Good understanding and experience of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
• Report writing skills.
• Supplier evaluation experience and thorough understanding of business processes.
• Sourcing, buying, negotiation, planning and organising skills.
• Contract management skills and e-procurement knowledge.
• High degree of accuracy, attention to detail and problem-solving ability.
• Ability to meet demanding deadlines and good interpersonal skills; and
• Excellent communication skills and strong customer service focus.

Closing date: 15 March 2023

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About The Job

• The CSIR has a vacancy for a Principal Researcher: Pavement Design within the Transport Infrastructure Engineering Impact Area of the Smart Mobility Cluster. The group plays a leading role in road construction materials, pavement design, road rehabilitation design and analysis methods, monitoring long-term performance of roads and road material characterisation and assessment. This position is based in Pretoria.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide technical and strategic leadership to staff in the Pavement Design and Construction (PDC) research group by ensuring quality scientific outputs and the professional development and transformation of the group’s scientific capacity;
• Promote a culture of scientific excellence in terms of both quality and delivery;
• Lead research in the structural design of road pavements;
• To become recognised as an expert in the field of PDC and associated research; providing thought leadership;
• Networking ability both nationally and internationally, and proven networks within all aspects of transport infrastructure design, construction, maintenance and rehabilitation.
• Proven contract and project management experience on medium to large-scale projects, preferably involving multi-disciplinary research and development, both in South Africa and internationally;
• Provide effective mentorship to other colleagues. to enhance research capability within the research group.

Qualifications, Skills And Experience

• A Masters’ degree in civil engineering , a PhD in civil engineering is preferable , with at least ten years civil engineering experience specialisation in pavement design;
• A track record in attracting and securing funding to support a team and formulating strategies;
• Lead the research conducted by the group in areas such as performance modelling of road construction materials; pavement design; road rehabilitation design and analysis methods; and monitoring performance of roads.
• Registration with a relevant professional body;
• Good understanding of the transport sector in South Africa;
• Excellent interpersonal and organisational skills;
• Ability to continuously disseminate research outputs in the form of technical papers;
• Ability to innovate and generate new knowledge;
• Must have good communication, presentation and writing skills;
• Must have the ability to work accurately, efficiently and independently as well as in a team;
• Must be computer literate as well as have the ability to understand and use domain specialised software;
• Ability to work in a methodical manner is essential;
• Ability to carry out strategic stakeholder interactions at all levels;
• Ability to effectively present ideas, concepts, plan and procedures;
• Demonstrated track record of the ability to work accurately, independently and efficiently.
• All international qualifications require an evaluation report / certificate issued by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).

Closing date: 22 March 2023