About the position
The National Research Foundation (NRF) is and established by an Act of Parliament and mandated to contribute to national development by supporting, promoting and advancing research human capacity development, through funding and the provision of the necessary research infrastructure, in order to facilitate the creation of knowledge, innovation and development in all fields of science and technology, including humanities, social sciences and indigenous knowledge; and supporting and promoting public awareness of, and
engagement with, science.
The NRF is a well-established organisation that is highly networked within the knowledge system, nationally and internationally. It is the principal organisation responsible for promoting the national research enterprise and is the primary public funder of postgraduate students and researchers and provider of research infrastructure in the country. It has well-developed, best practice research evaluation and support systems.
The South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON), a National Platform of the NRF, is focused on impactful long-term ecological research (LTER) by generating reliable data and information for decision-making in response to experienced and predicted
environmental changes
The NRF, an entity of the Department of Science, Technology & Innovation (DSTI), invites applications from suitably qualified and motivated individuals for the position of Managing Director of SAEON. We are seeking a visionary, well-networked systems thinker with excellent leadership and managerial skills.
Key Responsibilities:
- Organizational Leadership and Positioning
- Lead the development and execution of a fit-for-purpose science agenda for NRF-SAEON, coupled with establishment and sustainable resourcing of Nodes and Research Infrastructures as open access research platforms with strong national collaborations and
- international accreditations.
- Position NRF-SAEON to continue to provide high quality scientific services that enable decision support for government at a local, provincial and national level as well as by the broader environmental sector.
- Ensure that NRF-SAEON develops and maintains an ecosystem of information management platforms that will promote scientific synthesis and decision support for effective environmental stewardship and sustainable development at all levels of society.
- Position NRF-SAEON for effective evidence-based science advocacy, science diplomacy and impactful science-policy engagement.
- Promote an Engaged Research approach by NRF-SAEON through the co-creation of research agendas and co-generation of knowledge with the community, where appropriate.
- Guide and perform continuous organisational strategy and business model development, implementation and evaluation in the context of national policies (e.g. the STI White Paper, NDP 2030) and international standards (e.g. SDGs, open access to data).
- Guide, develop and coach the NRF-SAEON management team as well as inspire employees to achieve the organisation's strategic objectives.
- Be the authentic custodian and champion of organisational culture and values.
- Develop and enhance NRF-SAEON's capacity to assume national and international leadership roles within the scope of the organisation
- Drive a performance culture within NRF-SAEON by continuously monitoring and assessing organisational progress against qualitative and quantitative targets and troubleshooting internal and external systemic bottlenecks.
- Ensure that NRF-SAEON is effectively positioned to drive an impactful Science Engagement programme.
- General Operations Management and Administration
- Balance core operations and organisational priorities with the statutory and contractual obligations of delivering to key government and other stakeholders.
- Provide effective stewardship of NRF-SAEON's financial resources in accordance with PFMA requirements and NRF Financial Policies and processes.
- Oversee the Human Resources and Talent Management of employees, including recruitment, training & development, employee relations, diversity & inclusion, performance management, and succession planning.
- Ensure that the procurement activities and processes of NRF-SAEON are compliant with PPPFA requirements and the NRF's procurement and supply chain policies/ procedures.
- Take accountability for upholding Safety, Health, Environment and Risk Management processes and standards to ensure efficient and effective operations.
- Oversee the management of fixed and moveable assets including buildings, land, off-road vehicles, vessels, aircraft and research equipment in accordance with NRF policies and procedures.
- Lead and take accountability for the fulfilment of NRF-SAEON's quarterly, annual and longer-term planning and reporting obligations in accordance with the NRF's prescribed cycles and processes.
- Perform all duties and functions in accordance with the position's Delegation of Authority and the NRF's Delegation of Authority Framework.
Corporate Responsibilities
- The individual will function as a member of the executive management team of the National Research Facilities comprised of other Managing Directors, as well as operating as part of the extended executive leadership team of the NRF.
- Serve on NRF Corporate and stakeholder structures as appropriate
- Contribute constructively into corporate and national plans, documents and policies Promote efficient and effective data stewardship, knowledge management, reporting and accountability within the organisation
- Promote inter-business unit collaborations and partnership to advance innovation, drive organisational transformation, enhance impact and forge sustainability.
- Participate in and/or lead Corporate strategic initiatives, tasks or projects as may be required
- Oversee the implementation of, and compliance with, various NRF Corporate policies as well as statutes and regulations applicable to the NRF.
- Stakeholder relations, communications and organisational reputation building
- Grow the organisational network through collaborative partnerships and strategic initiatives with local and global organisations and initiatives.
- Develop NRF-SAEON's capacity to deliver a broad range of environmental ecosystem monitoring and research services to address the environmental management information needs of public and private clients.
- Oversee an effective and strategic communications programme including strategic use of social media to enhance the reputation of NRF-SAEON.
Key Requirements:
Qualification:
- A doctorate in Environmental Science, Ecosystems and/or Earth Science/Systems
Experience:
- Ten (10) years as an Environmental, Earth, Ecosystems scientist/science manager in South Africa, and a demonstrable record of scholarly accomplishment.
- Applicants must have at least 5 years' experience in senior leadership and management of a large entity.
Knowledge:
- Highly skilled in decision-making
- Strategic thinking
- Interpersonal skills
- Stress and time management
- Operational management of distributed environmental research infrastructures
- Planning and organisation
- Transformation programmes
- Coaching and talent management
- Financial management
- Communications and reputation management
- Risk management
- Performance management
- Conflict management
- Public speaking
- Diversity management.
Desired Skills:
- Skilled in applied field of position
- Knowledge to be relevant
- Responsible in performing duties
About The Employer:
Additional Notes:
- Environmental risks such as climate change, biodiversity loss, human environmental damage, and natural resource crises top the list of global risks identified by the World Economic Forum (2021).
- Responding to these challenges, the South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON), an evolving business unit of the National Research Foundation (NRF), is focussed on impactful long- term ecological research (LTER) by generating reliable data and information for decision-making in response to experienced and predicted environmental changes.
- NRF-SAEON conducts its work via a central national office located in Pretoria, 6 dedicated research nodes, 1 dedicated data systems node and 3 national environmental research infrastructures namely, the Shallow Marine and Coastal Research Infrastructure (SMCRI),
- Enhanced Freshwater and Terrestrial Observation Network (EFTEON) and the South African Polar Research Infrastructure (SAPRl).
- Our observation and research programmes cover both relatively discrete ecosystems and crosscutting themes.
- Complementary multi- and transdisciplinary observational approaches are followed and designed to consider systemic responses to drivers of change including extreme events, to distinguish between natural variability and the often slow but potentially disastrous anthropogenic - directional changes, and to understand how these are intertwined with the socio-economy at multiple scales. Modelling and mapping based on own and other data provide tools for prediction and decision-making.
- Through our Open Data System, we subscribe to the FAIR principles.
- Our income streams from diverse public entities demonstrate a high level of national legitimacy and we are a sought-after partner in global science programmes. We contribute to the transformation of the National System of Innovation through our Environmental Science Education Programme at schools, our Graduate Student Network, our postgraduate researchers and by practising appropriate transformative science and science engagement.
- Organisationally, NRF-SAEON aims to achieve mission-effectiveness through scientific, data, policy and transformative contributions, stakeholder inclusivity, service delivery, human capacity development, workforce diversity, high performance culture, economies of scale, business process efficiency, compliance with policies and strategies, and public value as the overall return on investment.
Closing Date: 09 May 2026
- The NRF offers a challenging career and competitive remuneration package which is commensurate with qualifications and experience.
- The NRF is committed to employment equity and redress and the appointment to the position will be made in line with the NRF Employment Equity Plan.
- The NRF reserves the right not to make an appointment.
- Correspondence will be sent to short-listed candidates only
The National Research Foundation (NRF) is and established by an Act of Parliament and mandated to contribute to national development by supporting, promoting and advancing research human capacity development, through funding and the provision of the necessary research infrastructure, in order to facilitate the creation of knowledge, innovation and development in all fields of science and technology, including humanities, social sciences and indigenous knowledge; and supporting and promoting public awareness of, and engagement with, science. The NRF is a well-established organisation that is highly networked within the knowledge system, nationally and internationally. It is the principal organisation responsible f
